We offer the following recommendations and suggestions based upon our experience. Hopefully, you will find them of benefit.

There are certain items that we advocate regardless of system type or make -

Buy as much system as your money will allow. The first concern is the memory size. Memory is the single most important factor to ensure that your system will run optimally.  Too little and  that blazingly fast processor you bought will spend more time trying to manage the internal stability of the system rather than working on your needs. Memory demands will only grow as software becomes more complex and users continue to run multiple programs or instances of the same program simultaneously.  Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system requires 1GB, so don’t skimp here.

Next, look at the  processor. If a netbook, then  your options are not as varied. Look for a system with the Intel Atom processor and make your decision based upon cost combined with the other desired options. For a desktop or a laptop, look for a multi-core processor. This is essentially a single chip that has two or more processors cores sharing resources and thereby conserving power and space, but offers more power than a single core processor. While not as powerful as running multiple processors in a single system, the technology does represent a considerable performance improvement without all the associated costs. There are even Quad-core processors available, but unless you are into some very heavy gaming, database, development or video/audio editing, this may be overkill and not all software may take full advantage of the capability. If you intend to keep the system for several years, then perhaps it is worthwhile.

Disk drives are next and you should consider what your use will be. Many drives have rotational speeds in the 5400 RPM range.  If you intend to work with video and/or audio (creating, DVR recording, editing, etc.) or have transactional based requirements such as running point-of-sale systems with a host server, then you should consider getting a system(s) with faster drives. 7200 RPM drives should be considered as a minimum and for transactional based system look at the 10K and 15K RPM drives (SAS & SCSI). There is not much cost difference between the 5400 and 7200 RPM drives, but be prepared for the sticker shock when moving up beyond 7200 RPM. Drive size is simply a question of how much storage space is needed. Keep in mind that when the system manufacturer indicates that the system is equipped with a certain amount of disk space that some of that has already been used by the operating system and other software packages that may have been preloaded. The good thing about disk drives is that unlike processors, disk drives can usually be upgraded quite easily.

Connectivity is what makes your system complete. Virtually all laptops and netbooks come with wireless capability built-in.  They all support Wireless B & G with more starting to incorporate the draft N standard. The difference between them is the speed capability with draft N being the fastest (currently) and B the slowest. Most locations that have wireless service utilize the G standard, but there is no need to worry as each standard is backwards compatible to the standards preceding. So, N is backwards compatible to G and B and G is backwards compatible to B. An Ethernet connection is a must. In most cases a 100MB connection is more than adequate, but if you intend to have a wired network and expect to move large amount of data between systems or other Ethernet enable appliances, then look for a 1GB connection. If you only intend to use the Ethernet connection to connect to your cable or DSL modem a 1GB connection will not make  any difference to the experience as you can go no faster than what your Internet service subscription allows. A 1394 (FireWire) port is not as prevalent as it once was. It is typically used to connect external devices such as camcorders and cameras so that your digital recordings can be copied for later viewing and editing. While there are other devices that may use a 1394 connection, you should only be concerned if you currently have a digital video device that makes use of the connection. USB ports have taken over as the de-facto choice  for connecting external devices directly to today’s systems. You will want to examine your current needs and estimate your future needs to determine how many ports your should have. You may also want to keep in mind where the ports are located on the system so that you can gauge the ease with which they can be accessed. You can expand the USB capability with the use of inexpensive, external USB hubs if needed, but you will want to ensure that your system has at least 4 built-in ports in addition to their being at the USB 2.0 standard.   

Video cards are more a personal choice and largely dependent on memory configurations, bus type, number of displays to be attached, etc. If you have a specific question, drop us an email and we can provide some guidance. Don’t worry, most off-the-shelf systems come with an adequate video card that will work fine for almost all needs.  Regardless, if video is important and you want to use an HDMI connection, make sure that the HDMI standard is 1.3 or higher.

We are oftentimes approached about what type of system should be considered -

First, determine your need. Is it  a desktop, a laptop, a “netbook” or a combination? In other words, what do you intend to do with it and what will your budget allow?  If portability is a must, then consider a netbook. A netbook is a slimmed down, lighter weight laptop. It doesn’t have all the features of a laptop, but the prices are very reasonable ($200-$500) and may allow you to also have a desktop as your main system. If shopping for a student, then skip the netbook and go with the laptop.

Keep in mind that no matter what you buy, there will be a better, faster, cheaper system out shortly thereafter.

PC or MAC? Both have advantages and both are worth a look -

Much as we wish there were, there is no easy answer. Apple is an awesome system that should be investigated if you intend to do graphic design, digital photography or just about anything else where high-end video or graphics are concerned. The user interface is very good and the build quality and system stability are excellent. What sets Apple apart is that the hardware, firmware and  operating system are all designed by Apple so one would expect the parts to all play nice with one another. Combine this with their “I” series of products (touch, phone, tunes, Pod, etc.) and Apple has a very nice product offering with a fiercely loyal user-base. Apple’s latest operating system, “Snow Leopard”, should make it even better.

On the other hand, Apple is usually a more expensive system, has fewer software titles and is generally harder to shop (not as many retailers) and upgrade. Microsoft driven systems dominate the market whereas Apple has ~ 8.5% market share. Microsoft PC systems are generally less expensive for comparable ability, have far more software titles, more upgrade options, and there are a variety of vendors from which to choose. In fact, Microsoft is so popular that Apple has made provisions to accommodate Microsoft (Windows and Office) products on MAC systems so that their users can run more titles. Take a look at both and keep in mind that service/support should play into your decision.

Just as Apple has released “Snow Leopard”, Microsoft Windows 7 has received some pretty good reviews and Microsoft has taken a number of steps to make sure that Windows 7 is an improvement over Vista. Vista received a lot of bad press and user complaints, but with the latest service pack releases many of the issues have been addressed. If you are in the market for a new system, make sure that it comes with Windows 7. Apple makes much ado about the viruses that plague the Microsoft world. While the threats are significantly less for Apple today, there are threats out there and as time goes by you can count on more threats being targeted at the Apple machines.