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Computers are commodity items. This means that they are mass produced at very low prices in very large quantities. The various retail outlets obtain their systems in large quantities and sell them at low markups. This is an extremely competitive market place. So today's "best computer" may not be tomorrow's. If any of the following is true:
 | price is a major factor |
| you don't have any experience with computers |
| you are looking for an entry-level machine so that you can learn |
If, I say, any of the above is true, then go to your favorite office supply, electronics store, or discount outlet. Find a sales person and seek his/her advice. Then go to at least two or three other competitors and repeat the process.
At the end of the day you will have a good idea of what each retailer offers and how they seek to differentiate themselves from the other stores. The sales people will probably suffocate you with jargon about RAM, processor speeds, disk capacity, and the latest and greatest whatever. You will likely learn that everyone has a bottom, middle, and top of the line product and everyone offers an extended warranty of some sort.
Beware of something priced way below anything else on the market. You probably will not go wrong with a modestly priced middle-grade machine from a well known chain retailer. Don't buy the extra cost service agreement. Any electronic device that works well during the first two weeks is highly likely to last at least through the period of any extended warranty or service agreement. You will find that the fine print on computer service agreements does not cover the most likely problems: viruses, operating system configurations, software installations, interfaces to printers, scanners, cameras, etc.
Now if none of the above three factors (price, inexperience, entry-level) applies to you, please continue reading:
If any of these apply:
| you need a highly reliable system for your home office or small business application |
| you want two or more machines to work together in a local area network |
| you want to share devices such as an office printer |
| you are concerned with data backup and recovery |
| you want a machine for interactive graphics manipulations |
| you want a machine for fast-paced gaming applications |
If one or more of these is true, you may be a candidate for a custom designed and assembled workstation. I seldom recommend mass produced "top of the line" computers. The mass producers don't sell enough of these to be cost effective. This market belongs to "custom" assemblers. Higher end machines are nationally advertised on the web and in Computer Shopper magazine. Expect to pay a premium for the "latest and greatest." The most price efficient computers will possibly be last season's "top of the line" items.
Here is an outline of the process I go through when someone engages me to recommend a custom system.
| Interview the client to determine intended use, environment (vibration, dust, heat, power, air conditioning). |
| List all operating systems, applications, games, processes to be installed. |
| List all peripherals, I/O devices (printers, scanners, faxes, etc.) |
| Identify security threats and determine security needs. |
| Determine data storage needs. |
| Determine data backup/retrieval needs. |
| Prepare a diagram of the local area network and Internet connectivity. |
With this information well defined and agreed to by the client, I start an internet search of the various chassis, motherboard and CPU manufacturers. Sometimes, I find a "barebones" system that can be the foundation of a good proposal. Sometimes I need to build something from the motherboard and CPU up. I always recommend components from established, recognized providers. They have better prospects for long term support including updates to drivers.
Revised: 20 June 2007