Posts Tagged ‘desktop computers’

Essential Buying Guide For PCs

November 4th, 2009

If you want to buy a new desktop computer but aren’t quite sure how you can do it, you’re not alone. It can be quite difficult to make a decision sometimes, and there are lots of desktop PCs and laptop computers out there. In fact, it’s probably pretty astonishing that anyone can choose a computer, but this guide will help you figure out what you should get. The first thing you should figure out is what you’re going to need.

What Do You Need? You need to determine what sort of things you are going to be doing on your machine. Are you going to be using video editing software? 3D Modeling? What about games? These are all different applications, and each one will call for different hardware.

The Hardware – If you are going to be doing any sort of 3D modeling, the video card is something to take into account. For instance, you do not want to choose a gaming card for a modeling workstation now would you? In most cases, the Nvidia Quadro series is a decent choice. But if you are going to be gaming and editing video, then you would choose something a little more mainstream.

But what if you choose something completely different? If you need any sort of desktop computers solely for word processing, then you’re in luck, you won’t have to spend much money at all. Word processing computers are incredibly cheap, and they can surf the internet as well. There are many gamers that choose a basic internet surfing/word processing machine over a huge graphics hog because they can play their video games on a console.

What are you going to pay for it? These days, the desktop PC is pretty inexpensive, and you can either buy one ready-made from a manufacturer, or you could have one built the specifications. If you want a top-of-the-line gaming computer, you’re probably going to pay about 1375.8, unless you REALLY want top of the line and pay about 3439.5 — but that’s for a machine that could probably manage the power options for your city.

If you just want a basic computer, you’ll only pay about 343. That’s a very good price if you just want to surf the Internet. When it comes to desktop PCs, this is about all the information you’ll need to make an informed decision.

If you want to choose a laptop computer? If a laptop computer is the way to go for you, you should know that they’re a little more complicated than a desktop PC. For one thing, they’re not upgradeable, for the most part. Network cards and video cards are built right into the board, which means that if something goes wrong, you have to replace the entire board; in some cases you may get lucky in that your cards will be standalone, but that’s not common. In most cases, you won’t be able to replace inadequate or the wrong types of cards without replacing the entire board, so make sure you get the right computer straight off the bat.

When it comes to buying a laptop computer, the process is pretty much the same as it is for a desktop PC, but you have a lot more choices available to you with laptops. If you want a really sturdy “workhorse” computer, you probably already know what hardware you’re looking for. You’ll need very good graphics and the most hard drive space you can get. However, if you’re looking for something that will just let you surf the Internet, you’re lucky.

There are some new “Web surfing” workhorses out there, called netbooks. These are very small computers that can surf the Internet, but they can’t do much else. They usually don’t have an optical drive, which is why they can be priced so low. The price on a Netbook may go up if you want a solid-state hard drive to boot.

For a standard laptop with all the extras you might end up paying 825 EUR, but for a netbook you might pay around 130 EUR. It all depends on what you need. No matter what, you’re sure to find the laptop computers that are right for you. Just keep looking and see what you can find!

if you want more information on buying desktop computers and laptops in Milton Keynes or just general advice regarding notebook and desktop systems and support then go check out our site today.

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Posted in Laptops

Tags: computer hardware desktop computers desktop PC's laptop computers laptop PC's Laptops notebook computers

Are Desktops The Next “VCR”?

August 16th, 2009

by Scott Pratt

Do you remember going to a video store and renting a VCR and a movie or two? Soon VCR’s were common and everyone had one. Do you remember going with your friends and their parents to rent movies on a Friday night. It wasn’t long after that when everyone just started buying the movies so that they could watch them anytime.

Once everyone started to buy the movies instead of renting them, it started to look like mini movie rental places in every home. By the time that you thought that your collection of movies was getting complete, along came the newest and greatest in home movies, the DVD. VHS tapes became a thing of the past. Everyone was now buying DVD’s and DVD players. Trying to find a new VCR is a near impossible achievement today. Now, DVD’s are no longer on the cutting edge. The newest thing in home movies is this thing called a Blu-ray disks. They may very well begin replacing all of the DVD’s on the shelf.

So, the question is posed, will desktop computers become a thing of the past? Will we decide that all we need is our laptops and phones? Our society is one that is connected at the hip to computers. Some people start to panic if they cannot access all of their files at all times. The desktop computer stays on the desk and does not come with us wherever we go. Because it does not move with our every movement, we cannot gain access to the files on that computer wherever we go.

This is an interesting question, because with each new thing we are always sure that it is here to stay, but then along comes something that makes more sense and we do that. Remember the 3X5 disk? How many people own a computer that can still read those? How many files do you have on those old floppies that you have no access to anymore?

So the question becomes, what are the reasons that will justify a stance that the desktop computer is not going away anytime soon? Why not a laptop for work, home, and everywhere else you go? At least one reason that someone may be able to point to is the continuing manufacturing and improving of the desktop computer. If they were leaving soon, you would not see the continued improvement that is happening on them.

Another, less scientific reason, why desktop computers may not be leaving anytime soon is the instinctive desire we have to have a “home base”. We are creatures of habit and do not always let go of thinks easily. Even if we are going to use a desktop for just a couple of minutes a day, we tend to stick to what we know. Also, there are enough people that just despise using a laptop for the bulk of their work and prefer to only use a laptop when it is necessary.

All of that said, we are still a society that is evolving into a 24/7 connected society. We like knowing what is happening as it happens rather than hearing about it on the evening news (and our friends happenings are not on the news). We like the freedom to work from wherever we please, be it at home, the park, or in the office. Employers also like connection and are finding that if they use laptops they can stay better connected to their employees, even when they are at home or on vacation because they will be more likely to be connected to the 24/7 information super highway.

Certainly network applications will use desktops as part of the main piece of a network, but desktops for every employee may someday fade in the sunset with the VCR. Only time will tell.

About the Author:

This issue about the future of desktop computers and whether or not they will be completely taken over by the laptop is one that computer makers are asking. It is important that business owners ask themselves this issue as well so that they can make smart purchases moving ahead.

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Posted in Computers

Tags: business supplies Computers desktop computers laptop computers

Does Anyone In America Not Have A Computer At Home?

August 14th, 2009

by Brian Harris

In the fast paced world of technology today, it is hard to think that you could find a home without a computer. A computer is part of the necessary equipment of any home today. Today, everything is done using a computer. Even my elementary age kids have homework that requires them to do it on the computer.

How did we ever do it? How did we ever get along without a computer? This is particularly true of business. How in the world a business ever got along with no computer is beyond the imagination of the new generation. To, manually do the accounting of a business is beyond comprehension of young accountants today. No business owner today would be willing to pay for the time it would take an accountant to do things by hand.

We know that businesses have gained tremendous efficiency from the use of computers in the workplace, but have they lost anything? Perhaps businesses have not, but what about the people and this country? We are going through a tough economic time and many people are unemployed. Are computers the guilty party? Have they taken jobs away from many unsuspecting, hard working Americans?

Certainly computers have created a number of jobs that did not exist before they invention and common use of the computer. All of the technical jobs relating to keeping computers running, website builders and maintenance, ecommerce jobs, computer manufacturers, etc. The computer industry employs a lot of people.

There is no question that jobs have been cut simply because jobs that required more than one person have been dwindled down to a single person or even down to 0 people. An accountant can do far more today by themselves than they could before. A company that might employ several accountants has now reduced that to one. Lots of labor jobs have been lost as a result of computers and automated equipment.

Though the invention of the computer has brought along with it many jobs that could replace those that it causes to be lost, there is one key component that needs to be looked at. Many of the jobs created by the computer industry are technical in nature. Many of the jobs that the computers cut were not technical, but more labor oriented. This has likely caused a large chasm.

Gone are the days when someone who was at most a high school graduate could make a good living by being a laborer for the same company for many years. In years past, even if someone was uneducated in technical things, they could make a good living by working hard and being loyal to a company. These are the kind of people who have felt the negative impacts of the computer age.

So, should we get rid of computer? Is this the answer we need in this country? Of course, this is a silly thought. There is too much good that comes from the computer to say let?s get rid of it. So what is the answer to bridging this chasm? The answer is simply time. It will bridge itself over time, but for those individuals who have been caught in the middle of the divide, perhaps finding an entrepreneur who cares about more than money and partnering up with that person would be the answer.