Wednesday | February 08, 2012
Handy Tips To Choose Your Computer
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By
Luis Pena
11 March 2004
(U-WIRE) LONG BEACH, Calif. -Selecting the right computer for a student can be a daunting task. But with a little help, anyone can select the appropriate system for his or her needs.
"The average student would have to evaluate his needs and try to determine what he wants to use that computer for. If he just wants to use it for editing or word processing he doesn’t need that much of a machine," said Stephen Eling, assistance specialist at the North Campus Center at California State University-Long Beach.
Consumers must face a major choice: PC or Macintosh.
Eling recommends sticking to the system you’re used to. If you’re used to a Mac, use it. If you’re used to a PC, use that, Eling said.
"I used to work in retail and the biggest question was ‘Where [are you] going to go with this computer?’" said Sean Copeland, an employee with Academic Computing Services. "Do they want it for games, graphics? I am a gamer myself and I like to get the state-of-the-art thing so I can play the newer games and still have the resources of a computer to do the normal functions."
The average computer user primarily doing word processing can go with a low-end computer, according to Israel Martinez Zelaya, a computer information systems major at Devry University in Long Beach. Zelaya recommends a system with at least a one-gigahertz Pentium three processor and Windows 2000 or any of the Windows XP versions that are currently available, along with a Zip drive, DVD player, CD burner, a 20 gigabyte hard drive and a 17-inch monitor.
Copeland would generally recommend not getting a Mac.
"I am not a big Mac person, but in all senses it’s the greatest platform for graphics design, so if you’re a graphics art major I definitely say go for a Mac for sure," Copeland said.
Zelaya says that iMacs are limited because they only have one drive built in, they are slower, they have a restrictive design so you can not upgrade them and you cannot customize your own Mac system.
"The only compelling reason to buy a Mac is because it looks pretty, even the operating system looks pretty and its lot more expensive than a PC," Zelaya said. "I can tell you one thing — you will never see me in a commercial saying that I converted from a PC to Mac."
Desktop PCs start as low as $599. Copeland suggests getting a Dell or a Hewlett Packard brand computer because of their high quality. iMacs start as low as $799.
Another option for consumers is customizing their computers.
The advantage of building your own system is that you chose the parts that you want and you usually end up with a higher quality system than the one that you would get from Dell or Gateway. "You need to have some knowledge of computers to build your own system so that it works properly," Zelaya said.
Copeland advises against e-machines or a Compaq brand PCs because he saw many of them returned when he worked at CompUSA.
When considering a computer, a laptop is convenient, Zelaya said. Zelaya recommends one with a big screen because it is easier on the eyes. He suggests a Dell or Compaq.
"The speed of your Internet service depends on your needs," Zelaya said. "If you only do basic research on the Internet, a 56K connection will be sufficient, but if you like to download a lot of stuff from the Internet then you will have to go with cable or Digital Subscriber Line."
Earthlink is a good service provider with 56K, DSL, cable and satellite service that connects directly to the Internet without having to go through a portal that America Online and the Microsoft Network have, Zelaya said.
Zelaya does not recommend AOL because of certain system interferences the program may have.
A color printer is something that students will want. Inkjet printers are a lot more affordable then a higher quality laser printer. Inkjets start out at $50, while color laser printers are in the $1,000 range Zelaya said.
"If you have any questions [about computers] it’s always good to know somebody that knows something instead of going out there and not knowing anything and getting ripped off by people that think they know everything," Copeland said.
Copyright ©2003 Daily Forty-Niner via U-Wire
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