- In this report
- Overview
- How to choose
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
September 2008
How to choose
Make sure you need a new PC. If you’re considering one of the top computers because your old one is sluggish or out of storage, see if your current model
is salvageable. Defragmenting the hard drive can speed file access, and deleting programs and files you don’t want or no longer
use can free up disk space. Adding external hard drives can give you unlimited expansion. You can buy a lot more gigabytes for the money than you could a few years ago.
Choose a type and size. In laptops, a bigger screen size comes at the expense of portability, battery life, and price. For many users, a 14- or 15-inch screen offers a good balance. A 17-inch screen is probably better if you use the laptop as a desktop replacement and don’t frequently carry it around. You’ll pay more for a slim-and-light model with a 13-inch screen, but you’ll have less weight to tote around and longer battery life.
With desktops, there’s also a trade-off between size and price. A desktop with a tower case and 17- to 22-inch LCD monitor costs less than a comparable all-in-one but takes up more space.
Decide on power. Make sure any new computer has at least 2GB of RAM, especially if it’s running Windows Vista. As long as the processor is dual core, don’t worry too much about it if you run mostly typical productivity software. But if you’ll often use your computer for gaming or editing photos or video, get a faster dual-core processor and a discrete graphics card with more memory, as found in our top computers workhorse category. Only serious gamers and video buffs need a high-end desktop with a quad-core processor and an even more powerful graphics card.
Consider tech support. Tech support quality has varied widely, according to our most recent laptop tech support Ratings and desktop PC tech support Ratings (both available to subscribers). Factor those differences into your choice, as we have in our recommendations. Apple has been the best by far for both laptop and desktop support. Lenovo was outstanding at solving laptop problems; we have insufficient data to report on Lenovo desktops. Dell was above average at problem-solving for desktops and laptops. HP and Compaq were among the lower-scoring brands for desktops. In laptops, HP scored lower than most, and Toshiba, Gateway, and Sony were disappointing.
Computer reliability hasn’t varied much by brand, according to our user surveys. As a whole, computers haven’t been especially reliable. Roughly one in five have needed repairs within a few years of purchase.
For more information about computer reliability and tech support, read our recent report on tech support. For help on finding the best computer for your needs, see our How to choose: desktops and How to choose: laptops guides and check our latest Ratings of desktop PCs and Ratings of laptops (both available to subscribers).
Choose a type and size. In laptops, a bigger screen size comes at the expense of portability, battery life, and price. For many users, a 14- or 15-inch screen offers a good balance. A 17-inch screen is probably better if you use the laptop as a desktop replacement and don’t frequently carry it around. You’ll pay more for a slim-and-light model with a 13-inch screen, but you’ll have less weight to tote around and longer battery life.
With desktops, there’s also a trade-off between size and price. A desktop with a tower case and 17- to 22-inch LCD monitor costs less than a comparable all-in-one but takes up more space.
Decide on power. Make sure any new computer has at least 2GB of RAM, especially if it’s running Windows Vista. As long as the processor is dual core, don’t worry too much about it if you run mostly typical productivity software. But if you’ll often use your computer for gaming or editing photos or video, get a faster dual-core processor and a discrete graphics card with more memory, as found in our top computers workhorse category. Only serious gamers and video buffs need a high-end desktop with a quad-core processor and an even more powerful graphics card.
Consider tech support. Tech support quality has varied widely, according to our most recent laptop tech support Ratings and desktop PC tech support Ratings (both available to subscribers). Factor those differences into your choice, as we have in our recommendations. Apple has been the best by far for both laptop and desktop support. Lenovo was outstanding at solving laptop problems; we have insufficient data to report on Lenovo desktops. Dell was above average at problem-solving for desktops and laptops. HP and Compaq were among the lower-scoring brands for desktops. In laptops, HP scored lower than most, and Toshiba, Gateway, and Sony were disappointing.
Computer reliability hasn’t varied much by brand, according to our user surveys. As a whole, computers haven’t been especially reliable. Roughly one in five have needed repairs within a few years of purchase.
For more information about computer reliability and tech support, read our recent report on tech support. For help on finding the best computer for your needs, see our How to choose: desktops and How to choose: laptops guides and check our latest Ratings of desktop PCs and Ratings of laptops (both available to subscribers).
