Wait...what should be the 'configuration'?? Confused about that??
Here is a quick guide to help you out.
Lets see the main parts of a computer (which are MUST for any computer to run) :
- Processor and Motherboard: This is the brain of your computer. All the processing is done here. Widely there are 2 manufacturers for processors, namely Intel and AMD (I would highly recommend Intel Processors as i have seen AMD heats up a lot) and the latest trend with the processors is Core 2 Duo. Its predecessor was Dual core. Roughly it means that at the core there are 2 independent processing units which means there are two processors working simultaneously. The GHz abbreviation for Giga Herts (1.8GHz, 2.0 GHz) denotes the operating frequency of the processor. The faster the costlier. Go for atleast 1.8 GHz for smooth operating of all the softwares.
The processor and all other components like modem, graphics card, sound card etc. are mounted on the motherboard. There are specific motherboards available in the market for the selected type of processor. Now a days most of the motherboards are having PCI Xpress technology. Always prefer to buy original Intel Motherboards in case of Pentium processors as they are designed to deliver for best performance. Almost all motheroards have onboard graphics, sound, Network cards. But if u wanna play games then you need to buy a graphics card with onboard dedicated memory because the graphics card on motherboard is a shared memory card which means it takes away the specified amount (64 MB or 128 MB) from RAM thereby slowing down your system. Also it does not have its own graphics processor which further slows down the whole system. (More about graphics cards in another post). - RAM: This is the abbreviation of Random Access Memory often referred as Memory. The memory also has an operating frequency. While buying RAM make sure that it matches with the motherboard frequency. The latest RAMs are called DDR2 RAMs which operate at higher frequency and hence the data can be accessed rapidly resulting in a faster and better performance (For running Windows Vista i would recommend 2GB RAM).
- Hard Disk Drive or HDD: Now a days the latest trend with the Hard Disks is SATA (Serial ATA) which offers higher data transfer speed and greater storage capacity. Go for atleast 80 GB SATA HDD (160 GB is recommended as the price difference between 80 GB and 160 GB is very less).
First of all make sure, what is the purpose of buying the PC?This will help you decide the amount of Memory, Hard Disk Space and accesories.
Are you going to use you PC only for day to day work like maintaining accounts, creating small labels etc. then go for a minimum configuration which i have mentioned above like 1.8Ghz processor with compatible motherboard, 512 MB or 1 GB RAM, 80 GB or 160 GB Hard disk. If you are planning to run Windows Vista Operating system then go for 2 GB RAM as this OS requires huge amount of RAM.If u r a hardcore gamer then u need to buy a PC with 2 GB RAM and a 256MB PCI Xpress graphics card (nVidia or ATI Radeon are big guns in Graphics Card manufacturers). You can also buy joysticks and steering wheel for gaming. If you are a music lover then go for a creative sound card and a 5.1 Surround sound speakers.
More about accessories in the next post.
