+Warwagon MVC Posted January 13, 2009 MVC Share Posted January 13, 2009 The Noobs Guide to Purchasing a New Computer v1.0 Operating Systems When you buy a new computer it will come with Windows Vista. For whatever reason Microsoft decided to release 4 main versions of the Vista operating system. Basic, Premium, Business and Ultimate. Below is a list of the different versions of Vista and how they differ from one another. I?ll refer to Vista Home Basic as simply Vista Basic. When buying a new computer just look for the key words Basic, Premium, Business and Ultimate. I?ve seen too many people go to buy a computer in the expectation of getting Premium. They get to the store and see the word Vista Home? and buy that system. Only to find out they purchased Vista Home Basic. So let?s just ignore the word ?home? allVista Basicta Basic: Also called Vista ?Home? Basic. Do not be fooled into instantly thinking that because you will be using this in your HOME , that this is the system you want. If you are looking to spend the least amount of money you possibly can while still purchasing a new computer with Vista, then Basic is your option. You will lose some functionally. Most of the extra features found in Vista like Aero, Media center and automatic backups areVista Premiumista Premium: This version includes most of the features a home user would want in Vista. It includes the Aero interface (a flashy animation/transparency feature that many people like) as well the automatic backups, Media center, DVD maker and more. If you can afford the upgrade and have at least 3 gigs of RAM (with integrated graphics), I would recommend Vista Premium to moVista Business:ta Business:: Obviously aimed at business (Who would have though?) It includes some extra features that a business would get more use out of than a home user. Some of these features include scanning & faxing, Remote Desktop and Complete PC Backup (it makes a copy of your entire hard drive so it?s easily restorable in the event of a crash). It also removes features that a business would have no use for, like Windows Media Center. Just because you are a business doesn?t mean you necessarily need the Business Edition. If you aren?t on a domain and your software doesn?t explicitly request it (contact your software vendor just to be sure) then PremiumVista Ultimate. Vista Ultimate: When thinking about Vista ultimate, think of it as ?All of the above?. It includes all of the features of Premium and Business and gives you a few extra features just to make you feel good about shelling out the extra cash. Wait, we?re still not done talking about Operating Systems. Now that we understand the different versions of Vista, there is just one more thing to take into consideration All of these Versions come as either 32 bit or 64 bit. The main difference is that the 32 bit system will only recognize and use up to 3.5 gigs of RAM (Random Access Memory). Vista 64 bit will recognize and use up to 128 gigs of ram. The long and the short of it is: you need to match your system with your RAM purchase. If you are buying 3.5 gigs of RAM or less, buy the 32 bit system. If you have more RAM than that, buy the 64 bit. If you are a business you will also want to contact your business software vendor to make sure their applications will function on Vista 64bit. (You might be able to find this information on their website too) Another difference between 32 and 64bit is something called ?driver support?. ?Drivers? tell your computer how to connect and communicate with things such as printers, cameras, scanners, etc. Think of them as a translator? it allow the devices to talk to each other. Both versions of Windows Premiums have support for A LOT driver support But to be sure, you would still want to check the manufactures website to see if a driver is available for your specific device (Example: visit www.hp.com/support and then type in yourMemorymory[/size] Here is the single most important part of the PC. People always think "If I want a fast PC I need a faster processor!". In fact, a fast Processor without a lot of ram is going to run slow. In today?s market, memory (RAM) is very cheap?. A lot of bang for the buck. I'd recommend as a "Minimum" 2 gigs of ram with a new computer, more if you can afford it. If you get 4 gig or more of ram you'll want to make sure you Graphics Cardscs Cards[/size] The graphics card is the part of the computer that your monitor plugs into. There are primarily 2 types of graphics cards. Onboard (aka: Integrated Graphics, the kind that is built directly onto your motherboard) PCI Express (A graphics card which is removable, replaceable and upgradable). All graphics cards have what is called "Video memory": a form of writable memory, usually RAM, that is dedicated to the purpose of holding the information necessary for a graphics card to drive your monitor. Sometimes Integrated Graphics has its own video memory but most of the time it does not. Instead it borrows from your systems memory, that memory I just talked about up above a couple of paragraphs. This is called "shared memory". It is basically stealing from your system memory. Let's say your new computer comes with an integrated graphics card with 512megs of shared memory. Now let's say that your new computer also comes with 2 gigs system memory (ram). Since you have an integrated card and it uses shared memory, it will steal (use) 512megs of your 2 gigs and leave you with 1.5 of memory available to Vista. That's not very nice!! You can see right now that if you buy a computer with integrated graphics, you better be buying some extra RAM. A PCI Express Graphics Card on the other hand has its own memory built right onto the card. Because of this it will not steal any system memory from your system. If the card came with 512 megs of video memory, you are still left with your full 2 gigs of ram. Because of this I usually recommend people get a PC with a PCI express graphics card. Ask the sales representative if the video memory on the computer is shared. If it is, go with a PCI Express Graphics card. If it isn't shared then you sho Hard Drivesd Drives[/size] The Hard Drive is where everything is stored on your computer including the operating system that tells the computer how to run, the programs you use, and the documents and pictures that you save. When choosing a Hard Drive think of it as picking out how big a filing cabinet you need. The bigger the number, the more space you will have to install and save things on. I'd say 300gigs is the sweet spot for most users. Processors [/size] The Processor is the ?brain? inside your computer. It does all the thinking and processing of information. You?ll see and hear them talk about Single, Dual and Quad-Core processors. What are they talking about? A Single-Core processor is just that, There is only one ?brain?. 1 brain performing all the tasks you are doing on the computer. Dual core means there are 2 brains working on the same tasks. Quad-core, 4 brains and so on? obviously things would go faster. Windows is able to ?share the load?, giving each brain (core) a different task. So you are able to do multiple tasks with minimal slow down. Some applications ar Preinstalled Antivirus> Preinstalled Antivirus[/size] If you go to a name brand store, they will probably try to sell you an antivirus in conjunction with the new computer. Usually Norton, MacAfee, Trend Micro or SpySweeper. Personally I think Mcafee, Trend and Spysweeper are very bloated applications (they use up a lot of you RAM and slow the computer down. Norton use to be bad but with the Norton Antivirus 2009 version, they cleaned up their act. I'd avoid the all in one "Internet Security Suites" and stick just with the Antivirus. There is also a very good free antivirus. Avast (www.avast.com). If you really want to pay for an antivirus, I would recommend Nod32 (www.eset) In my home I have had one computer running with Nod32 and another using Avast for years. Never a problem on either machine. But remember, the best of the antivirus programs can?t protect you from your own stupidity. Be smart when you browse the Internet. Windows Updates[/size] Microsoft is pushing updates out every week to patch vulnerabilities and provide additional protection. Never disable your Automatic Updates. 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Spartan Erik Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Good guide but you should mention under the OS's that users wanting new computers may consider to wait several months for Windows 7. In addition to info regarding antivirus software, AVG 8 is an internet security suite covering spyware, viruses, and rootkids (not bad for free) that shouldn't be left out Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590418592 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 13, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted January 13, 2009 AVG 8 is an internet security suite covering spyware, viruses, and rootkids (not bad for free) that shouldn't be left out I use to recommend AVG 8 and install it on PC's. I did that until avg had that really bad false positive that deleted a core system file that would cripple pc's so they wouldn't start back up. I'm soooooooooooooooo lucky I didn't get bit by that. it could have been really bad. After that I went back and to installing Avast. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590418826 Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cuban Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 How about recommending ubuntu? its a great distribution, and is very friendly, and has a Great learning curve, takes no more than week to master in my books. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590432820 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mduren2445 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I agree with everything except the point on the internet security...these days you need BOth antivirus and a firewall because of how many ports are open on your computer and how fast your computer will be compromised if the a firewall is not there to protect you. There are way too many people with too much time on thier hands that love to mess up your computer and an antivirus will not protect all open ports. Don't depend on the Windows firewall either since it is the most attacked one out there and it is only one way protection. If something gets in you don't want it to get out. To not have a firewall is just inviting trouble Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590432932 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 16, 2009 Author MVC Share Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) I agree with everything except the point on the internet security...these days you need BOth antivirus and a firewall because of how many ports are open on your computer and how fast your computer will be compromised if the a firewall is not there to protect you. There are way too many people with too much time on thier hands that love to mess up your computer and an antivirus will not protect all open ports. Don't depend on the Windows firewall either since it is the most attacked one out there and it is only one way protection. If something gets in you don't want it to get out. To not have a firewall is just inviting trouble By the time you have malware on your system disabling your firewall your ****ed. Edited January 16, 2009 by warwagon Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590433032 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+shift. MVC Posted January 16, 2009 MVC Share Posted January 16, 2009 I agree with everything except the point on the internet security...these days you need BOth antivirus and a firewall because of how many ports are open on your computer and how fast your computer will be compromised if the a firewall is not there to protect you. There are way too many people with too much time on thier hands that love to mess up your computer and an antivirus will not protect all open ports. Don't depend on the Windows firewall either since it is the most attacked one out there and it is only one way protection. If something gets in you don't want it to get out. To not have a firewall is just inviting trouble To be honest, part of the responsibility lies with the user not to download content that could compromise the safety of your computer. As well, all (most?) routers have NAT enabled anyway so there isn't really a serious threat in terms of your computer getting hacked. Then there's always Windows Vista / Windows 7 UAC. Maybe a software firewall could find a bit of use in Windows XP, but I've never used one and my computer's security has never been compromised before. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590434798 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mduren2445 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I can see that because we all know the biggest problem a computer will ever have is between the chair and the keyboard :laugh: Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590434834 Share on other sites More sharing options...
non.sequitur2 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 To be honest, part of the responsibility lies with the user not to download content that could compromise the safety of your computer. Lol, you don't have kids do you? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/721968-the-noobs-pc-buying-guide/#findComment-590541302 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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