Alexey Sedov. Secrets of successful purchase of a computer.

Every day the number of people buying computers increases. Computer becomes a friend and an irreplaceable assistant. Computer means music, video, photos, games, dialogue and the working tool. The computer connected to the Internet opens a window to the whole world, helps you find work, friends or girlfriends, get the latest news. 

The person who has no computer skills cannot be considered as the up-to-date person. More and more companies make computer literacy the necessary requirement for new employees.

Computer purchase is a very responsible and difficult step for many people. How to choose computer? What model is necessary to me? How can I avoid spending money for nothing?

You feel devastated and lost when the adviser in shop heads you up with incomprehensible terms and characteristics: clock frequency of the processor, operative memory, a network card, a motherboard, a video card …

I have written this article to help people choose that right computer and not to spend superfluous money.

So, let’s begin.

Before buy the computer, you need to know, for what purpose it is necessary for you.

If you plan to use only office programs (MS Word, Excel, Power Point) and to surf the Internet, you do not need to overpay for superfluous resources of productivity. The computer suffices for such purpose has: processor Intel Celeron 1000 MHz or AMD Duron 1000 MHz, 512 Mb of the operative memory, built in soundcard, network and a video card or a separate inexpensive video card. The hard disk volume is desirable for choosing from 40 Gb. A monitor, a keyboard and a mouse are also required. If you plan to work much on your computer it is better not to save on a monitor. Eyes get tired of the bad monitor quickly and your sight will spoil. This configuration will be enough for stable work of office programs, access to the Internet, listening to music and movies watching. This computer is not for games, especially modern, but it is possible to play some simple and old games. 

If you have children or you want more from your computer than only working with documents, than you have to buy a computer of average configuration. For example, Intel Core 2 DUO 2,66 GHz or AMD ATHLON-64 X2 6000+ 3,0 GHz, 1024 Mb of operative memory, soundcard Soundblaster Live, video card GeForce 8400GS 256Mb, with a built in network card and a hard disk of 120 Gb. Such computer will be sufficient for training of your children within several years. If necessary it will be able to be upgraded to more advanced configuration.

If you like to make video and plan to mount it on your computer, or to work with professional graphic programs or simply if you like to play the advanced games, than you need the more powerful PC. For example Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 or AMD Phenom II X4 940, 4096 Mb of operative memory, video card Asus GeForce 9800GT 1024 Mb, soundcard Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium and hard disk Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5 Tb. Remember that such powerful computer demands serious cooling system. Also it is necessary to concern very seriously to a monitor choice.

Now more and more people prefer laptops because of their mobility and the small size. Choosing the laptop, pay attention to the manufacturer, size and weight. Some manufacturers, for example Sony, very strongly overestimate the price and it is possible to buy absolutely the same computer by other manufacturer much more cheaply. Also remember that the small and light laptop will have, most likely, the weak accumulator and low capacity. A laptop upgrade is much more difficult to make, than the upgrade of the desktop computer and some accessories are not able to be replaced.

Many people choosing the first computer prefer the used computer. It is a good variant if you don’t need very powerful one, for example for office needs. Such purchase will save money. However, it is necessary to remember that the previous owner knowingly wishes to get rid of the computer. If you do not want to be deceived, such purchases are better to make with an assistance of competent people you trust. For example it can be an employee of service company. Some companies, like ours “Alphatek”, provide services in diagnostics of computers. It is better to spend superfluous 200 – 300 dollars to be assured that your new computer will not fail in a week.

In this article I have considered the general questions. Certainly, more advanced user can choose an optimum configuration for themselves, but I hope that this article will help somebody to buy their first computer.
Good luck!

If you have questions, wishes or the offers connected with computer services, you can communicate with me by one of the ways: through the feedback form on our website www.alphatek.biz, by e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , having sent me a letter to the address of P.O. Box 86065, Eros, Windhoek or by phone 081 421 88 96.

Yours faithfully, Alexey Sedov, the Chief Engineer of Alphatek, Prime Technologies (CC).