The current standard for monitor sizes is 17". Yes, you can purchase
less expensive systems with 15" monitors. Don't. The cost differential is
not worth the cost of fatigue and eyestrain. Current GUI-based software
(Graphics User Interface read "Windows") has so much going on that
you want almost as much viewable real estate as you can get. Seventeen inches
(actually anywhere from 15+ to 16+ inches viewing area measured diagonally) is a
good balance of utility, cost, and ease of use.
Unless you have visual problems and need larger sized monitors (19, 20, 24
inch monitors can be had, each with more than marginal increases in cost),
17" will work nicely for you.
Make sure that the computer system you price (at the store or through mail
order) includes the monitor. Many systems sold do not include the monitor; its
best to ask.
If you are looking at computers at your favorite local store, try the
keyboard. Does it feel comfortable for your hands and typing style? Can you live
with the noise? Some are more quiet than others (co-workers have been known to
complain about loud "clack-clacking" of certain old favorites for
example, and don't want to know about how good it feels to your fingers.) Don't
be too concerned if the computer system of your dreams has an unacceptable
keyboard. Keyboards are very cheap. Buy the computer system and either make a
deal for a substitute or buy one you like.
Look at the various keyboards available. The standard is the QWERTY with the
inverted "T" cursor key arrangement. It's the easiest to get used to
(especially if you already have good typing skills) and it's the most easily
shareable in any work environment. Others to consider are the ergonomic models
with extra wrist rests, split models which let you divide and angle the keys to
fit a more natural placement of your hands, and even Dvorak styles which allow
for greater typing speed but have non-standard key arrangements.
Many keyboards even incorporate a mouse-like pointing device right at your
fingertips. There are eraser-heads (found near the "J" key and look
like a No. 2 pencil eraser though most often found on laptops), touch
sensitive, flat patches which move the cursor in response to sliding your finger
over their surface, and built in trackballs which operate like an upside down
mouse but don't require a mouse pad.
The system unit is really the heart and soul of your computer system. Your
basic system should have a fast CPU (look at current ads in your newspaper to
see the latest from Intel, AMD, Apple and others), but it doesn't have to be the
fastest.
This is where you can save yourself some money. Beyond knowing the brand
names and technological nuances of each CPU, another measure of
"power" is the chip's speed. This is stated in megahertz (MHz
'million' ) or gigahertz (GHz 'billion') and is
a rough very rough measure of how one PC will compare to another (many other
factors come into play, but this is a good benchmark to go by.)
Knowing that today's nuclear-powered,
warp-speed processor was yesterday's
dream machine and will be tomorrow's "old" technology can save you
some money. Software has always struggled to keep up with hardware in
the PC
world. Typically software has never been able to take full advantage of
the
capability that hardware has built in. So, yes, while today's 1 and 2+
GHz PC's are faster than ever before, much of their speed is
translated to the user via brute force of the CPU and not by
sophisticated software making use
of new tricks embedded in the silicon.
Most often, software being used now was not written to take full advantage of
all the available horsepower. The result is that slower, much less expensive
PC's can often serve as very economical alternative purchases. Instead of buying
an the latest, highest speed-rated PC, consider a "slower" alternative.
Not only will you find them to be very
attractively priced, but you most probably won't notice the slight speed
differential. So, if you are not unduly stressed by software running half
a
heartbeat slower using the "old" technology, by all means consider
spending less and get the slower model computer
Do not stint on the amount of memory or RAM (Random Access Memory) your PC
has. Memory prices have fallen to very low levels. Generally more is better. A
bare minimum is 128 MB (megabytes) . Most PC's come equipped with at least 64 MB
and have room to grow, by adding additional memory, up to 512 MB, with some
going beyond. 128 MB is now considered the standard, minimum configuration for
new PCs but its probably best to equip yourself with at least 256 MB. (Hint:
If you have an older PC with only 32 MB of memory, adding more is a fast,
inexpensive way to boost its performance if it is an older Pentium II, for
technical reasons, don't go above 64 MB as it'll be wasted.)
