What is the right PC for you? It's a big decision - one that you may live with for several years. That's why we've put together this informative look at PC buying - from understanding what the PC will be used for to understanding all the terms and features that go along with the evaluation and buying process.

Your desktop has the potential to be a communication center, a word processor, a multi-media player for music and movies, your portal to the Internet and much more.

It's not as daunting a task as you may think. And once you've evaluated your needs, made your decision and purchased your new system, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you're getting the most from that PC and from your PC investment.

Processor: This is the PC's "brain." Generally, the faster the processor, the faster the computer can work. Processor speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz), and, generally, the greater the GHz, the faster the PC

Intel^®  is one of the leading processor manufacturers, offering the popular Intel^®  Pentium^®  processor as well as the Celeron^®  processor.

Celeron:  This is a proven platform for the value-conscious buyer. Celeron^®  is designed to enhance performance of business applications and provides for speedy searching of the Internet. If you desire faster performance, consider at least a 1.7 GHz processor for these purposes.

Pentium:  Pentium^®  processors offer more power-enhancing features, allow for real-time video editing and streaming video and provide a realistic 3D and animation experience. Pentium^®  processors generally offer a faster range of speeds and more power than the Celeron^®  processors. If you prefer greater speed, consider at least a 2 GHz processor.

A commonly quoted feature for processors is system bus speed. Bus is a set of conductors which serves as the medium through which data travels, both within the computer and to external peripherals. With higher system bus speed, more data can get to the processor, thus enhancing processor performance and speed. Another processor feature is Level 2 Cache memory. L2 Cache helps store temporary data, thus increasing retrieval speed of frequently used data. A bigger L2 Cache usually will help speed some application operations.

Memory: Random Access Memory (RAM) is measured in megabytes (MB) and is the place where the PC temporarily stores information that is on its way to or from the processor. When the PC is turned off, data stored in RAM disappears.

After processor speed, memory is one of the most important determinants of system performance. In fact, increasing the amount of memory in your PC is one of the most economical ways to increase its performance. As with processors, the higher the number, the faster the computer, generally speaking.

RAM also helps determine how many programs can effectively be open and running simultaneously (for example, writing a report, receiving e-mail, and listening to a CD at the same time). Average systems have 128 MB of RAM, but increasingly, systems are now coming equipped with 256 MB. If you are planning on using your PC for digital video editing or downloading music¹, you should consider 256 MB as a minimum amount of RAM.

Three types of RAM are available: SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and RDRAM. SDRAM is the standard memory offering for PCs using the Celeron^® processor. DDR SDRAM has an increased frequency bandwidth over SDRAM with up to double the memory output, leading to increased performance and speed. RDRAM features dual-channel processing for high-end multimedia tasks, and is able to load a new stream of data before the previous stream has completed, resulting in faster access speeds.

Storage capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB), with a GB being equal to a thousand MB. Again, bigger is better, and many PCs now come with "monster" hard drives of 180 or 200 GB. As we mentioned, the size of your hard drive will depend on the kind of things to be stored. Music, graphics and video, for example, can take up a great deal of space.

Floppy Disk: This is the unsung hero, the "old reliable" storage system that is often overlooked by users of today's super-fast, large-capacity PCs. This is a 3.5" square disk that holds about 1.44 MB of data, and is easy to use. Consider it standard equipment on your new PC.

CD-ROM: Many PCs also come with a CD-ROM (compact disk, read-only-memory) as standard equipment. CD-ROM speed is measured by its "X" number, with larger numbers denoting faster speeds. For instance, a 48X max drive can read approximately 7 MB of information per second, which is faster than a 32X max drive, which can read approximately 5 MB of information per second. When you see the designation "32X/48X," you're looking at the range of speeds available on that particular drive. Most software programs and a great deal of material are now offered on CD-ROM, since it offers so much more storage capacity than a floppy disk. For example, while the data capacity of a floppy is 1.44MB, a CD-ROM will hold 650MB of data.

DVD: DVD-ROM drives can read both DVD discs as well as CD-ROM discs. This allows you to enjoy the crystal clear color, picture, and sound clarity of DVD movies on your own computer, or, if you have a TV out cable, you can also watch DVDs on your TV! Many software titles are now being released on DVD, so adding a DVD-ROM drive may increase the flexibility of your system. DVDs offer seven times the storage capacity of CDs, thus allowing storage of data, such as movies, at higher resolutions and image/sound quality.

CD-RW (CD Burner): CD-RW refers to compact disc - re-writeable, which means that in addition to reading CDs, these drives can also "write" and record data to them, using special writeable CD blanks. CD-RW drives list three speeds, such as 40X/12X/40X. The first number is the write speed to CD-R discs, which can only be used (burned) once. The second number is the write speed to CD-RW discs, which can be used (burned) multiple times. The third speed indicates how fast the drive can read a CD. This is an ideal upgrade from a standard CD-ROM since it can come in very handy for storing large amounts of data without using up valuable hard drive space. One of the primary uses of this is to burn music files. It's also an ideal way to backup valuable data and to transport and/or share large amounts of "static" data (files that will not need to be updated multiple times) between computers.

Combination Drives: More Power Computers now offers increased functionality in the form of combination drives, such as the CD-RW/DVD combination drive. The CD-RW/DVD combination drive is a CD-RW, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM all in one! Combination drives are a great way to save space and add flexibility to your system.

ZIP^® Drive: While a floppy disk holds 1 MB of data, a ZIP can hold 100 MB, 250 MB and soon, 500 MB on special cartridges; think of it as a small, removable hard drive. It's a good idea to consider investing in a Zip drive for storage and transport of important data files.

USB Hard Drive: The USB Hard Drive is a portable storage device that plugs directly into the USB port of your notebook or desktop. The size of a lighter, the USB Drive can hold larger quantities of data than traditional floppies (ranging from 64MB to 512MB), and does not require drivers or a separate power source. An active device with its own central processing unit (CPU), the USB Hard Drive is capable of directly supporting and running multiple applications.

Monitor size is measured diagonally across the face of the monitor, from one corner of the casing to the other.

Some CRT monitors may be referenced as flat screen, which is different from a flat panel display. Flat screen monitors appear different from traditional CRT monitors because they are not slightly rounded, thus designed to reduce glare and display distortion. If you are interested in increasing your productivity or enhancing your gaming experience, look into setting up a dual monitor configuration. However, first check to be sure your video card will support such a configuration. Video cards with dual monitor support generally will support setups consisting of one DVI (digital) and one VGA (analog) monitor connection. You will need to purchase a DVI-VGA adapter if you wish to connect two VGA monitors.

Video Card: This is the interface between the computer and the display monitor. Most of today's video cards are high-end, with all the capabilities and features you need. But if you will be running programs that will require sophisticated video or graphics capabilities you should consider a top-of-the-line card. Video cards are measured in MB's and generally the higher the MB, the better the video quality.

Convenient features of some video cards are TV In and TV Out. With a TV In connector, you can capture video from external sources, such as a camcorder, onto your computer. A TV out connecter will allow you to connect your PC to your TV, so you can enjoy watching DVD's directly from your PC DVD drive.

Multimedia:  The multimedia part of your PC refers to its ability to play music and video.  At minimum, this consists of a CD-ROM drive, a sound card (or built-in sound support) and speakers. It can also include a DVD drive for viewing movies, as well as other add-on devices for recording music.

Sound Card: PCs are available with either an integrated sound card or a separate sound card typically referred to as a PCI Card. A quality sound card can help you turn your computer into an exciting multimedia entertainment system, so you can listen to CDs, watch DVDs & streaming videos, hold online voice chats with your friends or hear the chillingly realistic sound effects from the latest computer games.

Choose your level of sound card based upon how important sound is to your computer experience. An IS card is integrated and built into your motherboard. This is a 16-bit card, adequate for two-dimensional sound, such as music listening or standard sound notification from your system.

A separate PCI sound card supports Plug and Play and allows for the connection of multiple peripheral devices to your system. PCI refers to Peripheral Component Interconnect, a set of high-speed conductors developed by Intel. If your PC is going to be used as a stereo system, upgrading to a PCI sound card will enhance the clarity of the sound.

Sound cards also offer wavetable support, which allows them to play various instrumental sounds more realistically for better effects in games and other applications.

Speakers: Just as with a stereo system, speakers are essential to hear what the sound card produces. If you are looking for your new PC to replace your existing stereo system, you should look into purchasing a high quality speaker system that includes satellite speakers and a sub-woofer to increase the overall sound experience.

Generally, the higher the wattage of your speaker system, the more overall audio power it can deliver. Wattage also determines the maximum volume your speakers can output. When evaluating a speaker offering, consider the total wattage the system can deliver by adding the watts for each satellite and the subwoofer.

In addition to gaining Internet access and sending e-mails, you can use the modem to send faxes from your computer, turn the computer into a personalized answering machine, play games through the Internet, and video teleconference.

Video conferencing can be accomplished through a data/fax modem as well since the data stream for video teleconferencing is digital.

Broadband technologies (cable and DSL) allow you to surf the Internet at much higher speeds than a modem, without tying up your phone line. All you need is a network interface card (NIC) and a broadband service provider. Two kinds of NICs are available, 10/100 Ethernet and 1000 Ethernet or Gigabit. The number refers to network speeds in megabits per second (mbps), the higher the number, the faster the connection. NICs also serve the additional purpose of supporting home and business Ethernet networks.

Operating System:  The operating system software runs basic PC functions such as controlling the user interface and networking functions with other computers. It also instructs the PC in its interactions with both internal and external peripherals. Your overall computer experience is greatly enhanced by choosing the appropriate operating system. More Power Computers offers both the Home and Professional versions of Windows XP to meet your computing needs.

Software:  Microsoft is a popular manufacturer of productivity software bundles, offering easy-to-use applications and home office solutions.

Microsoft offers a variety of integrated easy-to-use productivity software suites, which each contain a broad range of applications to help you perform your home-computing tasks. Depending on what tasks you want to use your computer for, Microsoft has the software suite to help meet your needs. Plus More Power Computers will factory-install the software bundles you select to save you time!