Top 5 tips for buying a new computer

Get info from the three sources

Editor's reviews, user opinions and manufacturers information — each has a different perspective. Editors are going to have approached the product methodically and without bias if they are from an independent source like CNET.com. Users will have lived with the product for the longest time and in the most diverse ways, which can reveal flaws or benefits that don't become apparent in short-term lab reviews. And Manufacturers will have a unique concept of how they intended the product to be used and what makes it stand out. Armed with these three perspectives you can feel pretty well-armed to figure out if the computer — or any consumer electronics product — is the right one for you

Make more RAM (random access memory) your main priority with any PC

CPU speed and hard drive space are usually OK, memory is what's often skimpy on a new machine. All too often what is perceived by users as their computer being too slow is actually not the CPU speed but the amount of memory. When a computer has too little memory, it doesn't tell you, it just starts using part of the its hard drive space as a poor form of additional memory known as swap space or virtual memory. It's a clunky, slow way for a computer to run but it at least keeps things going. Much better is to give a computer the RAM it needs, 2GB at least if you want to run any of the latest operating systems with all their features. Consider 3GB if you can afford it because there's almost no such thing as too much RAM and the sweet spot for RAM for most users is somewhere between 2GB and 4GB if they are running Windows Vista with all the bells & whistles enabled.

Shop for a laptop online and in store

You need to test drive the keyboard, mouse and monitor since they are integrated. You can always change the monitor, keyboard and mouse on a desktop PC but not on a laptop unless you have it tethered to a desk. Check the keyboard for good key action — the amount of travel from top to bottom of a key press; more usually feels better. Laptops use many different kinds of mouse pointing devices so make sure you like the one your new laptop uses. Or at least find out if you hate it and should buy a travel mouse right away. And of course check the brightness of the monitor. Laptops are often used in brightly lit areas where ambient lighting it not idea, so make sure you have a bright display and one that seems large enough to your eyes.

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