Buying Computer Systems

Planning a Computer Purchase

Today computer systems are consumer commodities much like appliances and automobiles. And like these consumer products, the potential purchaser is faced with a daunting assortment of brands, models, features, etc. Price, of course, is an important consideration and many of these choices may have a significant impact on the bottom line. Faced with so many choices, what should you do?

Computer systems, as you have learned, are composed of both hardware and software. The hardware components are the devices that make up the system: the CPU, main memory, peripherals such as the video monitor, keyboard, mouse, storage devices such as a hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and the like. Software is just as important. Without programs to direct its processing, the computer is about as interesting as spare parts. Software are sets of instructions that define what the computer hardware does. A computer requires both system software (i.e., an operating system) as well as applications software to be fully functional. Applications software are the programs that we use to perform specific tasks: word processing, browsing the Web, sending and receiving e-mail, doing numerical computations, etc. The point, then, is that computer purchase decisions should be based on a careful consideration of how both the hardware and software will be used to meet your needs.

Unfortunately, many consumers overlook the software and consider only the hardware when they purchase a computer system. After all, you must have a computer system first before you can install or use software applications. But, this may lead to eventual problems and unnecessary expense, if your software needs do not match your hardware purchase.

In the succeeding sections, we will suggest a simple strategy to use when planning for the purchase of a computer system.

Making an Inventory of Uses

A good starting point for planning your next computer purchase is to decide: how do you plan to use your computer? Make a list or inventory of the normal tasks that you plan for your computer. For example, a typical list might include

• writing and printing papers for courses
• sending and receiving electronic mail
• surfing the Web
• creating charts and graphs for coursework
• making computer art or drawings
• create and publish your own Web pages

These are common tasks; you may others that you would add to the list. The most important thing is to think about what your most common or everyday uses will be.

The next step is to consider what sort of applications software will you need to perform these everyday tasks. The table below identifies the type of application that you would normally use for the task identified.