Buyers' Guide: Desktop PCs

There's a lot to consider when buying a desktop PC, but don't despair - PCW is here to guide you through the key decisions

Many of the choices you are faced with when buying a PC are covered in this feature. You need to think about the graphics card, memory, onboard sound or separate soundcard, size and type of hard disk, CD burner or DVD burner and so on.

Once your budget is set, the starting point is the CPU (central processing unit), because it is the brains of your PC. Intel and AMD offer a bewildering number of processors. The differences between the CPUs are in technical details that don’t necessarily mean much to end users. Pricing is also competitive, with AMD PCs generally cheaper than comparable Intel models.

Budget PCs come with Intel’s Celeron or AMD’s Sempron CPUs. These are aimed at undemanding users. If your needs are for word processing tasks and surfing the
Internet with some low-end gaming or image editing, a PC running either of these processors is fine. You won’t need a huge hard disk – 80GB will be plenty – coupled with between 256MB and 512MB of Ram and a low-end graphics card, or even onboard graphics for the truly undemanding. You’ll be fine with onboard sound, and can expect to pay up to about £500, depending on your monitor.

In the mainstream desktop market it’s Pentium 4 and Pentium D versus AMD’s
Athlon XP and Athlon 64. The chief difference is that older Pentium 4 and Athlon XP models are 32bit CPUs, while some newer Pentium 4s, the Pentium D and Athlon 64 are 64bit models. To take full advantage of this, you need a 64bit operating system and applications.

More memory can be supported by 64bit systems – 32bit Windows or Linux systems are limited to 4GB of Ram, whereas a 64bit Windows or Linux system can support 128GB. Data is also moved in larger chunks, allowing a theoretical speed advantage.

AMD and Intel offer high-end processors with the Pentium Extreme Edition and Athlon FX ranges, both aimed at the hardcore gaming market. They also have dual-core CPUs. These processors effectively act as two CPUs in one and offer superior performance.

If you’re choosing a PC running the above CPUs, other considerations come down to your needs. If you store lots of music, video or photos, go for a big hard disk – 200GB or above. Memory will help speed up applications, so aim for 1GB or above and don’t drop below 512MB. The latest games demand the latest graphics cards, but for most people, cards that were new six to 12 months ago will be powerful enough. And look at the CPU’s cache memory, which helps eliminate data bottlenecks.

Most PCs are Windows XP, and the Home Edition is fine. If it’s for a small business or you need features such as remote access, buy XP Professional. Few PCs are sold running Linux, and we’d recommend only the technically confident buy a Linux-only system. Linux can always be installed later. Finally, don’t overlook the monitor, especially if you’re using the PC for gaming or imaging; buy the best you can afford.

Recommended Desktop PCs:

Zoostorm 5-6401
Family PCs aren’t often high performers, but this has an Athlon 64 4000+ CPU and Geforce 7800 GT graphics card

Chillblast Fusion X2 4400 GTX
It’s not cheap, but it houses a 7800 GTX graphics card, a dual-core Athlon 64 X2
4400+ processor and a 20in monitor

Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo E
Big and bulky, but powerful enough to act as a competent Media Center
Read review >