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• DIY: Desktop buying guide

DIY: Desktop buying guide

By Staff writers, CNET.com on 26 March 2007

1. Find the specs that are just right 2. Choose a case: big or small 3. Select the processor and memory 4. Grade system graphics

5. Find the drives you need to succeed 6. Connect your digital devices 7. Pick the right peripherals 8. Protect your investment

updated Like most consumers, you probably have an idea of how much you want to spend on a desktop. But how do you ensure that you get exactly what you need? The different shapes and sizes, wide range of configurations, and seemingly constant arrival of new and faster processors all make for a difficult decision, not to mention the fact that Windows Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, is on the horizon. To help you find the right mix, we've outlined four common user types.

User types: General purpose user | Power user | Home theatre enthusiast | Home office worker


General purpose user

Desktop PCs come in all shapes and sizes, including this all-in-one Touchsmart PC from HP.

These days, less than AU$1,500 will net you a desktop with a dual-core CPU and enough power to quickly run productivity apps, view and edit vacation photos, manage MP3s and videos, and even play many of today's games--the core activities most common to families, students, and the general purpose PC user. If you spend AU$1,500, you should even be able to make the transition to Windows Vista when it's released and run the OS with the fancy Aero visual effects enabled. Spend half that amount, and in most cases you'll still be able to run common tasks without delay, although 3D gaming becomes a stretch. You might even find a dual-core chip in a sub-AU$1000 PC (you should insist on a dual-core chip these days, unless your budget keeps you under the AU$1000 mark), but upgrading to Vista could still give you trouble. Be sure the PC is equipped with at least 1GB of memory, and you'll be able to make the leap to Vista. Add in a 128MB graphics card, and you'll get the Aero effects with little-to-no performance loss. Apple has yet to state the system requirements for Mac OS X Leopard; while it's hard to prepare for the future with a Mac, given Apple's tight-lipped ways, a Mac Mini or an iMac will get the job done for most of today's day-to-day users.

 KEY FEATURES:

AMD Athlon 64 X2, Intel Core Duo (via Mac Mini or iMac), or Intel Core 2 Duo processor

1GB of DDR2 memory

250GB or 300GB hard drive

128MB, DirectX 9-capable graphics card from ATI or Nvidia

DVD burner

17- to 19-inch LCD

2-piece or 2.1 speaker set

Windows Vista Home Premium or Apple OS X

Apple iLife or Microsoft Works Suite 2006 (students might want full-blown Office XP or iWork '06)

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Power user

It's easy for the price to get out of hand with a power PC. In the US, Dell dropped jaws earlier this year with its US$10,000 limited edition XPS 600 Renegade. If you shop around, you should be able to find a more than adequate gaming or digital design box for between AU$3000 and AU$4000. Look for an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and between 2GB and 4GB of DDR2 RAM. You'll also need a large, fast hard drive--perhaps two or more if you plan to transfer and edit movie files--and of course, a DVD burner or two. If your goal is digital design, Apple's Mac Pro (the Intel-powered update to the venerable Power Mac) shows a lot of promise, and we'll give Apple credit for its legacy in this area. We still won't recommend an Apple for gaming, though, so if that's your aim, it's Windows for you.

The graphics card issue is a bit stickier. Right now we recommend either of Nvidia's DirectX 10-capable cards, the flagship GeForce 8800 GTX or the step-down 8800 GTS. If you can put off your purchase, you might wait until ATI releases its next-gen DirectX10 Radeon cards in May to see if they leapfrog Nvidia's current models. And until Nvidia releases fully certified SLI drivers for Vista (right now, SLI support is still a "beta" feature), we don't recommend a dual-card setup.

 KEY FEATURES:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, E6700 or Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor

2GB to 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory

500GB 7,200rpm hard drive(s)

768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX or 320MB GeForce 8800 GTS

Blu-ray, HD DVD, or DVD+/-RW drive

19- to 21-inch LCD

Digital 5.1 speakers

Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium

Microsoft Office 2007, DVD-authoring program

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Home theatre enthusiast

Media Center functionality is built into Windows Ultimate and Home Premium, so you could make the argument that a home-theater PC doesn't need its own category anymore. Of course, you'd be wrong. We never really bought into the idea of putting a standard tower desktop in the living room, which is why we're glad to see so many ultra-small-form-factor designs like Apple's Mac Mini. You don't really need all the power of a traditional desktop to simply watch downloaded movies and listen to music, as long as you can output video and audio from your PC to your TV and your audio receiver, you're all set. You might sacrifice some video quality on the lower-end systems, and if you're really demanding in that regard, you can get a larger A/V component-style case with a full-fledged video card in it to help with the video processing. You'll want a larger PC, too, if you want your media PC to run Windows Vista, since the smaller boxes can't accommodate a graphics card, which is looking like a Vista necessity.

Another question to ask yourself with a media PC: do you want to use your TV as your primary display? Flipping through your recorded TV shows via Media Center is easy to do on your TV, but simple PC tasks, such as writing e-mail and browsing the Web, aren't ideal with the 10-foot interface of sitting on your couch and squinting at small text and icons. This is why we think that wireless networking and smaller, cheaper PCs have helped the media PC come a long way. By minimizing the cables and their own footprint, these less offensive computers make it easy to justify owning two PCs: one that's hooked up to the TV and a more traditional system that sits on your desk. The desk-bound PC can even store the bulk of your media files if your smaller system doesn't have a large enough hard drive.

 KEY FEATURES:

Intel Core or Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2 CPU (quiet and cool operation is more important than raw power)

1GB to 2GB of RAM

500GB or more hard drive space

256MB or better graphics card from ATI or Nvidia

Internal TV tuner card

DVD burner

21-inch or larger LCD or a direct connection to your home-theater display

Wireless keyboard and mouse and Media Center remote

Front Row, Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium, or other media management/DVR software

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Home office worker

Graphics are less of a concern for most businesses, unless you run a design shop. At minimum, you'll want a system with enough power (read: dual-core CPU) for multitasking your daily office chores. The money you save on the graphics you can put toward a larger flat-panel display and a better warranty. Vista-preparedness complicates matters a little. Microsoft recommends at least 512MB of system memory and a DirectX 9-capable graphics card, and it ups the specs to 1GB of RAM and at least 128MB of independent video memory for Vista Premium with Aero. Of course, an iMac will get the job done, too, though at a higher price than your typical business PC.

 KEY FEATURES:

Midrange AMD Athlon 64 X2 or Intel Core 2 Duo processor

1GB of DDR memory

250GB or 300GB hard drive

DVD burner

128MB ATI or Nvidia graphics card

19- or 21-inch LCD

Windows XP Pro or Mac OS X

Microsoft Office XP or Works Suite 2006, or Apple iWork '06

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• Choose a case: big or small »

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  Daniel commented on 08/07/2008 15:24 Report abuse

  Mac OS X now offers multilingual OS and software straight out of the box, whereas if I use Windows I have to buy two separate packages to satisfy my biligual needs. Microsoft talks global, then remains monolingual? Apple walks it like they talk it. Gotta respect that.

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  Jim Bean commented on 10/04/2008 20:34 Report abuse

  Mac is a as said earlier "a dream to use". Well it is, but the "dream" is limited. Max is good for Multimeadiaviewing and editing, and easy to use features. But I Much prefer PC because i have spent enough time around a computer to not care about "user-friendliness" and multimeadia? I can download & install full Mac Multimeadia centre on m PC, and windows Media is not great but i frankly prefer niether PC or Mac, and rather buy 3rd party programs which are better than both. Also the small minority uses Mac and there fore limited products for me. PC all the way.

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  Matt commented on 20/11/2007 10:12 Report abuse

  So install windows with bootcamp then. Idiots!

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  Anonymous commented on 29/11/2006 15:16 Report abuse

  I have used a variety of Macs before in the passed and I always thought "Nice little device... pity the rest of the world considers it a BetaMax". Sorry guys. It isn't always quality of equipment that makes it worthwhile, you have to consider the big picture. No point in purchasing something where I constantly have to fight to get the software I want, cross my fingers and hope a company produces a Mac version, or hope that the miniscule market share *might* increase against all trends of the last 10-20 years. It might be good... but not enough people want a Mac.

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  anominous commented on 28/11/2006 22:27 Report abuse

  mac's r useless pc's r da bomb

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  Peter Gaskin commented on 12/09/2006 13:52 Report abuse

  You still need a decent dual layer dvd burner with multi format capabilities regardless of user type! Also, ensure that the machine is set up with an ethernet card for sharing your broadband connection.

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  sum1 commented on 19/12/2005 11:03 Report abuse

  and if i want to play game what do i do with my mac then?

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  10.4 commented on 02/06/2005 20:39 Report abuse

  i agree, apple mac osx is the way to go. who needs a uglg/boring pc.

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  Senior Ding Dong commented on 31/05/2005 09:57 Report abuse

  Why bother with a PC when a Mac is far superior! OS X is a dream to use, stable and more secure than Windoze.