ARCHIVE :: JANUARY 2003 :: PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY

PC Buying
Guide

You Can Find Bargains,
But Be Sure to Get
The Right USB

By WALTER S. MOSSBERG
Staff Reporters of The Wall Street Journal

There’s good news for desktop PC shoppers: After firming up a bit last year, prices are again headed down. But there’s also a catch. Bargain hunters have to make sure they don’t wind up with an obsolete version of one of the most important parts of the PC: the USB port used to connect printers, digital cameras and lots of other peripherals.

Here’s my annual buyer’s guide to desktop PCs. As always, this advice is aimed at mainstream users doing common tasks such as word-processing and other office-type applications, Web surfing, e-mail, simple home photo and video editing, digital music and basic games.

Hard-core gamers or folks doing massive video production need bigger, faster PCs than those specified here.

Also, this advice applies only to desktop PCs running Windows XP. I like Apple’s eMac and flat-panel iMac models, which run the elegant Macintosh OS X operating system. They are better than many Windows computers. But nobody needs a buyer’s guide to choose one. There are only a handful of models, ranging from about $1,000 to $2,000, including gorgeous built-in monitors and excellent free software.

You should be able to get a bare-bones, name-brand Windows computer for $500 to $600, without monitor, although some manufacturers are trying to compete in the $400 range. Brand-name Windows models with more ample features tend to fall into the $600-$1,000 range.

Memory: Memory, or RAM—not processor speed—is the most important factor in computer performance. I recommend 256 megabytes, and up to 512 MB if you can swing it. The least expensive machines often have only 128 MB of memory. If you choose one of these, I suggest you add extra memory right away.

One important memory matter: You should ask whether the PC’s main memory is shared with the video system. In moderately priced PCs, the video circuitry often isn’t on a separate card. That means you have less main memory for general use—sometimes as much as 64 megabytes less. You should definitely buy more memory in this case.

Digital Connectors: Avoid any PC that still uses the traditional, basic USB connector, also called USB 1.1—even though doing so may eliminate some of the cheapest PC models. Instead, you’ll want a PC with the new USB 2.0 connectors, also know as Hi-Speed USB. They look identical to the old ones and can handle all the old USB devices. But they also accept new USB devices, such as external hard disks, which can run up to 40 times as fast as old USB devices. To connect a video camera and the newest high-capacity music players, like Apple’s iPod for Windows, you’ll need an even faster port called 1394, FireWire or I-link.

Hard Disk: A 40-gigabyte hard disk, now about the minimum offered, should do fine. You can get a model with twice that capacity in even moderately priced PCs.

Processor Speed: Don’t pay more for a processor faster than a 1.7-gigahertz Celeron. The new AMD Athlon XP series of processors, used in some moderately priced PCs, is just fine for mainstream users. You don’t necessarily need an Intel Pentium 4. And ignore the advertised types and speeds of the computer’s “bus,” an internal data pathway. They are meaningless for typical tasks.  

Operating System: The Windows XP Home edition is more than enough for most people, though some people trying to connect to certain kinds of corporate networks will want the costlier Professional version. There are few differences.

High-Speed Internet: If you hope one day to use a cable modem or a DSL modem, or a home network, get a PC with a built-in Ethernet networking connection.

Video system: Get at least 32 megabytes of video memory. Video that’s built into the PC, and not on a separate card, is OK unless you’re a serious gamer or video maker.

Audio system: Unless you do a lot of digital music, this doesn’t matter. If you’re an MP3 addict, spend a little extra for a subwoofer and good speakers.

Monitor: Flat-panel screens are cheaper than they were six months ago. Name-brand, 15-inch flat panels now cost well below $500. And larger, 17-inch, name-brand models can be had for $700 or less.

Mass storage: Look for a PC with a built-in CD-RW drive that allows you to record your own CDs either for playing music or for backing up or exchanging files. Cheaper models just come with a single drive. Better models come with separate DVD and CD-RW drives.

Brands and models: All Windows PCs are similar, but unless you’re a techie I advise sticking with name brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, eMachines, IBM, Sony, Dell and Gateway.

Hewlett-Packard, which has now absorbed Compaq, has turned Compaq’s Presario line into a bargain brand, with prices on some models as low as $399, and eMachines, the low-end champ in stores, has been upgrading its machines while keeping prices down. Dell offers similar bargains, depending on how you configure your order.