I had a good friend ask me what CPU (Central Processing Unit or the BOX!) should I buy today? My old PC is slow and is on its last legs. I replied that he has chosen an interesting time for picking a PC. There are 3 valid choices out there. Lets go through each and see what makes sense.
The latest and greatest would be a new PC with the new MS Vista operating systems. If you go this route there are several things to consider. 1. Will my software work with Vista? This is the primary concern. Many older versions of Quicken and Quickbooks won't work with Vista. Lots of hardware (printers, scanners, etc) won't work with Vista. You have to search the manufacturers site and make sure it will work with Vista. 2. What specs on the CPU should I get? I'm recommending 2 GB of memory, 120GB of Hard drive and the fastest processor you can afford. This is so not Nick here, but my experience with Vista is you that you can't have too much memory, hard drive or speed for this operating system. Get less then I recommend and you'll be sorry. 3. Which version of Vista should I get? Home Basic, Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. You can eliminate the first and the last of the choices. Home Basic has such a limited set of features that you might as well not get Vista. I haven't seen a PC with Ultimate Vista on it. I believe its only being sold as an upgrade from Microsoft. That leaves Home Premium or Business. Tough decision there. Home Premium has DVD burning software, Business has more security and file encryption. Take your pick.
If you decide not to buy Vista then I would recommend a decent PC with Windows XP Pro. Get one with 1 GB of memory (upgradeable to at least 2GB), 80-160GB hard drive, depending on your storage needs and a decent dual core processor. This is the least expensive route and probably the safest. It will run everything you have today, seem familiar and actually seem faster then what you have. Downside is that you probably will have to upgrade it to Windows Vista sometime in the future.
The last alternative is to buy a MAC. Problem here is price and what will you run on it? If you only need Internet, Office software and Quicken then the MAC is fine. Any other programs and you'll have to consider if the MAC has a solution for your software problem. Also bring buckets of money, cuz the MAC is right up there on cost. See what no competition does to price?
I wished my friend good luck. I'll let you know what he chooses.
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