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Houston Chronicle Computing column: COMPUTING [Houston Chronicle](Houston Chronicle (TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 24--As the holiday shopping season looms, those looking for new PCs face a bounty. There are a slew of shiny new systems on store shelves and e-commerce sites, largely thanks to Microsoft's recent release of Windows 7. Knowing that the antidote to Windows Vista was just around the corner, PC makers revamped their lines to take advantage of Windows 7's new features. The result is a great selection at attractive prices, running the best operating system Microsoft's produced so far. With that in mind, here are my minimum system recommendations for Windows-based desktop PCs for budget, home and power users/gamers. (I cover notebooks at midyear; you can find the most recent portable specifications at www.chron.com/notebooks09.) --Processor. As I wrote in last year's desktop specs column, for the majority of users the processor is now of secondary importance in a computer if you primarily perform basic tasks. And, interestingly, changes in processor design and improvements in other components mean you can actually get by with a slower CPU than in years past. Budget PC buyers can look at chips with speeds as low as 1.6 GHz (last year's numbers started at 2.0 GHz), such as Intel's Atom processor. Other low-end processors to consider: Intel's Pentium, Celeron and Core 2 Duo. From AMD, look at Sempron, Athlon X2 and Athlon II processors. Midrange home users should look for chips that start at 2.0 GHz, with lines to consider including Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, and AMD's Athlon X2, Athlon II and Phenom offerings. Gamers and power users will want chips that start at 2.3 GHz, from Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i5/i7 lines, as well as AMD's Phenom and Phenom II products. --Memory. This is probably a more crucial component than the processor in modern systems. Give Windows and your software enough memory, and it will sing. If you're stingy with memory, it can choke. The basic rule: Get as much memory as you can afford in any system. Budget buyers will want at least 2 gigabytes of memory, and 3 is better. Three GB is also the starting point for home users, and 4 GB is preferred. If you're a gamer or power user, 4 GB is the minimum and 6 or 8 is preferred. In addition, those who want top-notch performance should look for newer, speedier DDR3 memory. --Storage. As with memory, the best advice is: Get the largest hard drive you can afford. That said, budget buyers should have at least 320 GB; home buyers, 500 GB; and gamers/power users, 1 terabyte. Also pay attention to the speed of the drive -- you'll want a drive that spins at a minimum of 7,200 RPM. --Video adapter. For years, I've advised against video adapters that use the system memory instead of memory of their own. This still applies, but there are some caveats. Shared-memory adapters from nVidia and ATI generally deliver decent performance and are fine for home and budget buyers. However, even those types of buyers should avoid Intel's shared-memory graphics, which can't compete. Budget buyers will want at least 256 megabytes of video memory; home users, 512 MB; and gamers/power users, 512 MB to 1 TB or more. --Display. Computer monitors are actually getting more interesting. The higher-end ones now support multiple connections, including inputs for high-definition video. Prices are coming way down, and you can get big, widescreen displays for surprisingly little cash. Budget buyers will want at least a 19-inch widescreen; home users, 20-inch; and gamers/power users, one or two 22-inch or larger monitors. For a real treat, look at monitors lit by LEDs instead of fluorescent tubes. --32- or 64-bit. Most mainstream processors are now 64-bit, which means they can process more information at once than older 32-bit chips. As a result, many PCs now come with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. The biggest benefit: It doesn't have the memory limitations of 32-bit Windows, which can only handle 4 GB of memory. It can also speed programs written to take advantage of 64-bit computing. But here's a caveat: You'll want to make sure that 64-bit drivers are available for your older peripherals, such as printers and scanners. Otherwise, they may not work with a new system running 64-bit Windows 7. If you have newer equipment, this is not much of an issue. --Bottom line. Expect to pay between $400-$600 for a budget system; $500-$800 for a mainstream home system; and $800 and way, way up for a serious gaming/power user rig. http://blogs.chron.com/techblog [email protected] To see more of the Houston Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.HoustonChronicle.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Houston Chronicle Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |