When buying a computer online, where you can choose the parts, or when buying a computer at a store, it is nice to know a few things before you buy it. Also, once you have a new computer, there are some things you should configure before your PC does its magic.

Choosing Computer Memory

First off, choose a good amount of RAM. Computer memory is the most important aspect of the computer in my opinion. Having a small amount of computer memory will only slow down your overall computer. Choose at least 1gb of computer memory. For Vista, it is recommended that you get at least 2gb. More is better.

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Choosing Computer Processor

You may think that a faster chip may mean better performance. Unfortunately this is not the case. The architecture of the chip is also important. Do not buy budget chips such as Celeron. Choose a well known processor; either AMD or Intel. However, check with people to make sure that the CPU is not a budget chip.

Choosing the Video Card

When looking at the video card, make sure that it is NOT integrated. Only buy video cards that are PCI/AVG. Even if you do not do any video editing or gaming, a good video card will help your computer run well overall. The reason that you do no buy an integrated video card is because it steals from the computer memory and processor. If it is NOT integrated it will use its own memory and processor (GPU). There are two major brands. One is ATI and the other is Nvidia. I have had more success with Nvidia because they are more of a quality video card. Choose a video card that suites you. If you do a little video editing here and there consider getting at least a 7 series video card. If you play games get the latest series.

Choosing the Hard Drive

The hard drive is an interesting thing to look at because there are hard drives now that are faster and you may consider getting. These hard drives are called Solid State Drives. They are flash memory based, which means that they rarely fail and do not heat up as much as traditional hard drives. They tend to me much faster than hard drives. The catch is that they tend to cost a lot at the moment and do not offer as large of space as hard drives. Like the processor, choose a hard drive that is not a budget brand. From what I have seen Maxtor has been computer builder's lists of hard drives not to get. I like Seagate, but choose which ever hard drive you think will suit you. Capacity is the major factor if you cannot purchase a Solid State Drive.

Once you get your new computer

The first thing you should do is turn of System Restore. This feature in Windows will only slow down your computer. There is no need to have it on if you backup files, know how to avoid viruses, and play it safe on the web. The feature is meant to set your computer to a previous state. If you do this because you have a virus, the virus may still be on your computer. Windows runs much more efficient if this is turned off.

If you are new to computers, feel free to play with it! The best way to learn about computers is experimenting and learning new things.

Comment on what you think is the best computer configuration.