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You are here: Home / Blog / Buying a New Computer?

Buying a New Computer?

October 27, 2011 by Brad Trivers

So you need to buy a new computer.  Maybe it is a gift, maybe your old one is ready for the electronics junkyard, or maybe you’ve never even owned a computer before.  There are many, many choices out there right now, so as a long time computer user and IT guy here are my two cents.

Short Answer = Buy a $400 laptop with at least a 15.6″ screen, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.

The long answer is that there are 4 basic types of computers you can buy:

  1. Desktop – the traditional PC tower
  2. Laptop – a screen and keyboard that folds up like a clamshell for portability
  3. Netbook – essentially a smaller and less powerful laptop
  4. Tablet – a touchscreen cell phone without the phone

Desktops give you the most bang for your buck, are great for heavy-duty computing, and have large monitor screens (> 20″ are now standard) but are not portable and laptops cost just a little more for the same power.

Laptops are powerful, portable and the standard is a 15.6″ screen.  They can connect to a large monitor, keyboard and mouse easily for a two-screen professional workstation set-up.

Netbooks are cheapest and will work for those on a budget that aren’t doing much computing – perhaps just checking email, surfing the web and viewing some pictures.

Tablets are expensive and most people will still require a second computer to meet all their needs (i.e. desktop, laptop or netbook).  They are slick and convenient, but in my opinion are just a large version of a smartphone (cell phone) but without the ability to make calls!

So my recommendation is to purchase a laptop with at least a 15.6″ screen, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.  It doesn’t really matter what brand (HP, Gateway, Acer, Toshiba, etc.) or who made the processor (AMD vs. Intel).  Look for one on sale at y (The Source, Future Shop, Staples) and you should be able to purchase it in the $350 – $450 price range.  If you want to use it at a fixed workstation then purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse and just plug it in at your desk when you use it there.

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Filed Under: Blog, Tech 101

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About Brad

Husband and father of two. PEI MLA for Rustico-Emerald. WordPress Developer. Kitchen party musician. Oldtimer hockey player. Follow me at @bradtrivers or view my personal website BradTrivers.com. Read More…

About Karen

Wife and mother of two. Industrial engineer, P. Eng., Chief Financial Officer, head of quality assurance, web designer. Read More…

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