What do I look for?

[has]

I am planning to buy a new/reconditioned PC or laptop, but I am so confused about what specifications to look for.
What is the most important thing to look out for (RAM, GHz,MB, CACHE...?) and the list goes on.
I Ideally want to have a broadband connection & do not really need it for much else like dvd re-writer etc. So, can anyone help with plain & simple english so a "learner" can buy with confidence.
Also, any idea of where to get a good deal?

[rojash]

If all you really want to to do is browse the web and send and receive e-mails, then just about any old spec will do!

[RATTER15]

Loads of good PCs in the local papers

A guide would be a PC with the following:

Windows98 or 2000 or XP
a least 256 megs of RAM for Windows 98 or 2000 but more required for XP

it will need a working CD rom don't worry about all the other specs.

Come back if you need more info

[has]

Thanks chappies.
Will a laptop be powerful enough for broadband connection? as I have been told it won't be, unless I'm willing to spend �700 & �800 plus.
I need one as cheap as poss. so that is out of the question.

[vehelpfulguy]

Whoever told you needed to spend �700 or �800 for a
laptop good enough to use broadband was talking total rubbish and I would not listen to any more of their advice.

How much have you got to spend ?

Personally I would steer clear of second hand or reconditioned laptops as you never quite know what has happened to them.

Here is a brand new Toshiba laptop for �300 that will be fine for working with broadand and on the interent.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index. html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&produ ct_uid=125319

It is probably a little light on memory but it will still work. You could easily add some more memory later.

[vehelpfulguy]

To answer your question about what to look for, the 2 MAIN things that affect PC / laptop performance are:

1) Processor (this is the CPU, usually made by Intel or AMD. You may see names like Pentium, Dual Core or Athlon etc)

2) Amount of RAM (also known as Memory).

Obviously the faster the processor and the more memory the better the PC will go.

Almost all processors made nowadays will be fast enough for basic internet, word processing etc. Unless you plan to play games or do video editing then dont worry too much about the actual processor.

The CPU speed is measured in Ghz (giga hertz) but Intel and AMD dont measure their CPUs the same way so that does not always tell you what is fastest.

Memory comes in various sizes and nowadays most computers come with either 512Mb or 1024Mb (1Gb).

Some come with 2048 (2Gb) but that is fairly rare.

A PC with 512Mb is about OK (dont buy one with less), and 1Gb about perfect. You are not likely to get 2Gb unless you pay a lot for the PC.

There are loads of other numbers related to a PC but you can probably ignore most of them.

Probably the other two most important things are hard disk size (try to get 80Gb or more) and screen / monitor size (try to get 15.4" on a laptop or 17" or more on a PC).

Neither affect performance but are nice to have.

Try to get one with a CD or DVD writer as you will need to back up your personal files in case the PC crashes or gets lost or stolen.

Good luck

[has]

Thanks for all your much needed help !!