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Before You Shop The Digital Home

Are you sure you want a desktop computer, not a laptop?
Even though you've come this far in your computer buying, it's still important to ask yourself one more time – do I really want to get a desktop computer instead of a laptop? Just a few short years ago there was less hand wringing by the general public on this subject. Desktops were simply more affordable and powerful than laptops, which appealed mostly to a younger, on-the-go crowd. But with the increasing availability of wireless Internet access and with the lower cost of laptops as well at their increased power and performance, the decision is not so simple these days.
Desktop computers, however, have advantages over laptops in several areas. For one, they're still cheaper, about $200-300 cheaper depending on which models you're looking at. Another advantage to a desktop computer is larger screen size. There are also many people who still prefer using the larger keyboards that attach to desktop computers compared to the smaller, integrated keyboards on a laptop. Desktop computers will also give you a lot more storage, with their built-in hard drives typically offering at least 3x more capacity than what's in a standard laptop. Many basic desktop set-ups also still eclipse entry-level laptops when it comes to overall performance.
What it really boils down to is how you intend to use your computer. If you're the type of person who could never imagine yourself leaving home with a computer tucked under your arm, then by all means, get a desktop. Otherwise, you might want to explore the world of laptops instead.
Make sure it's compatible with your computer
The first thing you're going to want to do before you buy a piece of software is find out whether the program is compatible with your computer. If you're a Mac user, make sure the software runs on a Mac. It'll usually indicate this on the side of the box but look closely or ask a store staff member before you purchase. The same goes for PC software though since there are more PCs in the world than Macs, there's a greater likelihood that a piece of software will be PC-compatible.
You'll also want to check whether your computer meets the necessary system requirements of the software you want to purchase. A program's system requirements are either listed on the side or back of the software box. The two main areas you want to check – aside from whether the software is for a PC or a Mac – are how much RAM is necessary to run the program, and how much hard disk space it will take up. Make sure you know your computer's specs before you go to the store to purchase software.
Resolution is overrated.
Higher printer resolution doesn't necessarily mean better print quality. The surest proof of quality is to compare prints and read product reviews.
Use your ears.
Don't be bowled over by all the jargon. Instead do what your instincts tell you to do. Close your eyes and listen to a home theater system intently for a few minutes. You'll be surprised at how much you pick up. To test yourself a real world scenario, bring along DVD and CDs you like and pop them in at the store and listen and compare. Listen and compare.
Do you want a PC computer or an Apple computer?
We've all seen Apple's "I'm a PC. I'm a Mac" commercials and while they're obviously slanted towards Apple's products they raise some important questions for computer buyers. Do you want a PC or Mac? Since it's really a matter of personal opinion, we'll spare you from a long screed on the pros and cons of both types of computers.
We will, however, say this. That old belief among the computer-buying public that PC documents and files can't be read on a Mac is no longer true. While there are some types of software that is "PC-only" – particularly in the category of computer gaming – pretty much anything you can do on a PC you can do on a Mac too. (Mac fans will argue that you can actually do a heck of a lot more on an Apple computer, but that's another story.)
Our advice is to try out both systems, compare prices – Macs are now comparably priced to PCs – and figure out which one works best for you. And don't forget – if your wife's a PC and you're a Mac, you can still get along.
Find out whether you're entitled to a free upgrade.
With most software on the market, any sort of incremental upgrade is offered as free download. Before you go out and buy a whole new program, check the manufacturer's website to see if you can get the latest version for free. Typically within each version – i.e. 2.0 or 3.0 – manufacturer's will make small tweaks to the program which you're can download for free, such as Version 2.1, 3.2 etc.
Don't be impressed by price.
Higher price doesn't necessarily equal higher quality, either. Experts say that most printers use the same print engine in many different models. The higher price reflects additional features such as faster print speeds, printing on wider paper, LCD displays, or slots that enable direct printing from camera memory cards.
You might not have to pay anything at all for software.
There's a lot of good software that's distributed on the web for free. This is known as "freeware." Though there are literally thousands of websites where you can download free software, two of our favorites are www.tucows.com and the "downloads" section of Apple's support site at www.apple.com/support/downloads.
If you just want to try out some software, most companies offer free downloads for a trial period of typically ten to 30 days. Another option is "shareware," which is software that can be used for free for evaluation purposes.
Before you download anything from the Internet, make sure it's coming from a reputable location and that you are running a program on your computer with virus protection. One of the easiest places to get a virus or accidentally install spyware is through a disreputable download.
The number of inks matters.
More ink colors will give you more lifelike images. Six ink colors do a very good job. Eight are awesome.
Map out the room.
Before you go purchasing a huge home theater system, make sure the room in your home where you want to screen movies can handle it. There's no sense in getting several cabinets full of speakers if there's no where to put them. Measure first so you don't have to ask questions later.
How much memory do you want?
Making sure you have a good supply of RAM (Random Access Memory) in your computer is one of the keys to a good computing experience. Because RAM is used by your computer to juggle multiple programs, the more RAM you have, the "faster" your computer will run when it's multi-tasking between, for example, word processing, watching videos on YouTube, and editing images in Photoshop.
Of course, the more RAM you have, the better your computer will run, but how much do you really need? We recommend at least 1GB of RAM for your computer, which is now a pretty standard amount for most desktops. However, if you plan to do any serious photo or video editing and might be playing around with large RAW image files or High Definition video, you should definitely consider adding more RAM. At least 3GB should be enough to prevent your computer from getting bogged down in the memory mud.
Make sure you want software, not firmware.
If you own a digital camera, a smart phone, a GPS device or many other types of digital hardware, you may need to update your gadget's "firmware" from time to time. This is not to be confused with software which is an external program or suite of programs that must be loaded (aka installed) onto a computer. Firmware is software that's already embedded in a hardware device. Even though firmware is written into a device's read-only memory (ROM), like software, it can be updated by a user typically via a download on the Internet.
Inks are pricey.
If you use your printer often, the cost of ink and paper will exceed the original purchase price. You definitely save with a printer that has individual ink tanks so you only change the ones that run dry. Product reviews will often clue you in to the cost of materials.
Surround Sound or Virtual Surround Sound?
Relating to room size, while getting a true surround sound setup is great, since they typically use five speakers with a rat's nest of accompanying wires, it's guaranteed to take up a lot of space. Not to mention, true surround sound systems can be pricey. As a smaller and cheaper alternative, you might want to explore virtual surround sound.
Based on the science of psychoacoustics, virtual surround systems process audio input to trick your ears into thinking you're hearing three-dimensional sound, when it's really coming from just two or three speakers.
Consider Home Theater in a Box (HTIB).
While audiophiles might not mind grappling with the complexities of mixing and matching separate audio components to create a surround-sound system, but for most buyers the way to go is a single "home theater in a box" (HTIB). HTIB includes the receiver and speakers you need (and usually a DVD player as well), all pre-selected to work well together, complete with cables and easy setup instructions. As HTIB systems have become increasingly popular, we've found both quality and pricing have improved dramatically.
How big do you want your hard drive to be?
This is a relative question that depends on what you're going to be storing on your hard drive. Most desktop computers come with large hard drives (160GB and up) which should be more than enough to store Word documents, digital images, video footage, and a whole slew of music files. If you find yourself needing more space, purchasing an external hard drive to add on to computer is always a possibility and a relatively inexpensive investment. It's also a good way to back up your files should your computer's hard drive ever – perish the though – crash and burn.
What size monitor do you want?
One of the biggest advantages of a desktop computer is screen size. With a laptop computer you're restricted to the size of the attached screen while with most desktops, the sky's virtually the limit when it comes to display size. (Apple's iMac series of desktop computers have integrated LCDs but they come in three fairly large sizes.)
We recommend getting a desktop computer with a widescreen flat panel LCD monitor of at least 17 inches or 19 inches in size with a resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. As of this writing, big, bulky CRT monitors were not quite a dead category but rapidly approaching extinction, Along with being very slim and lightweight, LCD monitors are brighter than CRTs, render text more clearly, and don't "flicker" like CRTs. Because they're flat and not convex like a CRT, there's less geometric distortion with an LCD monitor.
Read reviews.
Though there's a lot of software out there that promises to do a lot of things for you, much of it's very bad. Before you buy any piece of software read reviews of it and find out if it actually does what it says it's going to do. Some of the best places to read software reviews are PC Magazine, Macworld, and CNET.com.