Hey, I\’m back with another tech egg for you people. This egg will describe how a person chooses the computer that is right for them, and will also have detailed explanations of LL the parts needed for computer use.

I understand that not everyone here is completely tech savvy, which is basically the point of me posting this. I don\’t want to hear any shit from you people like \"We already know, dumbass\", because not everyone does. Also, if you know your computers inner-workings, maybe you\’ll learn a little something extra here.

Anyway, on with the egg.

First off, I want to deal with a common misconception:
ALIENWARE: OVERPRICED SCAM THAT PLAYS ON THE FACT THAT IT LOOKS PRETTY.

They are not the best computers out there. They are very nice computers, but are extremely overpriced. If you look at the parts inside of one, you can look up their retail value, calculate in labor, and notice that they scammed you out of at least a few hundred dollars.

Ok, enough of me ranting. Time to get on with the egg. First I will talk about brands.

THESE WILL BE RATED ON A 5 STAR SYSTEM

Dell: They can mass-produce like no other, and make extremely cheap computers. If you are on an EXTREMELY tight budget, basically your only choice is to buy one of the cheaper dells. The XPS line has become the Elite of gaming computers, and the XPS desktops are very top of the line. If you are looking for a cheap laptop, dell is also the place to go.

Rating: 5 stars, simply because they offer a wide range of PCs for all types of users.

Gateway: They are OK, offer some low budget computers as well. However, if you are looking for a TABLET PC, or a pretty nice laptop (although I recommend dell over them), Gateway is the place to go. Their Tablet PC\’s are AWESOME.

Rating: 3 stars, only because their desktops just don\’t make the par.

Acer: Make fantastic laptops, great for medium level use. They are usually sold in online markets, such as Newegg.com, but this is also a pain in the ass for customer service.

Rating: 3 stars, customer service isn\’t great, doesn\’t appeal to a wide range of users.


HP: They also make awesome mid-level laptops, and some of their higher models are excellent on a Professional level, they are definitely one the people to go to for a multi-media computer. Desktops are all right, but I would recommend only going to them for notebooks.

3-4 stars, EXCELLENT laptops, but the Desktops just aren\’t all that great.

E-Machine: A sub-company owned by Gateway, they make DECENT computers. They come with Ok AMD processors, and are a good choice for any gamer on a EXTREMELY tight budget, because they are one step up from the low-level Dells. They only come with a tower though, no mouse, speakers, monitor, or keyboard.

Rating: 2 stars, they are simply mediocre, and their package comes with nothing but a tower.

Apple: They are known for their looks, and extremely easy to learn operating systems. If you\’ve run into some money, and are looking for a pretty, multimedia centered laptop or desktop, Apple is the way to go. They are quite expensive, but are beautiful and are perfect for audio and video editing.

Rating: 4 stars, excellent computers, but just too pricey for most people.

Ok, I covered just about every major computer company out there. Now onto computer parts and custom building.

If you are a hardcore gamer, I recommend building your own computer. It is cheap than buying a top of the line computer, like an XPS or Alienware, so it is definitely something to consider. If you have no idea how to operate any computer parts or installation, stay away from this, it will only lead you into deep trouble.

It is also important to know the functions of all computer parts, so you know what to look for in your computer. Here is the list of all important parts needed for computer operation:

Processor: This IS your computer. It is usually referred to as CPU-or, Computer Processing Unit. There are two different companies that make CPU\’s, AMD and Intel. AMD is usually built for gamers, with fast frame rates and image rendering, however they are a bit more pricey. Intel is cheaper, but also has pricier processors that are extremely fast. They have recently released the Core 2 Duo line, which are the fastest processors on the market as of now. IMPORTANT-WHEN LOOKING FOR A PROCESSOR MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS THE SAME SOCKET THAT IS ON YOUR MOTHERBOARD.



Motherboard: This is your bad boy. It is the papa of your computer. Basically, it makes all the other parts it\’s bitch and makes them work together. You want to look for 939 sockets, PCI-E sockets, and SLI compatibility if you are a hardcore gamer. All these things will make your computer run faster in the long run.


Video Card: This is what makes your video games run faster and clearer, as well as improve your graphics. ATI and Nvidea are the most common producers of video cards, or GPUS (Graphic Processing Unit). There is no real better company here, they mostly just compete for higher speeds and faster rendering. The main speeds are 64 mbps, 125 mbps ,256 mbps, and 512 mbps. 64 mbps(megabytes per second) is common in low quality Dells and Gateways. 256 is in top of the line computers, and 125 in mid-level. You will usually not find 512 in any computer, and is an upgrade for Elite gamers.



Memory: Or RAM(Random Access Memory) is what makes your computer run faster. Upgrade your RAM, and your computer will run at twice the speed. You always want to look for a computer with high amounts of RAM, but it is extremely easy to upgrade. The common speeds of RAM are 256, 512, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB. You will usually find anywhere from 256 mb of RAM In a low level computer, to 1GB of RAM in Professional computers. Going over 1.5GB is unnecessary, and is usually done by hardcore gamers for bragging rights. The only time you need over 2GB of RAM is if you have many rendering programs open, and are doing extreme movie editing. There are many companies that produce RAM. I recommend Kingston. Also, Memory comes in DDR and DDR2. DDR2 is faster.




Hard-drive: This is where you keep your data. Not much to say about it, but always look for a computer with high amounts of storage. Under 150GB but over 50 is more than enough.



Optical drive: This is your DVD burner and CD burner. Look for speeds higher than x10.



Well that\’s pretty much it. Basically, look for something that will fit your budget and interests, but has high quality parts. Hope you enjoyed the egg. Peace.