For years now, I've been the guy everyone who knows me has approached to help them buy a new computer. After decades of being a computer nerd, I realized just the other day (yeah, I'm slow) that most of the time I have been sharing with people the exact same set of principles over and over again to help them pick out the PC that's right for them. What's important vs. what isn't. What to spend money on, and what not to. What to buy now and what to upgrade later. Where to buy a PC. Which brands are good, and whether or not brand even matters. Etc.

So, I thought I would write it all down in a place that people can easily find it, and refer to it over and over. Hopefully, this will help you (the novice, searching for a new PC) make better decisions about your purchase.

Target Audience: The Average PC Users

Before we get too far into this discussion, it's important to define whom I'm talking to. If you're the power user who routinely builds his own new gaming PC in advance of the latest MMORPG release, this article probably isn't for you. Instead, it's basic, designed for beginners ... for those who have very little working knowledge of the guts of a computer. It primarily discusses hardware selection, with an eye on making good purchasing decisions, but I wanted to take this opportunity to offer some background and educational information as well. Hopefully, you find it useful.

The "average user" I refer to throughout the article is the person who does word processing, makes a PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet occasionally, checks email daily, surfs the web, wastes far too much time playing Solitaire, and plays another game or two now and again. You know ... the vast majority of the modern world.

It's also important to note that I'm primarily

talking about desktop PC computers, not laptops or Macs. If you're purchasing a laptop and looking for guidance, most of this information still applies, but so do some very important other rules that I probably won't have time to cover here. I may revisit this topic with a laptop focus in another article at some point. If you're purchasing a Mac, I just can't help you in general.

So, without further introduction, let's dive in...

The Parts of the Modern PC

What's the difference between gigabytes and megahertz? How much should I spend on each? Microsoft what? Let's unpack it...

Processors | Hard Drives | Memory | Other Hardware | Software

Smart Buyers Will Also Consider

Enough technology, let's talk where to buy and how much to pay. Does brand matter? What about warranties? We'll deal with these questions too...

Manufacturer (Where to Buy) | Service Plans and Warranties | Prices (What to Pay)