Basic
Virtually every computer you buy today, whether it’s a PC or a Mac can fulfil basic tasks such as, surfing the Internet, creating documents and spreadsheets, playing about with photos and videos, and playing most games.
Video Editing
The same as Basic but with a lot more storage capacity, making it ideal for those that want to do a lot of video editing, especially in Full HD. They will play they latest games but not at the highest quality settings.
Games machine
Although Basic and Video Editing computers can play games, to play the latest games at the highest quality settings that they have to offer means you need a games machine. They are usually the highest specification machine you can possibly afford. But be warned new games and new hardware comes out everyday, so within a few months your high spec machine will start to lose it’s lustre.
Specifications as at 15th Feb 2010
AMD X2 2.2Ghz
AMD X4 2.5Ghz
AMD X4 2.8Ghz
250GB for storage
Nvidia 250
Nvidia GTX 275
Preferably 2 graphics cards
Operating system (Mac)
Mac OSX
Mac OSX
- N/A-
Expect to pay (Mac)
£969 or more
£969 ore more
£969 ore more
PC or Mac?
Macs are great machines, they run smoothly and on a similar hardware they run faster than PC’s, they look fantastic, and they take up little space. You can do everything on a Mac except play most games, and with the exception of memory there is little else you can upgrade in a Mac. There is also a lot less software available for Macs, and with prices starting at £969 they are expensive.
PC are also great machines, they come in different sizes and styles, but none are truly as good looking as Macs. There is an abundance of software, and they are the most popular gaming platform around. They start from as little as £399 and can be upgraded no end. The downside is that since they are so popular they are frequently the victims of viruses and tend to crash more often than Macs. But if you steer clear of dodgy sites, don’t open attachments from people you don’t know there is no reason why your PC should have any problems.
Intel or AMD?
Intel and AMD are the 2 manufacturers of CPU’s (processors) that can be found in virtually all PC’s. Macs only use Intel CPU’s. Generally there is very little difference to the end user which CPU their PC has. As with everything in the computer world newer better versions come out every day so AMD may be better one day only to be trumped by Intel the next.
ATi or Nvidia?
ATi and Nvidia are manufactures of graphics cards that power essentially what you see on the screen. As with CPU’s it is not clear cut which is the best manufacturer, and unless you are looking for a games machine even a basic graphics card today is quite powerful.
Choosing one
If you choose a Mac in terms of styling, looks, mouse and keyboard all the models are the same the difference between models is the spec and notably the monitor size. With PC’s however, the story is different, there is a plethora of models, styles, and brands to choose from and the this can be daunting. The best thing you can do is go out to a few shops and play about with them. The key questions you should be asking yourself are; do you like the monitor? Is the main unit quiet enough? Will it all fit in the space I have? Pay less attention to the keyboard and mouse which can be easily and cheaply replaced.
Still unsure?
Why not post a question on the forum
Next time we’ll be looking at laptops
It’s one of the most common questions we get, “I’m looking to buy a computer, what should I get?”, so consider this the answer. Today computers can be grouped into 3 broad categories, Basic, Video Editing, and Games Machines. I won't go into detail about the parts of a computer, if you need more info click here
