My computer knowledge is poor.I want to buy a Pc for my children.Please advise me some tips for buying.?

Question

I want to know whether it is better to buy branded PC or assembled one ,Normal Monitor or LCD,about best mother board and other associated devices. Also whether it is better to go for Laptop.

Please also tell me which is the best brand available in India.

Answer 1

Well i would go for a PC
with an AMD Processer
at least 512 MB of ram
40 Gig HDD

In the desktop form because kids can break laptops VERY EASY
overall that should cost maybe 300-400 Dollers maybe less

Also Why LCD are lighter and use less power they have their downsides

1. Slow Response time (Bassicly delays the image

2. Very fragile

Now CRTS
have advatages to Such as Fast Response time Better Image Quility more colors
and tougher
but crts Hog power
are very heavy
and is very sensitive to magnets

Also if you buy a branded PC I would recommend

1. HP
2. Emachines
3. Compaq

BUT NEVER BUY THE FOLLOWING BRAND

1. Dell

now the reasons NOT to buy dell is


1. They give you a HUGE hard drive but you can only use about 20 of you 120 gigs because of their overdone software

2. They Use INTEL processers which are very slow and prone to burn out very quikly

3. It is virtually UN-UPGRADABLE

4. They Overprice

5. They Use a HIGLY branded and complicated bios

6. The DVD drive they put it there LITERLY fall apart within days

7. The Parts dell put in their computers are VERY VERY CHEAP
and often 1 or more parts go fried within 1 year

Also Dells might seem like a great deal at first sight but over time they cost you a LOT of money!

DO NOT GET A DELL you are better off using the money to buy a dell to wipe your butt!

Answer 2

Dear Mohan
Never use thease words again.
Every Body is Master in his own field.
Any Way
If You Have a Low Bugget Consider Zenith
If you have Some Mid Size Bugget Consider Compaq/Hp
You May Also opt for the Assembled Market guys.
But The assembled market have a variation then established one.
So If you are having any problem consider this Formula
Product Cost +500Rs. for Assembling/installation
So You can Bargain over the issue.
Kindly Note Before you buy from assembled market Visit at least 20 shops to take a proper buyer step.
If you are unable to understand the Marketting gimmik Words.
Either mail me.(Why Read My Profile for That)
Simply Send the configuration I Don't need the Cost.
I will tell you the configuration is good or not according to indian Market.
For your Shake of convience I had Worked Over 3 Year in Hardware Market.
Best Wishes for your child Future
Regards
Alok Tiwari
India

Answer 3

I would not recommend a laptop unless you plan to travel with the PC. With kids, a standard PC will suffice, and will last longer.

I think that the best deal for you, since you don't know much about PCs, is to go with a brand name - for instance, Dell. They have some pretty good deals out there right now on their PCs (http://www.dell.com/).

You can order them via the Internet - they can come to your house and even offer a setup service, where they will send out a technician and set it up for you.

Now, what you need - you need to get one that allows the kids to play the games that are out there today. You need 3D accelerator cards, possibly an AGP graphics card, such as nVidia GeForce or something of that nature.

You also need a lot of RAM - I would recommend no less than 1 GB.

If you go with a Dell from their site, they usually ship with a 19" LCD monitor for free - and LCD is the way to go...unless you can afford plasma (about $1000 more) - then that is the very best.

I recommend a processor speed of as close to 3.0 GHz or better as you can afford. Hard drive space is a must as well - I don't think you're going to get less than 80 GB at this time - but if you can go to 250 GB or more, the better.

Make sure you order the restore CD with the PC - if you get in trouble and need to restore the OS, you'll need this.

Make sure that you purchase the extended warranty. No, I don't work for Dell. I have been in the PC support business for a long time. If you know nothing about computers, imagine having to try to fix one! Get the warranty, and let Dell deal with any repairs that might come up.

I strongly recommend an anti-virus/anti-spy program, and system utilities. The best one I've seen for the price is Norton SystemWorks - you can purchase the latest at Best Buy for approximately $70, and usually there is a rebate involved (you'll get $20 back, or something like that).

Most computers come standard with an integrated network card. If you have DSL you can order the computer w/o the modem and save yourself $10.

The Dell site will allow you to build/configure the PC you wish. I like the XPS because it's a gaming system, it has the graphics cards, the LCD monitor, the SoundBlaster I like, and the drive space and RAM I need.

Also, if ou wish to watch movies on your PC, or burn CDs, I recommend a dual drive (two drives) - DVD +/- RW and 48x CD-ROM drive.

Good luck to you! There is a lot to know, and a lot to remember!

Answer 4

If you are just starting you would be better off to get a brand name one. They are often on sale and typically have everything already loaded (popular software and newest style DVD R/W drives).

usually when they are on sale there is a place in the ad where it says "For only $40 more you can get an LCD monitor instead of the CRT." The only problem with an LCD is that they appear more delicate than the older CRT ones and if your children are very young they might damage it. Other than that it is better because it is lighter and takes up less space.

A laptop is a really bad idea because they tend to be more costly for the same capability and more expensive to repair or upgrade. Unless your kids are going to be running around carrying it somewhere it doesn't make sense to get one whose biggest feature is that it can be carried anywhere. One particularly bad problem with children is that if they spill a drink on a standard keyboard and ruin it you can buy a new one to plug in for under $20. If you spill and ruin a laptop keyboard that is probably a $100 repair/replace bill.

Answer 5

If you don't know much about PCs, then just get a decent branded PC such as Dell or HP. Prices may be somewhat hirer, but not by much.

Don't overspend. There is no need to get a top-of-the-line high-performance PC for general family use.

Also, if it just for home use by the family, I would get a PC not laptop. It's cheaper, and it can stay put in the living room or whereever, where you can safely monitor what your children are doing.

Edit: and if you decide to get a CRT monitor, then do NOT buy the monitor from Dell, HP, etc. Go to a used parts computer store. They will have DOZENS and DOZENS of perfectly functionable CRT monitors for very cheap.

Answer 6

I would not advise a laptop for children's use. Assuming the main use of the pc is for homework, research (*and* games!), any current pc should meet those needs. Where I live, the best value is almost always with an eMachines model - but not from Walmart, as they carry the old eMachines. You want one with a DVD-CD-RW+- drive, and at least 512G RAM. The hard drive should not be smaller than 60G. It would be best if you get one with Word pre-installed, as that is what most of the kids need to do their term papers, etc.

As far as monitors, if you can swing a flat panel LCD you will be happy with it, but it will be about $100-150 more than the regular CRT monitor.

Other brands that are excellent - Dell, HP/Compaq, Systemax. If you can, put it on your credit card to double the manufacturer's warranty.

Answer 7

building a computer can be stupid, because it is possible to get the wrong parts. i once bought a computer that was set to 230 volts, but i needed 115 volts and it blew up when i plugged it in. there are also many other things that can go wrong. a lot of the motherboards now are using cpu fans that don't use screws and have plastic clamps. so if you are buying something newer, it may not be compatible with older stuff, such as cpu fans that use screws. even if nothing goes wrong during the installation, something could go wrong further down the road. i had an hp, and something went wrong. it was under waranty. i just sent it back and they fixed it. came to my crib, picked it up and dropped it off, all for free. ive built about 5 or 6 computers and sometimes i think that buying a built computer is better because its safer. if you buy something local, you can bring it back to the store. if you buy something by mail, you cant always bring it back. i returned something that got damaged in the mail and i lost $100. installing drivers is also not easy. other problems could be plugging in the right wires to the right places on the mother board.

Answer 8

I'd say go with branded if you have almost no knowledge of computers because that way you can get support and extra software. For example, most computers come with some sort of Office equivalent and some DVD-playing software (if you computer comes with a DVD drive). Go with the desktop (unless you want it to take up less space).
Until now I assumed you were in the US... but I'm going to say try to get a pre-assembled computer with everything already set up. And stay with the regular monitors unless you want to shell out tons of money for a screen.

Answer 9

if you want to buy a new computer dont think of money,buy the best brand and brighten your childs future,buy an core2 duo proccesor,512 mb ram for an great experience and an 80 gb harddisk for a lot of space and dont forget to buy an geniun xp pack,intex mouse are very easy to operate and go for an lg lcd or flat monitor and make sure you have an internet connection for an big bank of knowledge(help me to stop software piracy and buy original pack) hp brand is as good as an assembled one but remember sometimes lcd or flat monitor consume a lot of elecricity and make the computer slow.

Answer 10

It really depends on what you plan on doing on the computer. Will you be using it for basic things, like word processing and e-mail? Or do you need to do graphic design, or want to play a lot of video games? Once you figure out what you want to do with the machine, you'll be better able to choose. I would suggest that you stay away from 'big box' machines, pre-assembled computers from places like Dell. Do a little research online, and you should be fine. I'd suggest TigerDirect and PC World.