The most significant point of  buying  a new Custom PC is deciding exactly what you want it to do …..

A PC is just like a motor vehicle ….do you want to plough a field, or race in Formula 1 ?

You would not buy a tractor to race in Formula 1 , and a finely tuned racing car would be no good for ploughing your fields….

So start of by making a list of all the  factors  that you will be wanting to use it for ….internet, emailing, playing games, photos, video, design, accounts….the list could go on…also list what factors are important to you…ie: speed, noise, design, size, energy efficiency….

Then you need to be aware of what environment the PC will be used…is it for home, is it for  work ….if it is to be used in a business  situation  then it is much more decisive that the machine  can handle whatsoever you throw at it with ease, because if it struggles, or is a bit slow at the tasks you are asking it to do then it will ultimately  cost you money in lost man hours waiting for it to catch up….

Next thing to  work  on is your BUDGET…..

Now one of the biggest things we see when people are  choosing  a PC is that their budget never matches what they  require , either they want a supercomputer for next to nothing , or they have tons of money to spend but only want to surf the internet….

So you also need to decide which is more important…..sticking to your budget, or acquiring the right tool to do the job. I would suggest that for any business the most important factor will be getting the right tool for the job (as it will  definately  cost you a lot more money  if it can’t  do  the job you require  it to do), and for home users there might need to be a balance between budget and needs, or you need to understand that there may be limits if you have a smaller budget, ie: you may have to forget about a gaming PC if you need to stick to a tight budget….

So if you have got your requirements and budget set in your mind you are ready to take the next step……

Choosing a PC – Part 2: Where to start looking ….