Essential look for an Assembled PC

Do note while all potential buyers will benefit from this piece, it is mainly targeted at individuals opting for an assembled PC.

An indicative price list at the end will help you budget accordingly.

Motherboard

The large circuit board into which the Central Processing Unit, memory boards and peripheral cards are plugged is referred to as the motherboard.

It is the most vital part of any computer as it holds and connects all your peripherals and add-ons to give you upgrade options and support for future technologies.

What you must know:

Check whether it comes with all the necessary options, support for upgradeability and extra slots for memory and other add-on cards.

Processor

Processor chips are primarily available in two brands -- INTEL and AMD.

The Intel chips range from the very basic Celeron chip to the Pentium series to the advanced Centrino processor.

AMD has a chip called Athlon, which is slightly cheaper than the higher end Intel chips.

Most users prefer Intel Pentium chips to Athlon as the latter heats up soon and isn't as efficient as a Pentium 4 chip. Also, the Athlon chip based systems need extra fans to cool the system.

The most preferred chip is the Pentium 4 2.4 GHz.

You might want to consider the Athlon chip with the motherboard would cost you about $70 less than its INTEL counterpart.

What you must know:

Though the processor speed plays a crucial role, you need not have the latest and fastest one available. If a processor with a slightly lesser core speed can do just as well for your demands, go for it.
Make sure the chips are box packed with a serial number to ensure they are original.

Random Access Memory

RAM is the amount of memory available for use by programmes on a computer.

The RAM chip comes in capacities of 128, 256, 512 MB, even 1 GB. Most computers function efficiently with 256 MB RAM, though a 512 MB RAM does offer you an edge.

As a thumb rule, always go in for a minimum of 256 MB RAM.

The cost difference between 256 MB and 512 MB is around $30.

The latest memory technologies in use are DDR RAM, RD RAM and the latest release of the DDR2 RAM.

What you must know:

Since it ensures the smooth running of your system, the more the better.
Make sure the memory capacity is upgradeable.
Make sure the RAM is original and opt for the DDR range of RAMs. Duplicate RAMs will not function on Windows XP operating systems.
The RAM comes with a year's warranty.

Hard Disk Drive

HDD capacity counts for a great deal.

A 40 GB hard disk is sufficient disk space but you may choose an 80 GB variant.

The brand SEAGATE is a very reliable brand for hard disks and is preferred by most computer manufacturers and assemblers.

What you must know:

The hard disk comes with a three-year warranty.

Monitor

Monitors are computer screens available in varied sizes, the most popular being the 15" and 17".

You can choose between a flat panel plasma screen and a regular desktop monitor.

A 15" monitor costs around $100 and the 17", between $150 and $200, depending on the type.

The Dynaflat type monitor is preferred to the conventional CRT type, which is technically referred to as the Cathode Ray Tube.

The plasma screen monitor is highly priced at about $400 plus.

The various brands for monitors are Samsung, Mercury and LG, to name a few. Samsung is the preferred alternative for monitors and is also the leading peripheral components dealer.

What you must know:

Monitors usually come with a three-year warranty.

Peripherals

These include the keyboard, mouse, web cam, printer, scanner, joystick, etc.

Samsung and Microsoft are the preferred brands.

Choose an optical mouse over the usual one. The price difference is marginal. The same applies for the Internet keyboard.

Don't opt for a wireless mouse or a keyboard as the sensors get spoilt with time. Besides, you have to charge the batteries every week.

Web cams can cost from anywhere between $20 and $100.

For printers and scanners, Hewlett Packard is the market leader. A domestic colour printer might cost around $100, though the cartridges are a tad expensive at $40 each.

What you must know:

Don't choose the cheapest printer in sight. You will spend the money you save in less than a year on cartridges.
Don't go for the ones cheaper than $30 as they have poor resolution.

Voltage stabilizers and Spike guards

If your locality has frequent power failures or severe voltage fluctuations, opt for a voltage stabiliser. This will prevent any damage that could reduce the life of your machine.

A voltage stabiliser can cost from $20 to $40.

Regardless of the locality and the power supply, opt for a spike guard. It will provide four power plug points for your computer and peripherals.

A spike guard is also called a transient suppressor. It will cost $20.

Remove Optional and Probably Unnecessary Windows Vista Components

This Tip will help you to remove Windows Vista Extra/Components, for that Open up Control Panel and go to the Programs and Features section. Find the link for "Turn Windows features on or off" (or you could just search for it)

uncheck the things you don't want, and hit the OK button. Depending on the version of Vista you are running you might not see everything in the list.

Guidelines, Not Set In Stone

ActiveX Installer Service - -No- - Do you really want anything to do with ActiveX?

Games - -Why Not - -Your productivity can only increase with Spider Solitaire on your computer.

Indexing Service - -No - -This is the old indexing service that is no longer needed in Vista.

Internet Information Service - -No - -Used for hosting websites on your computer.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 - -No - -Used for the new .NET 3.0 components, but only really needed for programmers.

Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server - -No - -Used by programmers as a way to reliably queue messages.

Print Services - -No - -You only need this if you use internet printers and like to kill trees. Our rainforests are depending on you disabling this service.

Remote Differential Compression - -Maybe - -This is likely required for utilities that use the network to download files. If it is enabled, don't mess with it.

Removable Storage Management - -No - -The only reason you'd need this is if you are restoring from old NTBACKUP files.

RIP Listener - -No - -You won't need this, it's a routing protocol.

Services for NFS - -No - -This can be used to map a drive to a linux NFS server. Unlikely you'd need it since Samba works so well.

SNMP Feature - -No - -This is used for management systems in workplace networks. You don't need it.

Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications - -No - -This is used for compatibility with certain applications based on UNIX… you don't need it.

Tablet PC Optional Components - -Maybe - -If you have a Tablet PC, you should enable this. If you don't, you may still want to because this includes the Snipping Tool.

Telnet Client - -AVOID - -You should never use telnet. Ever.

Telnet Server - -AVOID - -You should never use telnet. Ever.

TFTP Client - -AVOID - -TFTP was used by many of the early internet worms… there's a reason it's disabled by default.

Windows DFS Replication Service - -No - -This is only really used in work environments. Don't bother with this if you are a home user.

Windows Fan and Scan - -No - -Why anybody still faxes anything is beyond me.

Windows Meeting Space - -No - -If you don't use Windows Meeting Space or the "People Near Me" feature, don't bother with this.

Windows PowerShell - -No - -PowerShell is a more advanced command line geared towards programmers and system administrators.

Windows Process Activation Service - -Probably - -This is likely required to support some .NET applications, so I wouldn't change whatever it's currently set to.

Windows Ultimate Extras - -Maybe - -If you like the extras, then enable them. (Ultimate Only)

Hopes this will help anybody!!