Computers of all shapes and sizes are something we sell a fair amount of. Tablets, notebooks, laptops, and desktops all ship out of our warehouse on a daily basis. Most of these computers are intended for the home market but a few of the specialty machines could fit in easily in an office environment and a few of them would serve well as a gamer’s box. So, out of curiosity, what do you use your computer for?
I’ll be honest in that the computer I use at home is a custom-built rig. I’m a gamer so I may get a pre-built computer — usually a Dell XPS or something from AlienWare — and then expand on it a bit. I usually wind up replacing the graphics card or adding a second one (I run two monitors when I can) and the sound card (so that I can hear people trying to sneak up on me in-game). After a few months, I may upgrade the RAM. So, the primary specs I look for in a computer are the hard drive space (I now require 1 Terabyte or more), processor type and speed (I usually go with AMD but Intel isn’t shabby), and the motherboard (the more RAM it can support, the better).
Now, for most people, this kind of set-up is far too much for what they need. If you’re looking for a computer to do basic web-browsing and office-type work on, then you probably don’t worry much about RAM or processor speed, let alone graphics and sound. You worry more about hard drive space than anything else. Of course, if you do video or sound editing, you’ll need more power under the hood. If you run serious graphic programs, you probably go for more RAM and different peripherals than I or an office user would worry about.
So, what do you use your computer for and what kinds of details do you look for in a computer? What computer terms do you find confusing and how do you wish computer descriptions were written? Let us know in the comments below!
