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Desktops Buying Guide

Don't be mystified by jargon or fooled by hype. Our comprehensive Buying Guides help you choose the right products.

What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies:

FIND THE SPECS THAT ARE JUST RIGHT

Like most consumers, you probably have an idea of how much you want to spend on a desktop. But how do you ensure that you get exactly what you need? The different shapes and sizes, wide range of configurations and seemingly constant arrival of new and faster processors all make for a difficult decision. To help you find the right mix, we've outlined five common user types.

Family | Student | Power user | Couch potato | Business user

Family

Although a PC can play many roles in the home, most families will be best served by a mainstream model. Spending around £800 (add £100-150 if you want an LCD instead of a CRT display) will net you enough power to quickly run productivity apps, view and edit holiday photos, manage MP3s, and even play many of today's games. Be sure to add a DVD burner and a large hard drive if you have a DV camcorder.

KEY FEATURES:

Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 processor two or three rungs down from the fastest model

512MB of DDR memory

120GB or 160GB hard drive

128MB budget or midrange graphics card from ATI or Nvidia

CD burner and -- in many cases -- a DVD-recordable drive

17-inch CRT or 15- or 17-inch LCD

2-piece or 2.1 speaker set

Windows XP Home

Microsoft Works Suite

Student

With university costing what it does, a PC's price is of primary concern for students and parents already paying for course fees, accommodation, books and beer. More students are turning to laptops for taking notes in lectures and writing essays out in the sun, but a desktop is still a common sight. Unless you're doing medicine or another long-term course, a budget system should have sufficient performance and features to get you from freshers' week to graduation.

KEY FEATURES:

Fast Intel Celeron D or midrange Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP or midrange Athlon 64 processor

512MB of DDR memory

80GB or 120GB hard drive

128MB graphics card from ATI or Nvidia

CD-RW drive

17-inch CRT or 15-inch LCD

2-piece or 2.1 speaker set

10/100 Ethernet port for plugging into the campus network

Windows XP Home

Microsoft Works Suite

Power user

Serious gaming, graphic design and video editing all require a high-end PC with an equally high price tag. Look for a fast processor, lots of speedy memory and a top-notch graphics card (or two). If you plan to transfer and edit home movies, you'll also need a massive hard drive, a FireWire port and a DVD burner.

KEY FEATURES:

Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840, or AMD Athlon 64 FX processor

1GB of DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200)

200GB or larger hard drive(s)

256MB graphics card from ATI or Nvidia, or two Nvidia graphics cards in SLI mode

DVD-recordable drive

19- to 22-inch CRT or 18- to 21-inch LCD

5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround-sound speaker system

Windows XP Pro

Microsoft Office, DVD-authoring program, free game bundle

Couch potato

Like your entertainment more passive than interactive? Then you could be looking for a Media Center PC. You'll get a fully functional PC that can moonlight as a TV and a digital video recorder. New models with compact or all-in-one designs are great for small flats and student bedsits. And the software and the remote let you control entertainment features without getting off the couch.

KEY FEATURES:

High-end (not necessarily the highest) Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 processor

512MB of DDR memory

200GB to 400GB hard drive(s)

128MB or 256MB graphics card from ATI or Nvidia

TV tuner card (or ATI All-in-Wonder graphics card)

DVD-recordable drive

17- to 21-inch LCD, or connect to your primary television

Wireless keyboard and mouse

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Media Extender

Business user

Graphics are less of a concern for most businesses. You'll want a system with enough power for multitasking your daily office chores, and the money you save on the graphics can be put towards a flat-panel display and a better warranty.