One way to do this is to get IAMtech to buy it for you. If the computer is to be owned by IAM then you must get us to do it for you (please see I need a new computer). But what if you want to buy a personal computer for yourself? How do you make the right choice when there are so many confusing options available?
The best thing you can do to start is to find a computer that you want your new computer to be as good as or better than. Maybe this is your old computer or maybe this is a friend’s computer. This step is important because it is so hard to buy a computer and you don’t want to waste money buying something more portable but slower than what you are used to. Once you have found your example computer you need to start it into the BIOS settings. On most computers this is done by pressing the F2 key repeatedly as soon as you turn it on (If it reaches a Microsoft logo screen with any moving “time passing” indicator then you are too late – try again (by turning the PC off now and on again)). Note that on some newer keyboards to press the F2 key you actually have to hold down an FN key that is near the left CTRL key – this is because designers have apparently decided that people don’t use function keys enough and instead they’ve given those keys other purposes.
Once you are into the BIOS you need to find out the Processor model. Write down the full details about the processor (CPU) so that you don’t have to come back if you get it wrong (or even easier, photograph it with a camera or your phone!). Then go to this benchmarking website where they have compared almost all common processors using typical machine configurations that they are shipped with. The site has a search function but I find it easier to press CTRL-F and use the search function of my browser. Type in the model of the processor and search for it. Once you find it there is a number at the start of the line it is on – this is the number that is important to you. The benchmark number of the processor of any computer you want to buy must be better (smaller) than this or you will be frustrated that it is a slower computer. For example, the computer I’m sitting in front of now has a ‘Intel Celeron 1005M’ processor. The benchmark number for this processor is 273. I therefore would want to get a processor that was better than this (lower benchmark number). Note that this list is updated over time so the benchmark numbers will change, so you need to look up your processor again if you download a new copy of this list.
When you are shopping take a copy of this list in a searchable electronic form – like your mobile phone or a tablet computer and you are going to have to look in the BIOS of every computer you are interested in. It sounds troublesome but it is less trouble than buying a slower computer and being unhappy about your wasted money for the next 5 years. Having bought several computers this way I’m now very happy with the outcome. Having known other people who did not buy computers this way who are very disappointed with what they bought I highly recommend you consider this approach.
Now that you know how to find a machine that is fast enough the only remaining question is your budget – how much do you want to spend? That I can’t help you with.
I highly recommend you buy a computer running FACTORY ORIGINAL WINDOWS. Without the factory original windows you will not have all the genuine drivers provided by your PC manufacturer and it may not work as it should. Please proceed to our article about checking if a computer has a genuine windows installation.
Things that you might want to consider in new computers:
- If you want lightweight and small, some computers are now coming without internal CD/DVD drives. This does mean that if you need one of those you would need an external one, but overall they will probably still take up less space.
- For long battery life consider having an SSD (solid state drive) instead of a traditional HDD (hard disk drive)
- If you are trying to use the computer with old data projectors you will probably need VGA on the computer – fewer and fewer have this now, and to get it on a computer that has only HDMI you cannot have a cheap passive cable (though they exist, they do not work – they are not designed to be used for this), instead you need an active converter that will cost you about $80 ordered on the internet (not available in country)
- If you have a newer data projector that has HDMI then that is the way to go – get a computer with HDMI – there are less cables needed. But note, some newer computers come with a displayport socket NOT HDMI so you would need an adapter for this. Test it in the shop to be sure that they are selling you the correct adapter.
- USB3 is a good idea so you can do faster backups to external USB3 harddrives. But otherwise almost all computers now come with USB2 as a minimum.
- You can get really small lightweight computers that have very long battery life – many of these will have an Intel Atom chip rather than the more common Core i3/i5/i7 or pentium/celeron chips. The atom chips are great for low power but they are also slow so if you want this know that speed is the cost.
- Do you need a touch screen? Not really. It is nice, but you can use a computer well without one.