Purchasing a new PC can be a very daunting task. Here is everything you need to know to buy the right one for you.
Brand
This is entirely up to you and your personal preference. Some brands are cheaper, and aimed more toward basic use, such as browsing, email, typing documents, etc. Other brands are much more expensive, and aimed toward high use. There are also "designer" computers, which are simply expensive for their appearance.
Hard Drive, CPU, RAM
All these are very crucial to your computer's performance and how long it will last. You can upgrade all of them later on if need be, but it's much easier to have it all from the start, saving both time and money.
Deciding on the size of your hard drive depends on how much you use your computer. Hard drive sizes vary greatly, from 80 gigabytes all the way up to 1 terabyte (1000 gigabytes) plus. But in today's world, 80 gigabytes doesn't go very far. Getting at least 500 gigabytes is probably your best bet. It should provide you with plenty of storage for music, videos, pictures, files, etc., but if you do run out of space, then you can upgrade using another internal hard drive, or by using an external hard drive.
As far as your processor, or CPU (Central Processing Unit) goes, it depends on your amount of activity. If you are constantly doing work on your computer, typing documents, browsing, and listening to music at the same time, then you will want a strong processor. At least 1.5 Gigahertz, preferably two or more.
For RAM, it also depends on your level activity. If you do many tasks at once, then at least four gigabytes of RAM. If you play games on your computer, then you will want at least six, preferably eight gigabytes.
Software
What software should your computer come with? It should come with things like an Internet browser, basic applications (Paint, Notepad, calculator, etc), if not, then it might be best to return it. But many computers now come with several year-long subscriptions to Internet security programs like Norton. Also, many come with word processing suites such as Microsoft Office. Things like this make your computer much more useful, and can save you a lot of money.
Advice
Don't always listen to the people at the store. They will probably have a good idea of what they're talking about, but if you ask for their opinion on something, they will most likely recommend the more expensive option, even if you don't need the item at all.
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