| Computers have become an essential part of daily life, | | | | Be sure to give these options careful thought: a great |
| so it's important not only that you have one, but also | | | | computer won't do much good if you're never |
| that you have one that fits your particular situation. | | | | around to use it. |
| Here are some things to consider before shopping for | | | | Purpose |
| a desktop computer or laptop. | | | | Hopefully, you've been able to decide between a |
| Mobile vs. Desktop computing | | | | laptop and desktop computer, so now you need to |
| Analyze where you are when you need a computer. If | | | | identify the things you need to do with your computer. |
| you spend most of your day away from home and | | | | For example, if you are a gaming enthusiast you are |
| you don't work in an office, you may find it preferable | | | | going to need to make sure you have the graphics |
| to buy a laptop computer. If you often work in hotel | | | | adapter and CPU horsepower that is able to run the |
| rooms, coffee shops, libraries, or customer offices, a | | | | latest games. |
| standard laptop should do. You can get one that will | | | | If you need maximum flexibility for gaming or other |
| run all the software you need for your job so the type | | | | specialized uses, you need to make sure that the |
| and volume of work you do will be just as good as if | | | | computer or laptop you choose is able to support |
| you had a desktop computer. If you travel a lot and | | | | additional expansion and upgrades. Such system |
| are away from a place where you can plug in | | | | requirements might even impact your choice between |
| your laptop's AC adapter you might consider one of | | | | a desktop or laptop computer. |
| the battery-efficient netbook computers that are | | | | For office work, you can probably get by with a low |
| available. Some of these devices can run almost all | | | | end desktop PC or laptop. Almost all computers |
| day on a single battery charge and are great for email, | | | | have multi-core CPUs and plenty of memory to run |
| Internet access, and basic productivity tasks such as | | | | program suites such as Microsoft Office. If you need |
| Word Processing. | | | | to run Adobe Creative Suite or CAD, you probably |
| If you find that you need to use a computer primarily | | | | would need something better. |
| at home or in your home office, you might consider | | | | Price |
| purchasing a desktop computer. This usually will get | | | | Many people make the mistake of shopping for a |
| you more for your money and give you a lot more | | | | computer or laptop by looking at price alone, only to be |
| options than you'd have with a portable computer. For | | | | disappointed by the inability to run all their software. |
| example, desktop computers are easier to use with | | | | The best approach is to shop with both cost and |
| multiple displays, so you can see multiple full size | | | | purpose in mind so you get a computer that will |
| windows simultaneously. Desktop computers also are | | | | accommodate your needs without busting your |
| usually a little bit easier to expand and upgrade. | | | | budget. |