Congratulations on your decision to buy a personal computer! When choosing a business or home computer, you will need to make some important decisions. Below are some tips to consider when purchasing a new or used home or business computer. SLYN Systems of Louisville, Kentucky would be happy to help you in your computer purchasing decisions.

What will you use your computer for?

Reasons for owning a personal computer for business or home are as varied as the tasks their owners perform. When you're ready to delve into the world of computer sales, you'll want to know what you plan to use the computer for. Some common uses for personal computers are writing and word processing, video editing or movie making, music editing, file storage and backup, internet access, finance tracking, photo editing, graphic design, and web design. Depending on how you plan to use your computer system, you may be able to find a common computer system that already has everything you need, or you may want to have a computer custom built. Custom computers allow you more control over the components included in your computer system.

Do you want a desktop or laptop personal computer?

The tower or the desktop personal computer contains the actual hardware of the computer, which means you will also need a monitor, mouse and keyboard. The tower can lie flat on the desk or table. It can also stand under the desk or table or in a cabinet, while a laptop is more compact and is portable. Where do you plan to use your computer the most? How much space is available for your computer?

New or Used Computer?

When you plan to buy a computer, you will need to determine if you want a new or used computer. Used computers are less expensive, but may also lead to spending more. You will want to make sure the used computer has no prior problems and has the capabilities that you need. When buying a new computer, you will want to consider what exactly you want to use the computer for, so that you choose a computer with the correct hardware, capabilities and software. Another option is to buy a custom built computer.

Type of computer hardware?

What you plan to use your computer for will affect the type of computer hardware you will need. See the list to the left for general hardware to consider for all computers.

Other things to consider:

Depending on what you will use your personal or business computer for, you will need to consider other things like the quality of the sound card, the video card and your computer monitor. If you are going to use your computer for video, you will need to think about things such as a firewire port (for digital video), whether or not you need an s deck (for analog video or to run things from a VCR, cable, etc). If you are going to use it for music, you will need to think about items such as Mic input, headphones and the quality of your sound card.

If you'd like help in deciding what type of components your computer needs, please contact SLYN Systems and we'll be happy to assist you as you buy your next new or used computer.