When buying a new computer, it's easy to become confused by the sheer volume of technical decisions that you'll have to make. How to choose the best desktop pc for you? well, you might wonder how much ram you'll need. For instance, which processor to choose or which graphics card to pick, what display to look for, which hard drive will be best for you there are so many issues that it's difficult to know where to begin.

There is a simple way to at least begin cutting down the choices on offer, though, and ensure you get the best pc for your needs. And that's to forget about the low level technical specifications, and fine details like the brand of graphics card just for the moment and instead concentrate on something much more fundamental and important: what you will be expecting your system to do. So read on to find out how to buy the best computer for you, then check out our 10 best desktop pcs on page 2. Take a moment to think about the sort of applications you'll want to run on your new pc, as these will help to decide which features your system will need.

If you only intend to run basic tasks browsing the web, sending emails, running office type software like microsoft word then the good news is that most computers, even at the budget end of the market, will be able to cope with your requirements. An entertainment pc can handle those basic jobs, too, but might also be used to watch tv and movies, listen to music, play some games, perhaps share music and video files across a home network. Systems like this need a little more in the way of hardware power, like a larger hard drive to store all your music and movies, as well as a big screen, a good sound card and speakers, but they still don't have to be too expensive. If you want to play the latest games with the best possible performance, then you'll need a gaming pc. This can be much more expensive, as not only will you need a quality screen, a good sound card and speakers, but you'll also require a powerful graphics card, fast hard drive and a decent processor. And if you're not a gamer, but need to run some heavy duty software editing hd videos, say then you'll need a high end performance pc. This should include a powerful cpu, plenty of memory, and a large, fast hard drive, so expect a sizeable bill.

But you may not need the large screen or powerful graphics card of the entertainment or gaming systems, which will help to keep prices down a little. With the basic applications of your new computer resolved, it's time to think about the type of system that might be appropriate: a netbook, tablet, laptop or desktop? netbooks are compact notebooks with small screens typically 10 to 12 inches , and components that are more about saving battery life than delivering raw power. So expect a slow cpu, only a little ram 1 to 2gb, usually , no dvd drive, not too much hard drive space, and so on. This is all that you need for basic web browsing, emailing and similar tasks, though.

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Their small size makes netbooks extremely portable most are only around 1 1.5kg , battery life is usually very good at 4 to 10 hours, and you can buy some great systems from as little as 249. Both pc and mac laptops are available laptops can seem bulky by comparison to their tiny netbook cousins: they might be more than twice the weight, with larger screens, and more powerful cpus, which means battery life may struggle to reach 3 hours in some cases. If you'll be spending hours typing on the system then you'll appreciate the larger keyboard. The built in dvd drive makes it easier to install software and create backups, and high end laptops can even deliver very acceptable gaming performance.

Again, we've a guide to suit everyone: the best cheap laptop focuses on budget systems, while our article on the best student laptops and the best 13 laptops cover a wider range of systems. The best gaming laptops guide reveals that you buy mobile gaming performance for as little as 599, while the more general which laptop should i buy? article walks you through the buying process and explains how to make sure you get the right system for you. If you don't need a computer you can carry around, though, a desktop will be your best option. These are larger, but deliver more power for your money, and are generally much easier to upgrade or reconfigure. So if you decide you need better gaming performance, say, you can just buy another graphics card at a later date, something that won't be possible at all with most netbooks or laptops. But if you've already got a list of preferred pc manufacturers then it might be more interesting to think about the hardware that your new computer should include and there's plenty to consider. Desktop pcs are still available from many vendors in the past, one of the first questions to ask about your new pc has been how much memory you'll need.

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If you're short of cash and only want to run very basic programs, perhaps to browse the web or send emails, then you might just about get away with 2gb. But opting for 4gb will help to improve your system's performance, even here, so avoid skimping on memory if you possibly can. If you're buying a more high end system, though, you might also want to consider the type of memory it should include to deliver the best results. It's important to get the right memory it's a similar situation with hard drives. If you're buying a budget pc around 400, say then look for the highest capacity you can afford we'd recommend at least 750gb, although even many budget pcs now include 1tb drives. If you've more cash to spend, though, it's worth paying more attention to the technical details.

And if you've a big budget, then solid state drives ssds deliver the best performance around, though their capacities are low. To help you choose between a hard disk drive and a solid state drive, take a look at our guide ssd vs hdd: which is best? then of course there's the issue of your computer's processor: which one is the best cpu. The good news here is that even the cheapest pcs now include cpus with two cores, essentially separate processors that allow you to run multiple tasks at the same time. But even if money is tight, look for something with more cores, if you can: something like intel's core i3 530 or amd's athlon ii x4 640 offer decent performance at a budget price. The cpu is the brain of your computer while we've hopefully covered most of your concerns here, there may be one or two other issues you want to consider.

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If you aim to play the latest games on your computer, for instance, the choice of graphics card will be critical. Let us help you out with our guide to the best graphics cards in the world today. And whatever you're doing on your system, a quality lcd monitor will be crucial so be sure to read our guide to the technical details you really need to know before you buy a monitor.