The school year returns and its time to buy your kids a computer.

A friendly warning from me to you is “Your knowledge of buying cereal does not qualify you to intelligently purchase a computer.” But we will try to help you get the most for your money instead of being swindled out of your cash by your local Wal-Mart.

First off chose a purpose for your computer and don’t be bought off by advertisements from Microsoft or Apple.

If you just need a computer for the sake of having one then you should know that Microsoft word comes out for both Mac and Windows.

If the point of the computer is Art and Writing then seriously consider a Mac because they come with less head aches (short of learning how to use them since there is no start menu for macs although I find them simpler to use). In addition, the superior graphics processing capabilities compared to similar-optioned PC’s make them an optimal choice for graphic design or general art, and Adobe’s Creative Suite is also available for the platform as well.

There is not much of a buyers guide for Macs though because Apple has unrelentingly high standards for their computers that being said the only benefit that comes with the price is few to no viruses and a computer almost guaranteed to last for way to long (if you treat it nice).

However, if you’re short on Cash (or big on video games) you have to buy one of the wide range of Windows computers available. For just such an occasion here are general rules for buying a Windows computer:

First rule is simple. Good computer normally are not sold in stores, the internet is your friend and a great tool for finding bargain buy computers.

What to look for:

1. RAM: The main point of ram is running many of programs at the same time, (or running high-end games). Its handy when some one wants to write their own applications and when they leave several running. Windows takes up more ram the longer you use it, so having a good amount is ideal.
2. CPU: Over the past few years there was a large revolution in the way we make them, the outcome was good for he general user because now its kinda hard to find a crappy processor. No matter what Aim for the dual core processors especially if you are going to buy a computer with windows vista. Core 2 Duo (intel) and AMD X2 are great and ubiquitous. Unless your a programer 64bit doesn’t matter (at-least not at the time of this being written). The average clock speed wrests just above 1.6Ghz which is enough for most desktop processes (though not great). 2.0 ghz or better is where you want to land (higher if your interested in a gaming computer).
3. Video Memory: Unless you’re a gamer or video/3D editor, you don’t need dedicated video memory or even to know what it is. Just know that Dedicated Video Memory is more reliable than shared memory. Typically, the dedicated video memory is that which is advertised. 128mb or higher is enough for regular applications but if you’re not looking to do work in 3D and you don’t mind Vista lacking its new operating system shine then 64mb is fine (any lower and you will slow down the system).
4. Hard Drive: Word documents on average take up 8 Millionths of a Gigabyte on a hard drive. Songs take up anywhere from 4 to 10 thousandths of a Gigabyte. With Windows XP subtract 6 gigs from the hard drive space and 20 for vista. No knowing that it takes an estimate of 1 million word documents to fill up 80 gigs of space with 20 already gone to the operating system you could make a 100 gig hard drive last probably over a decade (much longer than the computer will last). Even if you have that kid who refuses to delete old music You should be fine with anything that lands over the 100 gig marker.

Computers age like dogs: True, a well kept computer will maintain function way past its prime but its not worth it to hold onto a 500 dollar peace of throw away technology. The less you pay for a laptop the more likely it is you will have problems with it, and likewise the more you pay for a laptop the better it will be (and trust me nothing sucks more than the blue screen of death when you’re writing your thesis).

Tips for a happy laptop:

Keep it clean – All kinds of things get stuck in a laptop some of which could cause it to short out. compressed gas and a vacuum cleaner can make a great combo for extending the life of a computer.