Buying new computer, advice please

amother

Thu, Apr 23 2020, 9:50 am

I need to buy a new computer but it's been years since I bought my last one and there are so many new options and I dont even know what they mean! Please help me figure out what's important and what to look for.

I'm using it for home use only. My old computer was a laptop because I needed to take it to work sometimes, but now I dont need a laptop, I can go either way.

Using it for word documents, some excel, internet, emails, printing, pictures, pretty standard home use.

We got a new computer at work recently and we didnt realize until afterwards that it didnt have built in speakers. None of us even knew that there was such a thing as a computer without speakers. That's the type of thing I'm trying to avoid.

I cant afford to spend a lot, I would love to get something under $500 but I'm afraid to order one and then find out it's missing stuff I need.

Any advice will be much appreciated!

CiCi

Thu, Apr 23 2020, 11:20 am

Generally speaking you get more for your for money with a desktop computer than a laptop.

Desktop computers do not come with speakers. A computer that has built in speakers is a veeerrry old computer. External monitors may have speakers. If you buy a desktop computer you still need an external monitor. You may be able to find an external monitor + desktop computer + keyboard and mouse for $500-$600 but it depends on your needs.

What will you be using the computer for?