Most PCs are Windows XP, and the Home Edition is fine. If it’s for a small business or you need features such as remote access, buy XP Professional. Few PCs are sold running Linux, and we’d recommend only the technically confident buy a Linux-only system. Linux can always be installed later. Finally, [...]
Internal ,external dvd drives
DVD DRIVES
HOW TO BUY
DVD drives have largely replaced CD-Rom, CD-R and CD-RW drives in all but a few entry-level PCs and notebooks. Many systems still offer DVD-Rom drives as secondary drives - used for playback of discs only - while a growing number have a DVD writer [...]
Hard drives and DVD drives
Ide , ultra ata, sata and the rest
HOW TO BUY
If you’re building a high-performance system, buy the fastest drive you can afford; if you just want lots of capacity then slower drives offer better value.
OEM or ‘brown box’ drives are cheaper - this is the bare drive [...]
Memory
More memory can be supported by 64bit systems - 32bit Windows or Linux systems are limited to 4GB of Ram, whereas a 64bit Windows or Linux system can support 128GB. Data is also moved in larger chunks, allowing a theoretical speed advantage, which is a far greater point when you build you [...]
Build a custom computer
The motherboard
Motherboards and the ancilliaries
HOW TO BUY
Before you build a custom computer ,choosing the motherboard dictates the type of processor you can use, how well the other components communicate, the features on offer and future upgrade potential.
Cheap boards limit processor support, graphics and expansion options. [...]