1. The first and logical thing to do is determine exactly where you will be using your computer from. Do you plan to use it at home, or do you travel with business often? After you answer this question you know if you want a desktop computer or a notebook.

2. The next thing to do is determine your budget. There is a wide range of both desktop and notebook computers to choose from so they can cover any budget. Desktop computers can cost anywhere between $500 and $2000 (Note that many sites don't list the monitor in the cost, so read carefully before clicking the checkout button), while notebooks between $800 - $2000+. Decide on how much money are you willing to spend and continue to the next step.

3. Now it's time to determine what will you be using the computer for. Are you buying it for your kid to play video games, watch movies or do you plan to use it for work or internet surfing? Of course you can buy a computer and use it for all of those things but for example if you plan to use it just for business then you needn't buy a computer with the best video card on the market.

4. Are you going to store photos, Microsoft Office documents, mp3 files, video files etc.? You need to think about this to determine what hard drive your computer needs. If you'll be using it to store photos and Office files then you need something in the range of 60GB but no more. If you plan to store many video and audio files then a 220GB hard drive would be more appropriate.

5. Another very important thing to consider, which many people overlook, is how often do you replace your computer? This is very important because most new computers come with a special OEM license for Microsoft software. As this license cannot be used on any other computers, if you change your computer often then it would be a waste of money to buy each end every one of them with the software and pay for it every time. If you change your computer often it would be wise to purchase a retail copy of the Microsoft software and save money.

6. Buy a ready made computer or create your new computer by selecting all the parts yourself? In my opinion, if you're a person who changes their computer often then buying a ready made one is the perfect choice for you. If you don't plan on changing the computer then it would be wise to create it yourself at a local store or even on some sites on the internet. This is because all the big computer companies use proprietary components and if you buy a ready made one it is usually harder to upgrade later.