Compare customizing your computer to baking a loaf of bread. You might just use a plain bread recipe and the results will be a plain loaf of bread. Alternatively, you could add fruit and nuts for a more interesting bread, or cheese and mustard for something very different! My point is that it is totally up to you.

Accessorizing does not have to be expensive. You might decide, for example, that you want a printer and scanner in one and a webcam. You might want a digital camera so you can upload photos on to your computer and email them to your friends. You might want surround sound speakers if you plan to download and watch movies on your computer.

If you want to create digital artwork, you need a good graphics tool. If you want to talk to family or friends on the other side of the world, you can do so by sending emails. Or you might want a microphone and headset and a webcam. This ultimately works out cheaper than phone calls and definitely cheaper than plane tickets.

It is not necessary to buy all the extras at once but if you have a good idea of what you want to use your computer for, it is easier to buy everything at once and install it all. Then you have it when you need it. Extras such as webcams, printers and scanners do not normally come included with the computer. Different people prefer different makes and models, depending on their budget and what they plan to use the hardware for.

If the accessories are for a child, a cheap printer might suffice (check how much the ink costs for the printer model you are looking at) and maybe some educational software. If you require equipment to produce work-related documents or graphics, you will need something of a higher quality. If you only want to type shopping lists, the program Notepad that comes with your Windows operating system will do. If you want to produce better quality documents, Microsoft Office is well worth buying.

There is little point in buying every single accessory you can lay your hands on, if you are not going to use it. If you can find a printer, scanner and copier in one that costs only slightly more than a basic printer, you might wish to buy that instead, just in case you need to scan something one day, depending on how much space you have for such equipment.

It is important to understand that accessories can actually be ?necessities? and the best time to purchase them is when you purchase your computer. Manufacturers are always developing new technologies so an outdated computer might not be able to drive the currently available software. If you have a Windows 2000 machine and you find some new software that you want, you might find that the software is too advanced and only runs on XP or Vista for example.

Computers do not come with printers, digital cameras, microphones, scanners and the like because not everybody wants them. It is far better to get the ?bare bones? and customize your machine for yourself.