But in these days of dropping prices, which promise ever more computing bang for ever fewer hard –earned bucks, there's never been a better time to look on the Internet for upgrades and peripherals to your trusty PC. It's always been the case that it is cheaper to buy a full-blown new machine from a direct seller rather than straight from the retailers, where prices are high and options are few. The Internet has made this price gap even more apparent. You only have to take a quick tour around a few direct sellers' web sites to see the difference in cost.

Just as importantly, the best hardware sites enable you to have complete control over what you'll actually be getting in your beige box. Want a better soundcard? Don't require a zip drive? Need a tower case rather than the desktop version? At the click of a button, you can select the exact components you want in your machine and watch the price update instantly.

This sort of flexibility is the reason why buying hardware online has become such big business. Within a few minutes, you can have your dream system assembled and paid for by credit card without any sales assistants trying to bamboozle you with technical jargon they often barely understand themselves.

Of course, most of us need a bit of intelligent advice as to what system suits us best and there's no real substitute for this beyond the advice of friends and magazines. However, the best computer shopping sites provide their own suggestions as to which of their machines will suit you best, whether you're looking for something for the kids, a home office machine or a full-blown web server to put in the spare room.

Spending some time at several hardware sites is a useful education in itself, as well as being able to assemble quotes for your particular machine and print them out. The more altruistic sites also let you choose a price limit and then work out the best PC you can get for your budget.

If you have any questions about the machine you want to buy, you can email or phone the company, safe in the knowledge that you have the current specifications from its website rather than some out-of-date advert special offer from a magazine.

Once you've taken the plunge and bought yourself a shiny new computer, you'll inevitably want to upgrade and add peripherals to it over time. Again, there are savings to be made by looking online for your hardware accessories rather than immediately heading down to the high street.

Because hardware sites are continually updated with their latest stock, you can often find bargains regularly appearing and be notified by email of about the most recent additions.