Looking at various magazines of computer and tech gadgets or browsing through the computer reviews would probably boggle your mind. Choosing the right desktop computer would naturally be up to the users use. For users such as gamers, developers, 3D and 2D graphic artist, CADD operators - a high end, top of the line desktop computer is recommended. Users that only do word processing, spreadsheet computation or other business and household function -an entry level personal computer would do the job adequately.

Brand

Since personal computers had been a commodity in both businesses and households, brands and models have been popping up just as weeds grow. Going with the big brands may be a good idea if it will be used in a corporate setting since they have business to business packages such as a lease to own package or a bulk order package. But for household users check on the services and warranties since this type of user will not be upgrading as frequently as the corporate users. Go with brands that offer long term services and warranties to protect your investment.

Speed

This is where the confusion starts. Computer processors are updated at least once every 3 months, and naturally users won't be buying units that can easily be outdated. This can be a crucial component for the outcome of production if the PC will be used in the business setting.

Go a second or third step lower from the latest model available model in the market. This may not be the fastest but this doesn't fall short from the latest model. For household users make sure that the kids won't be loading games with extensive graphics or else the PC will fall short from your expectations.

Memory

For both business and household users, choose a memory that is 512mb and above. This may leave ample spaces for the home users but software developers are constantly creating programs and applications that are demanding to the hardware so better leave an extra space so the computer won't lag. Make sure that the motherboard is compatible with the latest available memory in the market since it might need a memory upgrade in a year or two.

Hard Disk Drives

Gauge the use of the computer in a year or two. If it is used in business then a middle storage capacity hard disk does the job perfectly. Since data will be backed up regularly into a removable storage or it is being printed as a hard copy it is safe to go with an 80 GB capacity. For household users that currently posses or has any plans of buying the following items: digital camera, portable video and audio players go for the highest capacity hard disk.

Since these gadgets feed on large lumps of downloaded data, the storage space for these types of files can be very demanding. Especially now that the digital camera is constantly upgrading its mega pixel size and the videos are going to the high definition trend this means that the hard disk is the main storage space when the files are not yet in use.