What are the advantages to buying a desktop computer? You must know what they offer since you are looking to purchase one. The advice below will help you find the best machine for your needs.

If you do photo or video work, you’ll want a desktop computer with at least four cores. Called quad-core, this desktop will give you a lot of multitasking ability. Your computer won’t stutter when you have multiple big programs open. This will save you a lot of frustration during your work sessions.

If big video files are in your future, you’ll want to purchase a desktop that has a DVD optical drive. A typical CD optical drive may not do enough for you when you’ve got big video files. You will need the space a DVD offers. Avoid trouble down the road by spending just a bit more.

Before you buy a desktop computer, ask yourself what you plan to do with it. Figure out if you are only going to use it for work, play, or both. You need to consider the programs and media that you need to use. Check the desktops that you want to ensure the sound cards and graphics cards are enough to support them.

As you select your desktop computer, pay attention to the sorts of software that are included, particularly if you need a word processing package. You need to be aware of whether or not you will receive a complete version of such software, or if you will just get a trial version that will require you to spend additional money later on.

If you’re planning to use your desktop computer as an entertainment device, don’t ignore the speaker quality. A monitor with small speakers may give you a poor, tinny audio experience. You may be better off with buying a set of external speakers rather than relying on the speakers in your monitor.

Does the computer have adequate memory? This is very important in a desktop system. Have you considered the amount of data that you will need to store? Do you have lots of MP3s or photos? If you do need to store a lot of data, you need to make sure that your computer has the memory to handle it.

If you are wanting to buy in a “green” fashion, search out a mini-PC. They don’t use tons of electricity to work, but they have plenty of processing power to do most tasks. From checking email to word processing, they get the job done.

When buying a computer, you may want to ask the salesperson if you can upgrade it before completing the purchase. Many times the seller can accomplish these goals for a lot less money than you can, no matter how you went about it.

Go into buying a desktop with a budget in mind. As with any large purchase, there are a lot of ways that you can be nickeled and dimed well above your money comfort level. So you need to have a set limit that you won’t go over. If a computer will likely take you over that amount, walk away. There are lots of options out there that’ll fit your price.

What sort of warranty is being offered? Most computers come with a 1-year warranty which covers issues caused in the manufacturing process. If you want more, you may have to buy additional coverage from the place you are purchasing it from. You can also buy plans from companies like Geek Squad.

When buying a desktop, make sure that any software that comes with it is legal. It should either include CD and a CD-KEY. Many independent sellers or small companies do not provide you with legal software copies. This is illegal and can cause you to not receive updates or receive a fine.

Ports on your computer can be very confusing, so it may help to label them as soon as you successfully set it up. Use small pieces of tape to identify “printer” and other ports, so that you don’t have to play guessing games from then on. Many ports look the same, but serve different purposes so labeling them can avoid confusion.

Expert advice is crucial during the buying process. That is the reason we wrote this article and put so much information in it. By incorporating this information, there is no reason why purchasing your next computer can’t be a good one!