A desktop computer is a major purchase. Not only are you investing a significant amount of money, but you also have to make a lot of decisions about exactly what you want and need. The number of choices you are faced with can be overwhelming, so it's difficult to decide which computer to purchase and what components are necessary for your uses. Therefore, it's a very good idea to read computer reviews before you make your decision.

Use Your Computer to Review Computers

Because everything changes so quickly in the computer world, it is strongly suggested that you use the Internet to do your research. Computer sites are frequently updated, so you have access to the latest information. Even magazines dedicated to computer information have a longer lead time than a website, and will be outdated much more quickly.

You also have more control over the comparison process when you do your research online. Many sites allow you to set up side-by-side comparisons among several contending computers. Additionally, branded sites allow you to compare different models of their brand, with easy-to-read tables listing all the options.

The most efficient way to go about this process is in four steps. First, make a list of what components you need. For example, do you need high speed and sophisticated graphics for gaming, or do you mainly intend to use your computer for word processing, spreadsheets and e-mail? Once you know the specs of your ideal computer, go to a general review site to help you make a decision about the best brand. Next, go to the brand site and use the comparison tables to find the model that most closely matches your specs. Finally, run a search for that specific model. This will bring up many sites and allow you to find your best price.

Compaq computers have been around since 1982, when three Texas Instruments employees left the company to start their own firm. Their idea was to manufacture and sell portable computers to rival those being built by IBM, then the market leader in the computing industry. A mission statement such as this would get any modern-day entrepreneur laughed out of a pitch meeting, but over 20 years ago this was a revolutionary idea.

Since then, Compaq computers have become one of the best-known and most reliable brands in the consumer electronics business. A few years back, Compaq merged with rival Hewlett-Packard to form a technological juggernaut that continues to innovate in the current landscape. Just witness the company's iPAQ Pocket PC, which was named in 2001 as the World's Most Powerful PDA.

Compaq Computers Today

You can't go into any computing store today without finding shelves upon shelves of Presario notebooks and desktops. Their latest line, the 8000Z series, comes with the Athlon 64 chip, which is designed to handle 64-bit applications, though it can also be used with more standard 32-bit programs. The 8000Z retails for under 1000 dollars, a good sign that the affordable computers industry is alive and well.

In addition to the Presario, Compaq also manufactures cables, adapters, gaming equipment, port replicators, floppy drives, and a suite of other accessories. If you're just starting out with your first PC, Compaq computers are an excellent choice as an all-in-one system equipped to handle all your basic computing needs. Compaqs may be some of the most inexpensive computers on the market, but they're also among the most robust in their capabilities.

In an age of blistering technological development, discounted computers are not hard to find. One commonly accepted principle is that technological capacities, especially as reflected in microprocessing speeds, double every five to seven years. That means from the time you enter college until graduation, that new computer you've just purchased will become obsolete.

While this may be a depressing prospect, consider the flip side of the equation. Every time a new chip hits the market there are sellers who are saddled with old inventory and have to move it any cost or else take a huge loss. If you've ever waited for a new year of car models to be released before buying the (hitherto) current model, you're already familiar with this maneuver. Just think, Accord '03 owners don't drown their sorrows when the '04s hit the streets. So why despair over your outmoded PC?

Finding Discounted Computers

The real secret to finding discounted computers--aside from waiting for new models to come out--is knowing your own needs. It's easy to get in way over your head when talking with a sales agent, who will not only convince you you need a 10-year extended warranty at double the price of the computer itself, but also that this insurance policy will grant you superhuman strength or invincibility. If you know your primary needs are e-mail and word processing, which, along with internet access, constitute about 90 percent of total computer operations, you can rule out the latest supersonic chip.

Inexpensive computers are lurking everywhere, from the back rooms of your local electronics shop to internet auction sites. Anyone looking to buy computers online from any seller other than the manufacturer or licensed outlet is taking a gamble. Unless your seller offers the same factory warranty you'd get from a store, it's not worth the risk just to save a few hundred dollars. Cracking your machine open to fix a defective part will make those savings disappear in a matter of hours.

Why You Need Remote Desktop Software

Thought about the benefits to be had from remote desktop software? The list of uses is almost endless. Often, our laptops don't have the same capacity as the larger PCs we have at home or in the office. So if we need a program that requires a lot of memory, such as many graphics presentation programs for example, we have to wait until we get home or back to the office until we are able to use them. This is clearly unacceptable for a lot of people.

Remote desktop software can make it all so easy. You can have access to remote PCs wherever you happen to be. Remote desktop software even makes it possible for a number of people to have access to a remote PC. This can make business operations a lot easier. Imagine a group of people who need access to a particular database having access to it whenever they need it.

Company-to-Employee and Company-to-Client

Remote desktop software can even allow a company to provide services for their clients cheaply, easily and effectively. Remote desktop software is a cheap solution to many problems of logistics that we've all suffered from up till now. Whatever field you mention, remote desktop access can provide a valuable addition to existing software and facilities.

Whether you're an engineer who needs access to a database or a large graphics program, or whether you're a doctor who needs access to references and patient records, remote desktop access solves your problems equally well. Even kids can use remote desktop access for learning purposes, and this type of software could constitute a great step forward in making learning resources available to children all the time.

If there's no free lunch, how can there be a free computer? Your first response is probably simple: whether comestibles or Compaq, there's no such thing. With a little research, however, you will see that it is possible.

There are a surprising number of sites that do, in fact, offer free refurbished computers to recipients who meet their specific qualifications. Some send these free computers to underdeveloped countries, which isn't much help to you if you live in Idaho. Many offer free computers to schools and shelters or to the disabled.

Free Computers for the Needy

There are also sites that supply free computers to those living in poverty. Some also offer refurbished computers at minimal prices to those who can't afford one, but don't fall into any official need category. These are usually limited to families with school-age children. This refurbishing and reuse of old computers serves a double purpose: not only does it put computers into the hands of those who wouldn't otherwise have access, but it also keeps potentially toxic waste out of our dumps.

What about those ads you see that offer brand new computers for free, "just for taking a survey"? They mostly fall into the lunch category. Once such site that I investigated asked me to respond to 20 offers for DVD clubs, credit cards, etc., and showed them to me one page at a time. You had to choose one of these offers, which meant providing a lot of personal and financial information and in almost all cases, making a purchase. After that, you had to find other people who would be willing to do the same, in order for you to get your free computer. Frankly, I have a feeling that even if you did all this, there would be other requirements to meet.