Experts recommend at least 8 gigabytes (GB) of RAM, though cloud-based Chromebooks can work well with just 4GB, CNet’s Ackerman says. The more RAM, the more programs or browser tabs you can have open and running smoothly at the same time and the fewer freeze-ups on your monitor. This is your computer’s short-term memory - essentially, its operating workspace. They, too, have dropped substantially in cost great monitors can be had for $150 or less. You can also hook up a laptop to a monitor on your desk when you need a larger display.

Those big desktop boxes of old are still available but are usually built for high-end users who need ultra-high-speed capability. Together, portable devices account for about four-fifths of the worldwide market. Laptops are the most popular type of computer today, followed by tablets. Device typesĪmerica has gone mobile, and so have computers. Look for the model number (examples: i5 or i7), then find the two digits immediately after that, preferably 10 or 11. Current Windows-based computers typically run 10th- or 11th-generation Intel chips. This is the master chip that drives your computer. Here’s how to get the computer you need, without paying for what you don’t. One thing that hasn’t changed is the jargon that can still baffle buyers without advanced degrees or a passion for technology. Today’s machines are generally faster, more power-efficient, thinner and, in many cases, cheaper. You can’t share a family one anymore,” says Dan Ackerman, senior managing editor at technology website CNet.īut if you haven’t bought one in three or more years, computers have changed quite a bit. “This past year we’ve seen so many people having to buy computers because now everybody in the household needs their own. En español | Hunkering down at home during the coronavirus pandemic has taught us this: Personal computers are absolutely essential, helping us to communicate with family, keep up on events, do our shopping, pay our bills, be creative and manage so many other aspects of daily life.

New lap top