Photo: Adspackman

Computer buying for the home means purchasing a computer that can deliver on every family member’s expectations. Your family will want access to a range of programmes, from games like The Sims, to the Internet, to business applications like Excel. Having a computer that only caters to one member of the family could well result in conflict. Below you’ll find some fail-proof rules on how to buy a computer for the family.

Rule #1: It Must be a Desktop PC

Buying a laptop, a computer that is inherently personal, is counterproductive in a family setting. Many years of going to Internet cafés, school computer labs and office use has conditioned us to think of a desktop PC as a social computer. A family is a society within itself (and some more so than others). This first rule must be adhered to if household anarchy is to be avoided.

Rule #2: Affordable with Great Support

A home computer needs to be affordable and have great technical support. While build-it-yourself project computers can be fun and cheap, the frugality stops being fun when you become the “fix the computer at home” guy. Buy a well-priced desktop PC that comes with some limited support and a flexible warranty priced into the cost so that everybody is easily able to come to grips with how to service it.

Rule #3: As Powerful as Necessary

A computer must be as powerful as its most demanding user needs it to be. In a household where complex computer games are not played, the computer usually needs to be able to run popular smaller games like The Sims well. Using this “Sims benchmark”, almost all office software suites will run well. Resource-intensive applications for technical work are best left on a private computer, but if you must use these on your home desktop PC, then use the specifications on these software applications as a guideline when you buy a computer for the family.

Rule #4: Anti-virus Protection

Antivirus software on the home computer is crucial. You have no idea what viruses your children (or parents!) could inadvertently transfer to your computer via memory sticks or negligent downloads, so it is best to be protected.

Rule #5: Aesthetics

Simply put, the computer you choose has to look good. It needs to fit in with your personal style, match your décor, and not take up more space than you can afford it to.

The Actual Purchase

Now that you know the elements to look for in a good home computer, let’s look for the computers that fit these criteria. Thankfully, most retailed computers come with anti-virus software built in, and if you buy from a big manufacturer, you’re invariably guaranteed some level of after-purchase support. Hewlett-Packard is the largest technology company in the world, and with good reason. It has managed to strike a perfect balance between product and price, as well as developing one of the biggest service networks in all of the computing industry. The Pavilion series of desktop computers is a reflection of this, in being tailor-made for the budgetary and functional needs of a family without compromising on looks.

The Packard Bell iXtreme X6620 UK is better suited for a family that has somebody who plays intensive games or runs resource-heavy applications. This unit, priced at £573, runs the gamut of everything a family will need in a computer while also being extremely attractive.

A computer buying family needs to do what families always do: figure out needs and wants and determine, as a team, what is best for everybody. Thankfully, modern day computing has eliminated the need for extensive know-how.