Computer buy tip for the future

When shopping for a computer, the processor, memory and hard drive aren't the only things to consider. If the video is built into the motherboard, make sure that there is a video expansion slot (AGP or PCI-E) because that is one of the things that is upgraded most often, especially if you're into gaming. Game makers always push the envelope in graphics so the newest games will usually only perform well on the next-to-newest video card specs. These cards are usually in the $150-250 range and are one or two steps behind the top-end $500 cards.

Those inexpensive machines can be nice, but the manufacturers cut back on the cost by having everything built into the motherboard making them pretty much un-upgradable. This method is known as "future sales". You want to upgrade that Dell that's sitting on your desk? Sorry. It's time to buy a whole new computer.

I used to be a firm Dell supporter until they started miniaturizing their machines and paring back their custominzing options. I've since built my last 4 computers from components because I was able to purchase the parts and options that I wanted.

The problem with PCI and today's video cards is that the pipe from the card to the processor is just too small to keep up with the speed of the video card. Hence, it's almost impossible to find any modern cards in PCI models. Heck, it's getting hard to find newer cards in anything other than PCI-Express.