Expert: Karl Zick - 12/2/2009

Question
I do a lot of multitasking on my computer. I currently have an Acer laptop. I need something with a fast processor, lots of storage and memory. I do a lot of flyers with graphics. I need a good computer, please help...which one would you recomend?

Answer
Hi Rita,

My favorite desktop computers at the moment are Lenovo's by IBM.  If you check the Newegg and Geeks web sites from time to time, they run really good specials.

The two hardware features to look for in any computer are dual-core processors and at least 4GB of RAM.  Also, the new Windows 7 seems the way to go on an operating system.  Hard drives are all big enough and the other features are just so much fluff.

Brands to avoid are eMachines, HP's, and Compaq's.  Sony's are probably the best, but you pay for them. I also like Toshiba's and Dell's, as a rule, are pretty solid.

These days you should not pay more than around $350 for a really good desktop and excellent 24" monitors start at about $150.