Home Computer Review

Having a computer in the home is almost a necessity nowadays. Your home computer serves the purposes of a file cabinet, music player, internet portal, homework station, photo archive, entertainment center – and the list goes on. A desktop computer is the ideal choice for a stationary home computer because it offers the most ergonomic solution and the most features for the best price. Desktops offer disc drives, a whole lot of memory and storage space, plenty of ports and room to expand your hardware when you want to upgrade. They're also easy to set up and run right out of the box.

As mentioned, your home computer should do a lot for you. First, it should cover your home office needs. This means you will be able to manage your finances as well as run office programs such as Word, Excel, Quicken and even TurboTax when that time of year rolls around. Second, it should be useful for multimedia purposes. With the increase of digital media, you will need a place to store your images, home videos and music. And with the right software, and a good machine, you can do all your own editing without needing to pay for a pro.

Some people also want to play resource-intensive games on their computer. There are computers out there designed specifically for gaming, but if you don't need a machine that specialized, you should at least have something that lets you play your online games or even some MMORPGs. And as with all systems, if you are planning on being online, you should have good security software to protect your machine and your information. Security software can bog down any machine, so having enough RAM will make all the difference.

We've researched and written reviews on the best home computers and articles on desktop computers so you will be able to make an informed decision. The computers we found to be the best include the Dell Studio XPS 7100, Acer Predator G3 and Dell XPS 8300.

Home Computers: What to Look For

Sometimes looking for the best computer can be a headache, especially with all the different hardware specs you need to consider. You don't want to pick the wrong desktop computer or you'll just end up with an expensive paperweight. Here are the criteria we used to find the products that meet our standards and give you the most for your money.

Performance
There are several factors that affect the performance of a home computer. The first factor is the random access memory. The more RAM you have, the easier applications run. We also looked at hard drive size, which will determine how much data you can store on the machine before needing an external hard drive. A fast CPU, or processor, will run software smoothly. Some systems have dual-core processors that allow you to run multiple programs at one time without sacrificing performance. The graphics and audio are secondary to the processor and memory. Most desktop computers have integrated audio, which is sufficient for home use.

Feature Set
This includes everything from the operating system to the disc drives. We also looked at whether each machine is Wi-Fi enabled so you can take advantage of wireless internet. Then we compared the number of ports and hook-ups on each system. You'll want to know that there are enough USB ports, memory card readers and so on to connect all the peripheral devices you need to tether to your computer.

Design
Sometimes the physical design is what really makes the difference. If you have a limited amount of space or don't want to repeatedly move something heavy, you will want to pay particular attention to the dimensions of the desktop computer so you don't purchase something that will later become a hassle.

Support
The first-class manufacturers provide quality help and support through email, phone and online chat. They also provide warranties at no additional cost. Nothing is worse than being without warranty coverage and technical support should you encounter a problem.

With the world growing more digital every day, having a home computer that meets your growing needs is a must. We make sure the systems we review will keep you connected, store your electronic files and even keep you entertained.

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