Updated February 8, 2010.
The chipset – this is important!
What to buy
Good brands of components, accessories, etc.
Brands to avoid
Do NOT buy a desktop computer without a PCI-Express Slot
I have a lot of opinions, and reasonable people may disagree. When you hire me, you're engaging my opinions. I will listen to reasoned opinions from others as well, and as a result my understanding of technology improves. It is a changing landscape, by its evolving nature. When you buy a high-tech product, it's just a product. It costs money and it wears out or becomes obsolete. The replacement will cost additional money. This is how it always works, even with the best products. The cost of everything plays a crucial role in my opinions. I'm not going to recommend something that costs hundreds of dollars extra because it's cutting edge - this is not a wise item to buy unless you have a particular need. If money is burning a hole in your pocket, perhaps this discussion won't do much for you.
But for those of us who want good computers and need to get the most out of our computing budgets, I have the following general advice. This advice is not specific to your situation, so call me if you need more guidance.
The chipset
The “chipset” describes the most fundamental component of the computer, and the most important choice you have to make. I recommend and sell chipsets made by AMD and Intel. NVIDIA makes chipsets that most gamers prefer, but my experience tells me that AMD's chipsets are more stable. Both of my computers that I use every day at my store have AMD chipsets. AMD makes chipsets exclusively for AMD CPUs, and Intel makes chipsets exclusively for Intel CPUs.
What to buy
Here is my sales pitch: You will get a better computer if you buy it new from a reputable local system builder like me than you will from Dell, HP, or any of the other big brand names. Of course I encourage you to buy from me. The desktops I build generally consist of the components listed below. I sell Asus notebooks.
Good brands of desktop components:
Motherboards: Intel or Asus. I mostly use Asus.
Chipsets: Intel or AMD.
CPUs: Intel's "Core" processors and AMD's "Phenom" processors.
Video Cards: Asus with NVIDIA chipset. Avoid cards with fans.
Power Supplies: PC Power and Cooling (high end, but well worth it).
Cases: InWin (mini tower) or Antec (mid tower).
Hard Drives: Western Digital.
Memory: Crucial or Lifetime.
DVD Drives: Samsung. (Plextor costs too much but is the best.)
Good brands of accessories, software, notebooks, etc.:
Networking/Wireless Cards and Devices: Linksys and Intel
Printers: HP for most people; Epson for continuous-feed ink
Digital Cameras: Canon.
Security Software: Trend Micro Internet Security.
Operating System: I like Windows 7. I will sell Windows XP on request.
Notebook Computers: Asus, Lenovo (I only like their Thinkpad).
Desktop Computers: Custom Built by Rick with the components listed here.
Flat Panel Monitors: Asus. Look for an LED backlight.
Avoid these brands:
Norton and McAfee security products.
Sony, HP, Acer, Gateway, and eMachines computers.
Celeron or Sempron CPU, or any single-core CPU.
Off-brand memory.
Cheap power supplies. Antec power supplies - this "high-end" brand has a terrible track record. I do NOT like Antec PSUs, not one little bit!
Video cards with fans – because I have a pile of video cards with broken fans. There are replacement fans and cooling schemes available, but it’s really tricky to order one that fits. Better to avoid the whole thing. (Gamers will find this advice impossible to follow, because high-end video cards always have fans because they run hotter. I understand this, but the point stands if you're buying a low-end or mid-range card.)
Choosing a new computer
Brand-name desktops and notebooks
The PCI Express Slot:
The longer green slot is a PCI-Express x16 slot; this is where you install a video card. It can be any color. If you have Intel integrated graphics, your computer will definitely run faster if you install a real video card. Some advanced (gaming) motherboards have more than one, and some cheap computers don’t have one at all. If it is missing, you may see solder points where it should be, like the box with circles in it below the white slots. The smaller green slot is a PCI-Express x1 slot, and the white slots are PCI. If you need to install a modem, TV Tuner, or any other card in your computer, you would put it in these slots. PCI-Express x1 is a newer technology that replaces PCI, and many cards are now available in both PCI and PCI-Express versions. Desktops will probably come with both kinds of slots for a few more years and then only with PCI-Express.