Buying Guide: How to choose the right PC for your business

Casey Reissig
Jul 17, 2022
4 min read

Choosing the right PC for your business can be a daunting task. You want something that's powerful enough to handle your workload, but not so expensive that it's going to break the bank. You want to get best performance, but you don’t want to settle for something that will end up being replaced short after. Luckily, CRIT.Consulting is here to break it down.

Before we get into the specifics of how to choose a PC for your business, let's talk about what exactly it is you need from a new PC.

Follow this 4-step guide to help you choose the right PC for your business.

STEP 1 - Write down your business needs (identify requirements)

A good place to start is to answer the following questions.

What will you be using the PC for? What applications/software are needed for you to run your business?
Will you be on the road? (Does the PC need to be portable?)
Is battery life important to you?
Is speed important to you?
Do you require a touch screen?
Is storage capacity a priority? Or will you be using cloud storage?
Do you have many applications or browser tabs open at the same time?
Will you be performing any resource-demanding activities such as video/photo editing, 3D modelling and simulation, or gaming?
Are your needs likely to change in the next 3-4 years?

STEP 2 - Find the hardware to run your software.

It’s the software that does the work, but making sure your hardware (PC) can smoothly run the software is critical. A PC is made up of many parts, but there are only a handful you should know.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is commonly referred to as the 'Processor' and is ultimately the brain of the computer. It’s responsible for telling all the other components what to do based on the instructions given by the applications (software) on the computer. A PC with a better processor typically processes tasks quicker.

Buying Tip: stick to the latest generation CPU. As a starting point look for Intel i5 or i7, AMD Ryzen 7 and Apple M1or M2.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM is measured in gigabytes (GB) and is commonly referred to as ‘Memory’. It’s the computer’s short-term memory, where data currently processed by the CPU is temporarily stored. Having more RAM helps with your PC’s multi-tasking capabilities as it can be running more programs at once.

Think of RAM as the arms of the computer. The more arms you have (higher the GB), the more things you can do at once, as long as your computer’s brain (CPU) is smart enough to coordinate it all.

Buying Tip: stick to a minimum of 8GB RAM. If you consider yourself a heavy user with multiple things running at the same time, it may be worth to opting for 16GB RAM.

Storage Unit

The storage unit is the part in the computer that is responsible for storing all the data on the computer itself. Typically measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB) (which is 1024 GB), the more storage you have, the more things can be saved on your computer.

There are two primary types of storage units. A Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a Solid State Drive (SSD). HDDs typically have more storage, whereas SSDs typically have less storage but offer greater performance and are more reliable. This is because HDDs function similar to an old-fashioned record player, where the disc spins around a small needle to read the data, making them more prone to wear and tear. With SSDs there are no moving parts (no needle spinning around a disc), and data can be accessed nearly instantly.

HDDs typically come in units of 500 GB or 1TB: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, etc.

SSDs typically come in units of 128GB: 128 GB, 256GB, 512GB , 1024 GB (1TB)

Buying Tip: for most people a 256GB (SSD) is suitable for plenty of storage and great performance.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

GPUs can be referred to as graphics cards or video cards and are responsible for translating and displaying images, videos and animations on your PC. There are two types of GPUs:

Integrated GPUs - which live in the brain (CPU or processor) and have to share memory with the CPU
Discrete or Dedicated GPUs - which have their own dedicated space in the computer and do not have to share resources with the CPU. This means the GPU will have it’s own processing power and memory and frees up the CPU to focus on coordinating everything else.

Buying Tip: for high-demanding tasks like 3D modelling, photo or video editing/rendering and gaming - opt for a dedicated GPU for better performance.

STEP 3 - Research

Now its time to research suitable PCs with the right parts to match your needs.

Buying Tip: have a look at the software applications you will be using and take note of their recommended hardware specifications.

STEP 4 - Buy

Buy your new PC!

Other things to consider when buying a new PC.

What is your preferred Operating System - Mac or Windows?
What are the support and after-sales care options like? What happens if something goes wrong?
Do you need to re-purchase any programs or re-assign a license for existing applications?
How are you going to protect yourself from cyber threats?

Summary

Buying a new PC doesn't have to be complicated. First, know what you need the PC to do. Then, get an understanding of the hardware required to smoothly run the things you need the PC to do. Once you know what to look for, you can start researching and then buying your new PC.

Get in touch with CRIT.Consulting if you would like tailored and expert assistance in buying a new PC or any other IT services.