Otherwise, if your budget allows for it and if you intend to continue using Word, Excel, PowerPoint ( etc.) at home outside of work, then Microsoft Office 2019 would be the better option. If you intend to uninstall all Office-based products after you return to work/school, then this is definitely the cheaper option. Microsoft Office 365 is a monthly subscription-based service. It’s a bit trickier if you’re shopping for one on your own. If you’re a student or educator, you can access the Microsoft Office 365 Education Edition for free here. Unless you really need to save a ton of files directly on your computer, I recommend using an SSD drive ( You can store other files within a portable HDD or two, which is what I do). SSD’s are faster, in that the files saved on them load faster than if they were saved on an HDD. In a nutshell: HDD’s are cheaper, & most modern computers that run HDD’s will have at least 1TB worth of storage. There are mainly two types of storage your computer uses for storing files: HDD (hard disk drive), & SSD (solid state drive). What is this “solid state drive” I’m hearing about? You can read a more in-depth comparison between screen resolutions here. For screens 24” and bigger, I would not go lower than QHD. For screens bigger than 15”, I would recommend an FHD resolution. An HD resolution may work fine for a 13” or 15” laptop. Basically, the bigger the pixel count, the more that can fit on your screen. These terms refer to your monitor’s or laptop’s screen resolution. If you’re new to PC gaming and want a PC you can game on after you’re done working/studying, check out my blog on how to figure out which GPU works best for you. Otherwise, your computer’s generic “integrated graphics” works just fine. Hey, I thought you were working! In all seriousness, you only need to worry about the graphics card if you are working in graphics-intensive fields, such as: Otherwise, I highly recommend getting a PC with 16GB RAM, if your budget allows it ( Budgeting note: You are unlikely to find a 16GB desktop or notebook under $600). writing reports, coding/software developing), and you wouldn’t use your PC casually outside of shopping and social media, then an 8GB PC may be good enough. If your work or studies are not processing-intensive (e.g. For AMD, make sure the last batch of numbers starts with a “3” (e.g. Core i3- 9300, or Core i7- 1065G7), which are Intel’s 9th & 10th generation of processors. If you’re looking at Intel CPU’s, make sure the last batch of numbers starts with a “9” or a “10” (e.g. What’s this about a processor’s “generation”? How do I know if a PC is modern? You can read here to learn more about other parts of a CPU, such as clock speeds & cores. huge Excel files, engineering & visualization), I would lean towards either an Intel Core i7 or an AMD Ryzen 7. If your work or studies involve software that require a lot of processing power (e.g. I would worry more about a CPU family over a CPU’s speed. Unfortunately, a higher GHz doesn’t always mean faster. GHz (gigahertz) refers to how quickly the processor performs these actions. What’s a CPU? What does “GHz” do? What does any of this mean?Ī computer’s CPU (central processing unit) is its processor, a key component for crunching and spitting out actions. Hopefully, this FAQ makes understanding different parts of a computer for you much less intimidating. Well, yes, you can just buy any old computer without looking at the specs beforehand, but unfortunately, it’s not as easy as “this is the best computer to work from home on, you’re welcome.” Your needs vary greatly depending on what kind of work or studies you do, and you’ll be shooting in the dark if you simply search for “fast 15″ laptop.” Presumably, you don’t want a laptop that takes forever to load, nor do you want to spend thousands of dollars on a PC when you can spend $700 to cover your needs. Icl.coop All these computer terms are whack! Do I really need to care about these specs, or can I just buy something? * Note that I recommend using CTRL+F to search for specific key words in this blog if there’s only a few terms you’re confused about or just want a really quick answer to without having to read the entire article. So I’m here with an FAQ that will make shopping for your work-from-home computer much less complex. Many don’t even know where to start looking for a PC, particularly if their employers did not provide them with one. A lot of employees may already know what kind of equipment they need to work from home – a printer, stable WiFi, a phone line – but they might not have a computer suitable for work. Those who are able to work or study from home have been instructed to do so. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the nation, many states have issued a shelter-in-place order to reduce the chances of it spreading further.
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