We have been buying computers for over 20 years and sometimes it's overwhelming to know what to look for in a new laptop or desktop computer.

These results are a product of our defining a number of standards that you should follow when purchasing your new machine to make sure you get the most from your investment:

• Processor: Intel Pentium (Core i5 or i7) -- Do not settle for AMD or Celeron. "Accept no substitute" in this area is a good philosophy.

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 Professional -- There are two features that separate Pro from Home: backup and remote desktop. You can save some money up front, but the first time you need one of these features, you will really miss them.

• Memory: 8 GigaBytes of RAM for an absolute minimum; we are now recommending 16 GB as more of a standard, and suggest considering even more -- RAM determines how much capacity your computer's "brain" can use... and how many things it can focus on at any given time. Operating systems, antivirus utilities, Office and productivity programs like Outlook or other e-mail, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet Browsers like Internet Explorer (Edge) Firefox or Chrome or any other browsing, and multimedia are all faster with more RAM. Don't settle for any deals you see in fliers or online for cheap machines: check to see if they only come with 1GB, 2 GB... even 4GB is barely enough for Windows 10 & 11. You can run the OS, but after opening two windows, you'll see the slowdown. You will likely be disappointed in the results. Also, we always try to leave room for upgrades. If you build a machine to order, don't just ask how much ram is in the machine, ask how many chips they will be using to deliver that ram, and how many total slots for ram there is. If you get an 8 GB machine, but open it up and find there are 4 2gb chips to give you that 8, an no empty additional slots, and someday you decide to upgrade to 16gb, you'll have to throw out all of the 2gb chips to put in 4 4gb chips. If you buy the machine with 2 4gb chips, that upgrade will cost you half was much because it will only need 2 more 4gb chips.

• Architecture: Business Class Machines -- Most computer manufacturers build two lines of machines, Consumer Grade, and Business Grade. Dell's Business class is, to start, physically stronger. Metal Cases, more robust laptop hard drives, etc. It is also engineered for the highest levels of software compatibility and has a lower failure rate.

• Warranty: On-Site, Next Business Day (At least 3 years, available up to 5 years) -- If you accept mail-in support, you can be without your machine for days, even weeks while it travels to and from the depot. They will take their time to work on it, and mail it back, a process over which you have no control and which gives no protection for you data while it is happening. Worst of all, if they somehow determine that the issue is caused by something you may have done, they may say it is outside the scope of your warranty coverage, and hold your machine until you pay for their time diagnosing or repairing it.

These upgrades may make your machine cost a little more in the short run, but they will help you get the most from your investment in the long run.

Now, you're probably asking...

What can I save on?

• Graphics Cards. If you're not playing World of Warcraft or Unreal Tournament III on your PC, the standard chipsets will be fine.

• Hard Drive Space. What are you going to use your machine for? Email? Web Surfing? Unless you're ripping an entire music collection to MP3 or downloading movies and TV shows, you don't need a terabyte hard drive. Be smart and logical, take inexpensive upgrades. Anything 80 GB or up should work for most users just fine.

• Flat Panel Monitor. They take up less space on your desk, they take up less energy for the environment, and, when purchased with a new machine, the warranty covers the monitor as well!

Ok, what else should I be getting on my machine?

• A Camera Built into the Bezel or Monitor (especially for laptops, if you don't get it now, you'll probably end up wishing you did)

• Bluetooth (again, if you don't get it now, you'll probably end up wishing you did)

• Microsoft Office

• Anti-Virus Software

How important are these things?

Almost everything on this page can be upgraded, while most items on the first page can't be, other than warranty, and RAM; however, even with those, if you do them wrong the first time there are limits to how effectively they can be upgraded.

Note: Some components are more difficult to upgrade on Laptops. Take that into consideration when placing your initial order.