Step 1 Choose a specialty store, consumer electronics store, retail chain, limited service discount chain, local computer builder or mail-order/Internet vendor, based on your hardware and service needs. Step 2 Buy when you need to buy. No matter how long you wait for the best deal,...

Step 5 Choose a computer brand based on quality, price and technical support. Step 6 Based on your likely needs, determined earlier, figure out the core configuration you need, including processor and speed, amount of RAM and hard drive size. Step 7 Determine additional...