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all designed, built and serviced by our own technicians in Oswestry and Wrexham

Here at Micro Plus Computers, we have been custom designing and building PCs since the early 1990s and we have a wealth of experience in maintaining and building PCs from CAD systems for business, to gaming behemoths to smart media solutions - we have built a PC every which way you could imagine. Using only tried and tested brands, all of our systems come with high quality components from manufacturers such as Antec, Corsair, OCZ, Asus, Kingston and Gainward. Micro Plus Computers is recognised by Intel as an Intel Technology Provider Expert.

When you are customizing your new custom build make sure you let our Technology advisers know what applications you are going to be using and what you want your new PC to be doing.  For example telling us that “my PC is mainly going to be gaming with a bit of web-browsing and video editing.” Will help our technical team to give you the right advice and get you the best possible balance of price and performance to meet your needs. Increasing the specification of one component or taking away another can greatly change the price and overall outcome of your PC.

Take a look at this quick run-down of the main components in a PC build and what to look for when buying.

Processors

The processor is the main driving force of your system (think of it as your system’s brain); the quicker your processor the quicker the system will start up, open applications and the more windows you will be able to have opened at one time. On a similar note a slow processor can cause your system to become sluggish sooner than you anticipated and could lead to replacing your system early so it’s important to pick the right balance of performance and price so that you get the best out of your system, within your budget without going over the top.

The Intel core i3, i5 & i7 are the current 2011 models with the i5 & i7 being the top end models on the market with the best performance available. The Core i3 model is most people’s choice on a system for general use without breaking the bank.

The i5 & i7 also have a feature called turbo boost (think of it like a sports mode on your car) which when in demanding circumstances, ramps up the PC performance to help finish the task sooner and without any slowdowns.

Memory

Memory is the other crucial factor of performance in your system; this is used to store data temporarily for fast access and works like a resource. 2GB is what we would recommend as the minimum for any system based on Windows 7 (1GB for windows XP) and the general rule of thumb is the more memory you have the better.

More memory helps all around performance in everything from having more programs open at the same time to switching between different applications quickly and easily without any delay. 4GB is ideal for most systems for everyday use and for extra performance or for video editing and other intensive tasks 6GB to 12GB is recommended (the last thing you want is your new system slowing down when you have to many windows open or if your processing large photos in Photoshop)

Storage  

The Hard Drive is the area where you store all off your data on the system; this could be pictures, music, videos, documents, etc. The hard drive is also where you install your operating system (windows XP/Vista/7).  There are different types of drives which have different benefits but most people select their hard drive based on how much storage they get. Typically you would have from 160GB up to 1000GB (otherwise known as a 1TB).

Storage size: 320GB – 500GB is ideal for most standard home users if you tend to store lots of data or have multiple user accounts. If you need more storage space you can go for a bigger Hard drive as standard or invest in an external HDD (somewhere you can store your data on a separate device outside your system.)

Solid State (SSD): These offer the ultimate performance in terms of response and loading times, typically you would install a 60GB-120GB into your system for your operating system and main applications or games. Desktop’s usually have a separate storage drive 500GB+ for all of your data. Solid State Drives are ideal for laptops as they are less susceptible to physical shock due to not having any spinning parts and will help improve battery life.

Graphics

Graphics is an important addition to your system if you plan to do anything along the lines of 3D gaming, Video Editing, Photo Editing, 3D Rendering or CAD work. However selecting the right Graphics Card for what you are using the system for can be tricky as there is a wealth of options available. There are two main brands of graphics cards to choose from, ATI or Nvidia and there are arguments on both sides of the table for which brand is better (and there is no firm answer for who is better) the important thing to look for in your new system is that the graphics is powerful enough to last you inside your PC. The major advantage of gaming on a PC is when you run games at high resolutions and with high detail settings it can completely transform your gaming experience and is often a lot better than on gaming consoles. If you are an avid gamer or want a future proof system then it’s worth investing in a powerful graphics card as typically if you go for a mid-range graphics card performance will be lacklustre after a year with the new gaming releases. For 3D Rendering and CAD work you will normally need a specific card such as an nVidia Quadro Card which is designed for real-time 3D Rendering, speak to our knowledgeable staff for some more insight into the best Graphics Card for you. 

Micro Plus Computers have showrooms, stores and technical workshops in Oswestry, Shropshire and Wrexham, North Wales.  We are open 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday and always have staff on hand ready to give you the right advice.

Click here to email us an enquiry, or call us on Oswestry 01691 670960 or Wrexham 01978 313242.