Buying a PC? Read This First

Wall Street Journal tech guru Walter S. Mossberg wants you to think, and think hard, before buying your next PC. Here are some tips from the man himself:

1. If you're going for Vista over Windows XP, opt for the Home Premium version.
2. Avoid junk software that slows your computer by buying Dell's Vostro models and opting out of trial software.
3. Go with 1G of memory for Home Basic, 2 for other Vista versions.

4. Go with the "discrete" graphics card to best enjoy Vista's flashy interface.
5. Any "dual-core" processor from Intel or AMD will suffice.
6. Don't scrimp on storage space—you can have 300G for a reasonable price.
7. If shopping at a retail store, check out the "show more details" in Vista's welcome screen. If the score is below 3.0, don't buy that model.
8. A computer can be had for $400, but to get all of the above, expect to spend $800 or more.

(More Microsoft Vista stories.)