It's been awhile since I visited this issue and I thought it was time to update based on new systems now available. Before I begin, let me just say, the benchmark I use for comparison purposes is my own primary system. It's a 733Mhz Pentium 3, 133Mhz Front Side Bus with 256MB of PC133 SDRAM, an ATI Rage Graphics card with 32MB of ram, 30GB ATA 100, 7200 RPM hard drive and I'm running Windows XP Professional in full graphics mode with only a few of the following eye candy features turned off.

Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide tool tips into view
Show shadows under menus
Show shadows under mouse pointer
No desktop wallpaper

If you have a Pentium III with a 700Mhz processor or higher and you've been considering replacing it, you'll be disappointed. The fastest system I tested was a 2.2Mhz Pentium 4 with 512 MB of PC800 RDRAM (Rambus memory) and a graphics card with 64MB of DDR (Double Data Rate) ram, running Windows XP Home in full graphics mode and it was only marginally faster than my own setup.

Note, most of the systems I tested were connected to flat screen monitors with resolutions often set to the highest or near highest level the graphics card on the system supported. This will retard system performance a bit. Nonetheless, if you were thinking a system such as the above would blow the windows off of your current desktop setup, it won't.

I've been a big proponent of DDR ram based systems and I will admit they were almost as fast as the Rambus based systems. However, I found the performance of the Rambus based systems far more satisfactory than the DDR systems. In fact, I found the PC133 SDRAM systems almost on a par with DDR and the performance was more satisfying.

Many Rambus proponents claim that DDR tends to choke Pentium 4 performance and after side by side testing, I have to agree. While this is a highly subjective appraisal on my part, benchmark tests don't indicate how a system feels to a user and that is what I'm trying to convey here. Imagine two identical cars, identical weight and engine displacement. One car has a fully loaded trunk while the other is empty. If you've ever driven your own car fully loaded, you understand the metaphor and that's the difference I'm trying to describe above.

Memory makes a difference and clearly, so does the type of memory. While Rambus memory is still more expensive than SDRAM and DDR, the prices have come down to the point where it's certainly worthwhile to go for a Rambus based system especially when the total difference in overall system cost might be negligible. Obviously, if you are looking at a budget system that's not the case but today you can get a Rambus based system for around $1000, about the same as many DDR systems. Hence, if you are looking in that price range, it might pay for you to go Rambus even it's a few dollars more. Note also, the above appraisal was of PC800 Rambus memory. That's the fastest Rambus memory available. PC400 Rambus should be avoided and if the system just says Rambus, inquire about what type of Rambus memory is included.

Of course, overall system speed is not the only thing to consider. A more powerful processor will make multitasking easier. As applications become more powerful, they place greater demand on the processor. The type of application plays a role as well. Many people are now using their computers for a lot of photo work and graphics pull a lot of power from the system. If you are in that category, it needs to be factored into your thinking.

I always suggest, regardless of from where you intend to purchase a computer, a retailer, a local shop, on the web or wherever, you should always go into a store where you know they have a wide selection and test some systems so you can compare them to your present setup. It will give you an idea of how current systems compare to your present system and will help you make decisions about the specifications you seek in a new system or even if it's worth purchasing a new system at this time.

One of the biggest problems I continue to see among users has to do with systems that either have no CD containing the operating system, usually storing recovery information on a hidden partition on the hard drive or those systems that come with a recovery disk instead of an actual CD containing the operating system. This is especially important with Windows XP.

XP offers a lot of recovery procedures that aren't available on recovery CDs or partitions. With a true XP disk, you can do a repair install, you can reinstall over your current setup without having to destroy it and you can use XP setup to delete, create and format Individual partitions. Most of this is usually lost to a user who only has a recovery CD or partition.

Worse, if all recovery information is on a hidden partition, if the hard drive goes bad, what do you do? I suppose the PC manufacturer sends you a new hard drive with XP pre-installed. Will they do that if the system is no longer under warranty? Further, what happens if you've changed some of your hardware such as a new graphics or sound card?

Recovery CDs and partitions don't contain the drivers for the new hardware and the recovery routine might lock up if it doesn't find the proper hardware on your system. Also, while there's some advantage in being able to put your system back into factory fresh condition, the recovery may contain applications you've already removed while it won't contain anything you've added since you purchased the computer.

If these issues are important to you, ask questions, ask the system builder, ask the retailer, call the manufacturer and find out the facts in advance. If dealing with a company such as Dell or Gateway that sell direct to the consumer, let them know that having a true CD of the operating system, not just some recovery disk or partition is a make or break requirement for you. Be sure to tell them up front, perhaps even in writing, if such a CD is not included, as far as you are concerned, it's grounds for sending the system back to them.

Something else you need to factor into your buying decision is your current peripherals, scanners, printers, Zip Drives, etc. and your current software. Most new systems today will come with Windows XP. Before you buy, check to see if your current peripherals and software, especially mission critical software is supported under XP.

Windows XP is not just another step in the evolution of Windows. While it looks and feels much the same as previous versions, it is dramatically different under the hood. It's the first consumer version of Windows that is built around the NT kernel and while this adds to system stability it creates a lot of compatibility issues that didn't exist in earlier new versions associated with Windows 9x.

While scanners, printers and other peripherals have dropped dramatically in price, if you need to replace one or more of your current devices, it's an added cost of purchase and should be figured into your thinking when considering a new PC. Something else to consider, many devices that are compatible or listed as compatible on the XP Hardware Compatibility List come with software that is not compatible.

In other words, the hardware will work with the drivers that ship with XP but the software bundled with the device not only will cause problems or not install, you may lose some of the functionality of your device because the drivers that ship with XP may not be as full featured as that from the manufacturer or that which comes as a part of the software bundle.

All drivers, whether they ship with XP or come with the device are the responsibility of and provided by the manufacturer but the drivers they provide to ship with an operating system often only provide limited support. You may have a scanner with single function buttons and the drivers that ship with XP might only provide support for the basic scanning function.

Hence it's important you check with the device manufacturer or the device manufacturer's web site to see if updates are being offered. Also, consider the possibility that the manufacturer might offer updated drivers that support all the functions of your device, all the scanner's function buttons but will not update the software bundle that came with the scanner.

Often, those bundles are provided by third parties over whom the device manufacturer has no control so the best they can offer is updated drivers. If the additional software that was provided when you purchased the device is important to you, you need to consider the possibility you'll need to buy the full version at retail if available or find some other product to replace it.

Be aware that most utilities that worked with your Windows 9x system probably will be incompatible with XP. System tools such as Norton Utilities will have to be brought up to date, anti-virus, firewall and probably even your backup application will need to be updated as well. At the very least, check what software, if any, is provided with your new computer because whatever is not included on the new system that you may need will have to be purchased at additional cost.

If you have DOS games or other applications, it's problematic as to whether or not they will work with XP. XP has no DOS. It does have a DOS emulator known simply as the "Command Prompt" and can be accessed directly from the "Start" menu. If you have any mission critical applications whether they are for DOS or Windows, check with the application manufacturer about XP compatibility. Consider the possibility that you might have to dual boot with an earlier version of Windows if these applications are important to you and you don't wish to replace them.

Hardware and software compatibility can be checked at the sites below but as I mentioned above, a device appearing on the list only means XP ships with a driver that will provide the basic functions of that device. You'll need to check with the device manufacturer for availability of fuller featured drivers.

http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/compat.asp
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql/hcl/winxphclx86.txt

Also available is an upgrade advisor that you can run on your current system. While it is designed to offer help with regard to upgrading a current system to Windows XP, you can use it to give you a preliminary indication of issues you might face with your current peripherals and software. It's a 50MB download but if you have a broadband connection, it might be worth downloading in terms of giving you some idea of what you might need to replace when buying a new system:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

One final thought. Many systems today come with the graphics card and/or the sound card built into the motherboard. On a lower cost system, this can save you money but if you are buying a more expensive system of $1000 or more, go for a system with such cards that are not built in. Most of the built in cards either place greater drain on the CPU or share memory with the system instead of having their own memory, either of which will retard system performance.

Don't go into a PC purchase blind. Do your homework. If you pay attention to some of the things I've mentioned here, it may help you overcome disappointment and problems later.