If letters of contract with Mr S. Claus this Christmas include requests for home computers, the old man in the North Pole is going to have to spend £1,500 or more to get modern machines down Irish chimneys.
Home computing is principally about education and entertainment (new year's resolutions about using spreadsheets to manage the household finances rarely get put into practice). This means modern, multimedia machines with
plenty of disk space and memory;
sound and graphics cards;
speakers; and
a fast modem for connecting to the Net.
If children are to do assignments on the computer a printer is a good idea too. Colour printers are now standard, with prices typically starting at £120.
There is not a lot that can be bought for under £1,000. The cheapest computer in PC World's new Blanchardstown store in Dublin costs £899, or £74.91 per month for a year. Coupled with the cheapest colour printer (£119), this gives a reasonable low-end multimedia PC system for just over £1,000, but the 166MHz processor, 8MB RAM (memory) and 1.7GB disk are relatively lightweight by today's standards, and the 14inch monitor is a bit on the small side for graphics use.
Direct sellers Gateway 2000 and Dell don't sell any computers for below £1,000. Gateway's smallest multimedia PC costs £1,304, including a printer and delivery. This includes a P166 processor, 32MB RAM and a 2GB disk, with sound and graphics, a 56.6kbps modem, a 15-inch monitor, and a bundle of Microsoft software.
For £1,534 you get the following extras: a P200 processor, 32MB RAM, a 17-inch monitor and more software, but the printer is extra, starting at £177.
Dell's offerings in this range start with a multimedia PC for £1,461, which includes a P233 processor, 32MB RAM, a 4.3GB disk, sound and graphics, a 56.6kbps modem, and a 15-inch monitor. The same machine with a 17-inch monitor costs an extra £133. For £1,824 Dell offers a 233MHz PII processor, with 64MB RAM, a 6.4GB disk, sound and graphics, a 56.6kbps modem, and a 17-inch monitor. Dell's printers cost from £239.58.
According to PC World, people looking for family computers are spending in the range of £1,800. One of the biggest sellers there is a Packard Bell machine costing £1,499, with a P166 processor, 16MB of memory, a 2GB disk, sound and graphics, and a 56.6kbps modem.
Computer stores are more likely to appeal to families who want to see and use the machines before they decide what to buy, while people already familiar with PCs are more prepared to purchase from direct-order manufacturers such as Gateway 2000 or Dell. In all cases there are many more configurations available than mentioned here.
Another option is to buy nonbranded, "clone" machines which can offer the same spec for less. Several vendors assemble these according to customers' needs, including CompuStore, Europoint Technology and Dun Laoghaire Computers. Clone PCs are often better value than branded PCs, but a spokeswoman in CompuStore said she wouldn't recommend them for first-time buyers, who often want better warranties and more software bundles than specialist users.
Among the issues issues to be faced after you get a PC, computers age quickly - within a year any machine will seem slow and weak compared with the latest norm. Bear this in mind if considering long-term financing - do you want to be still paying for something two years down the line when it is already half-way to antiquity?
Another issue is warranty and support. Check the warranty to see whether the retailers send out technicians to your home or whether you must bring the PC back to base. For telephone support call them and find out how long it takes to get through to support staff.
Finally, check the cost of upgrading. As your disk fills with files and ever more complex software, you may need more memory and disk space. While PC World staff say half their upgrade queries relate to new processors, they say in reality most upgrades are to add more memory, which significantly improves the speed of a machine. Mr Claus may bear the initial cost of the machine, but he won't be paying for upgrades, Internet service providers, and telephone bills for Internet connections.