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Sure, it would be great to purchase a whiz-bang, top of the line, even-does-your-laundry computer! As a fairly geeky guy, that thought makes me salivate as much as any offering from Pizza Hut. But in the real world, there's that pesky problem with money. As much as it makes me shudder, some people may have priorities above purchasing the latest and greatest in technology. I see people often looking for a cheap PC that allows them to just do what they need to do. So for people who haven't won the lottery lately, the points below will help avoid common costly "gotchas" when looking at new or used computers.

1) Age. If you're buying used, anything approaching 4 years old is suspect. I've seen PCs last 6 years with moderate use and no problems. If your PC is that old, congratulations, you're an exception. Perform an autopsy on a PC, and you'll see moving parts that have to run maintenance free as long as possible. They don't last. In addition, older PCs will be slower PCs, unable to run most software sold today.

2) Laptop versus desktop versus handheld. Which do you want? A laptop's obvious advantage is the portability. However, laptops are also more expensive and harder to repair than a desktop. Finally, there's the speed issue: Spend $2000 on a laptop, then spend $2000 on a desktop. You'll notice that the desktop outperforms the laptop - the miniaturization of the laptop also means that it's slower as a result. This is most noticeable in games and video playback.

3) Check the warranty and plan for support. New PCs often come with a year's warranty coverage from the manufacturer. If you don't have access to a cheap or free techie and aren't comfortable fixing problems on your own, you should consider extended warranty coverage from the reseller or the manufacturer. You want protection from hardware problems as well as software problems. This will vary depending on where you purchase, but focus on duration and coverage. Duration is the length of the warranty. Three years is a good minimum. By coverage I mean you should get a warranty that provides support at your location: Whether you can fix a problem by having a tech come to your house, or drop off the PC at a local store for next-day pickup, you want your resolution to be easy and convenient for you.

4) System restore disks or system restore partition. Most computers now come with one or both of these things, and any worthwhile salesperson should be able to tell you if a PC has these. Restore disks and restore partitions are ways to completely reload your computer. It becomes the way it was on the day you bought it. This is sometimes needed if your system gets messed up badly enough from viruses, spyware or other problems; it's sometimes simpler and faster just to yell "Start over!" than spending lots of money and time troubleshooting a problem.

5) Separate backup device. Whether it's a CD burner or something else, come up with a plan for backup. If you get hit by a problem that requires system restoring techniques, you need to be able to recover your data. That includes email, address books, personal and/or business files and those hundreds of pictures Little Billy and Little Susie have created and saved over the years. Make sure your PC comes with a CD burner, and most importantly USE IT OFTEN! Otherwise, purchase another backup solution and USE IT OFTEN!