Although we only sell custom built computers in my store, we quite often recommend manufactured computers. A custom unit is not always in everybody's price range.
Before I begin, I will explain Vista Compatible. MY old and out of date computer runs windows Vista a little slow. Most new units are Vista Compatible.
I always put myself in the customers shoes, and figure out what their needs are. With my knowledge, I know They need room for future expansion. Memory, Video Card, PCI cards. I wouldn't sell a unit that can't be upgraded, and you shouldn't have to buy one that way.
First, I think about what might malfunction on the motherboard yet still operate. Ethernet, Video, Sound, USB. I will look for a unit with four or five PCI-Expansion slots for the add-ons. I may want to add something to the unit.
Right now the real market is at the last stages of transition from AGP to PCI-Express in video. Real refers to the common user. Manufacturers have all but stopped making new AGP cards, and within a few years, it will be extremely difficult to purchase one. I must now look ahead to this, and buy a unit with PCI-E in case of video malfunction.
Sound. The standard on mid-range boards I purchase custom is 8.1 sound. I have yet to find a low priced speaker set at that price, however, it is the future. Surround sound is really only needed for games and movies, but it's cool to have anyway.
Ethernet: Gigabit vs. Megabit. I have my wireless card connected to my router at 24Mb/s. I have the ability to use 54Mb/s. Why do I do this? Continuity. I get a stronger connection at 24Mb/s...less data loss. If I ran Ethernet, I would get 100Mb/s. Does this mean I download slower? not on dsl or cable. If I were in a LAN game, I would use dual Gigabit(1000Mb/s) and so would the people I play. If I were streaming video to am entertainment system, it becomes important to have a higher speed for better quality.
CRT vs. LCD. I have a flat panel CRT monitor at home, and I like it. LCD monitors usually have better picture, and you pay for it too. The one thing I don't like, is the texture of the LCD. This is personal preference. There is, however, LCD's with glass panel, and that texture simply isn't there. Once again, you pay high dollar for it. Whatever serves your needs and price range.
Video. This, of course, depends on what you are going to do with the computer. Pretty much all I do is surf the net and watch video. I do play the occasional game. I have an ATI Radeon 9200 256M AGP video card that serves my needs just fine. My NVidia GeForce2 64MB AGP video card worked fine for years, until I was given this card. My games do run remarkably better, however, I'm not that much into the games and don't really care as long as I can run my videos and games without lag.
Optical drives. I have a DVD burner in my computer right now. It is a simple procedure to transfer it to a new unit, so to save money, I would try to get a standard DVD-ROM, or none at all. I would recommend a DVD burner because a DVD holds a lot of space for backups. In the future you can expand to the latest technology no problem. Usually you can have up to 4 IDE devices, including Hard Drives, on a Computer.
IDE Hard Drive vs SATA. SATA(Serial ATA) is newer technology used for hard drive. It is better than IDE(PATA) and has become standard. I would not purchase a computer without it. Because Optical Drives still use IDE, you may still use and IDE Hard drive. Some computers have an extra IDE slot specifically to use IDE instead of SATA.
I believe I have mostly covered it, if anyone finds holes or has suggestions, I am an open minded individual that can take constructive criticism.