I have mentioned Apple computers a few times already in this article. This is a perfect time to briefly discuss the PC-versus-Mac debate. There are a lot of advantages to using a Mac. Macs are excellent computers for doing any kind of video editing. Macs have far fewer viruses than PCs running Windows. Apple has also eliminated the biggest barrier faced by Windows users: software purchased for Windows would not run on a Mac. All new Apple Macs have Intel chips inside. The Intel chip allows them to run Windows. Keep in mind that, if you do decide to install Windows, your threat of viruses will rise. You should consider Apple computers a choice equal to any other computer you are thinking of buying.

Before we go into the components that make up a PC, we need to talk briefly about the operating system. Currently most new PCs will come with either Windows Vista or Windows XP. Microsoft has also announced that it will stop licensing Windows XP to PC builders and end retail sales of the OS on June 30, 2008.

Those of you planning to purchase an Apple will not have to worry about choosing an operating system. All new Apple computers will come with Leopard, which is OS X, version 10.5. One advantage of using Apple's OS X is that fewer viruses exist for it than for a PC running Windows. Those of you who want to try Linux can easily try it out on either a Mac or PC. There are many different Linux versions - or flavors, as they are known - and to cover them all is beyond the scope of this buyer's guide. The type of operating system can be an important factor when you are considering your next computer. Those of you with programs that do not have an equivalent in the Mac world can still consider a Mac, but you will have to install Windows and reboot the machine every time you want to use that piece of software.

The CPU (central processing unit) - better known as the brain of the PC - is an important component to keep in mind. There are two main choices in this category: AMD or Intel. You will see the phrase dual-core all over the place when buying a new computer. Simply put, it is like getting two CPUs in your new machine. The result is much faster computing, even from the entry-level chips. AMD's entry-level chip is the Sempron, and Intel's is the Celeron. The Athlon from AMD and Pentium from Intel are better choices, if you can afford them. The higher-end computers will offer quad-core chips. That is like having 4 CPUs in your computer. Quad-core is still expensive and may be overkill for most PC buyers right now.

Finally, I want to say a word about the clock rate or clock speed of a CPU. This is the speed at which a processor executes instructions. The higher the clock speed number, the faster it will execute instructions. You don't have to have the highest number; stick to what is in your budget.