Last month Evening Press columnist Helen Mead complained about how technical jargon put her off buying a computer. With the help of a York expert, here's our easy-PC buyer's guide.

MEGABYTES, megahertz, ROM and RAM ... if these technical terms leave you in a blind panic, take comfort from the fact you are not alone; many people feel exactly the same.

After Evening Press columnist Helen Mead wrote of her disastrous attempts to buy a computer, it seemed a visit to an information technology expert was well overdue.

Prospective purchasers need impartial advice, handy tips and a jargon translation service. Anthony Dodd, of Aurora Technical Services, stepped in to do just that.

With 20 years' experience in the computer industry, he now runs a York-based operation offering IT solutions to small businesses and home users.

Anthony advises people to be quite clear about what they want from a computer. Only then should they begin shopping around for one, taking care to visit outlets which offer a complete service with ongoing support and maintenance.

Having firm requirements will help when faced with rows of shiny computers accompanied by equally flashy signs boasting lists of relevant technical data. Relevant, that is, if you can understand it.

Speed is measured in gigahertz; the higher the number, the faster the computer. If you want a PC for word processing, spreadsheets and internet use, a fast computer is not essential.

If your children want to play the latest hi-tech games or you need to edit pictures, speed is important, along with a good quality, high-powered graphics card.

Memory is shown in the number of megabytes available. A minimum requirement would be 128MB, rising to 256 or 512MB for those who need to work with pictures or large databases.

Most PCs come with a hard disk or hard drive with 40 gigabytes (GB) of space (one GB is roughly 1,000 megabytes).

That is fine for most people, although bigger disks are needed for storing large quantities of pictures, music or video files. Hard disk sizes can run up to 250 gigabites.

As most computer users will want to use a scanner and printer it is vital that a PC has a minimum of two USB ports allowing connections.

While the majority of PCs come complete with sound, it is important that it is of a quality good enough to suit your needs. All will support stereo and some will even have Dolby Digital 5.1, a high-quality sound system.

If, however, you do not intend watching DVDs on your computer, a basic sound card and speakers are suitable.

If you plan to connect your computer to the internet you will need an internal modem. For those who are frequent users, ask the supplier for details about ADSL/Broadband, high speed and always-on internet access.

When buying a monitor, remember that size and quality do make a difference. The smallest and cheapest option is a 15-inch screen which is fine for everyday use. Movie watching and picture editing is best done on a 17-inch model.

A Flat Panel LCD monitor, although more expensive, is great for saving desktop space when compared with a standard 17-inch model.

There are a vast range of printers available, the cheapest of which are inkjet based.

They usually run on two cartridges - one black, one three-colour. For better-quality print jobs, five colour cartridges are available on some printers specifically designed for picture printing.

Laser printers, although more expensive, are a better option for those who plan to print in larger quantities.

As an overview, the basic rule of thumb for acquiring a computer is to make sure that it is something that you want to buy and not something a salesman wants you to have. This goes for software packages, too. The market is rife with "special deals" of vast boxes of applications, most of which will never be used after the first three weeks.

Anthony Dodd is the managing director of Aurora Technical Services and can be contacted for further computer and IT advice. Telephone 0870 2242565. Email: agdodd@auroratechnicalservices.com

Glossary of computer terms

CPU (Central processing unit) - The computer's brain. Generally made by two companies, Intel and AMD. All new CPUs are fine for general office applications, high-tech games require a faster one.

GIGAHERTZ - A unit to measure the speed of a computer. The higher the number, the faster the PC.

MEMORY (RAM or Random Access Memory) - This is used in conjunction with the CPU to make things happen. The more memory you have, the more things you can do.

MEGABYTES - A unit of memory or storage space. One thousand of these individual units is known as a GIGABYTE.

HARD DISK or HARD DRIVE - All applications and documents are stored here.

UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) - Sockets that allow items such as printers and scanners to be connected to the computer.

MODEM - This allows the computer to connect to the internet.

GRAPHICS CARD - Displays all computer output on to your screen.

INTERNET READY - A computer that has all the parts to get you connected to the world wide web.

Updated: 08:47 Thursday, April 01, 2004