Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: home computer

Anybody likely to accumulate such gadgets as MP3 players and handheld organizers will appreciate a computer with more USB 2.0 (and, to a lesser extent, FireWire) ports. Bluetooth wireless can also link some of these devices.

Game players require one other feature: a non-integrated graphics card with 256 megabytes of memory. (That alone rules out most affordable desktops and laptops; an Xbox or PlayStation can look awfully cheap next to a gaming PC.)

A possible upgrade to Windows Vista is the last thing to consider. This new system may need a full gigabyte of memory, plus an upgraded graphics card capable of displaying a slick new interface. Microsoft hasn't released official requirements yet, but it suggests getting a card with 64 megabytes of memory and support for its DirectX 9 software.

Apple has its own transition coming-- it will start using Intel processors next year -- but these new models won't run more Mac programs than today's. Video editing, however, may go much faster on an Intel Mac, and these computers should also be able to run Windows as well as OS X.

Where most Apple buyers only need to choose between the Mac mini, the iBook and the iMac, Windows shoppers face a lineup of seemingly lookalike PCs. One way to narrow that selection is to reject computers that exhibit the most obvious cost-cutting measures. The PC's mouse, for instance, should use a no-cleaning-needed optical sensor, not a rolling ball, and the warranty should be a year, not 90 days.

The software bundles on new PCs ought to be another way to distinguish one model from another, but they are almost all junk. These sets of software are embarrassingly obsolete -- try to find a PC that includes the current release of Quicken or Microsoft Money -- and routinely lack a full set of programs to edit Microsoft Office files. The only bundle-ware of any real value is an anti-virus utility. Compaq, eMachines, H-P and Sony provide Symantec's Norton software, while Gateway includes McAfee's lesser program. (Shamefully, some Dells don't include any anti-virus software.)

Many gaps in a software bundle can be remedied with free downloads, such as the OpenOffice productivity suite, Apple's iTunes music program and Google's Picasa photo organizer, but in some cases you'll need to pay for software.

Any home-computer buyer should also set aside $50 or $60 to cover a couple of easily overlooked but valuable extras. One is a USB memory key or thumb drive to transfer data between computers, the floppy disk of this decade. The other, for anyone with a desktop machine, is an uninterruptible power supply to ensure that you won't lose data the next time the lights flicker or blink.

Living with technology, or trying to? E-mail Rob Pegoraro atrob@twp.com.