There are literally thousands of manufacturers for computers, printers, monitors, modems and other PC components. It is advisable to stick to brand name components for a number of reasons – generally the quality of the component is better and also you are less likely to experience compatibility issues between the device and the operating system. Components from lesser known manufacturers often do not offer the compatibility and general support to the equivalent branded PC components.
Your basic/essential PC components consist of the CPU, motherboard, sound card, graphics card, memory, CD/CVD drive, keyboard and mouse. You will also need a monitor of some description. LCD monitors are pretty much the standard these days, having all but replaced the older technology CRT monitors. Another important component, if you intend on using the internet, is a modem. Other non-essential accessories that you might want to consider purchasing are a printer, game controller and scanner, to name but a few. Again, before purchasing any PC component / accessory, make sure that it is compatible with your system.
If you intend on upgrading your PC system at any time, by adding more memory, upgrading your graphics card, or changing your CPU, then you will need to buy a desktop PC and not a laptop. You are very limited to what you can upgrade on a laptop. Pretty much the only component you can upgrade is the laptop’s memory. The limited expansion/upgrade opportunities on a laptop give them a smaller lifespan. Generally, laptops are also more expensive, both in terms of buying them in the first place, and also in fixing them if they go wrong. Laptop repair is expensive as most laptop components are non-upgradeable and non-replaceable.