All the right components can make up a very good PC. But choosing the contents of your new machine can be tricky, because technology moves so quickly these days. Computing SA looks at the components market, and asks the question: How do you beat remorse?

?What I buy today may be obsolete tomorrow.? I am sure that most resellers are sick and tired of those words, but the fact of the matter is that, to a certain extent, they are true.

If you take into consideration the GHz race, the 64-bit race and (now) the dual-core race, it is understandable that customers could perceive technology as moving too quickly to invest in.

According to World Computer Systems (WCS) MD, Mohammad Denath, customers should not put off buying a piece of equipment.

?Components are built with a certain application and lifecycle in mind,? he says. ?If you buy the latest and greatest today, chances are strong that you will not need anything more powerful for a while, even if new products come out.?

?The technical specialist has his opinion on specifications -- while the end-user has a clear idea on what is required from an application perspective. It is meeting both their objectives, through an appropriate ?mix? of quality components and technologies, that is often a difficult task,? adds Michael Hann, business manager at Rectron.

The end result, Hann says, should be a commercially viable, reliable, performance-orientated and future-proofed PC or server, which represents sound value for money.

Granted, component hype is something for which the media is largely to blame, but, as Nick Christodoulou from Workgroup says, hype is no substitute for being ?clued up."

He says that while anyone may preach "investment protection" as the key attribute of an enlightened technology purchasing decision, this does not always make a lot of sense in the component space, where uncertainty seems to be the only upshot of constant hints at the latest and greatest developments.

?Faced with this reality, most organizations simply adopt a wait-and-see attitude, hoping to short-circuit any technology buying that would leave them with outdated equipment before it is even installed,? Christodoulou says.

?But this approach may not always be a feasible cure for organizations that need to replace equipment as a matter of necessity, but are still not sure what to buy. In the server space, in particular, hesitation prevails right now, with a host of new technologies being brought to market. These technologies are allowing you to have your cake, and eat it, too.?

Mobility is still the flavor of the month, and it should be for a while. According to Denath, the integration of wireless functionality has reached epidemic proportions, with everything from PDAs, to cell phones, and even MP3 players, incorporating some form of WiFi support.

Also, with 64-bit memory addressability being introduced in both AMD and Intel?s processors, and the introduction of dual-core, software seems to have a lot of catching up to do to take full advantage of the performance increases.

?PCI-Express,? says Bobby Richter, LightEdge Technology technical director, ?is still scarce, but has revolutionized the dated PCI bus, and will soon replace current AGP 8x graphics bus slots.?

According to the various vendors promoting PCI Express, the performance gains on graphics are very much worth the small price premium over existing AGP offerings.

User experience

Our digital future depends on one thing, according to Joy Roode, components category manager, Axiz, and that is components. Roode believes that components play a significant role in delivering the ultimate digital experience into the office or home.

?We are currently experiencing the biggest technology shift in the last four years from a component perspective,? says Roode. ?Thanks to the growth of the home office, mobile workers and the growing gaming industry, users are demanding more than ever before from their PCs, which inevitably results in a massive change at a component level.?

The onslaught by vendors on the consumer electronics industry has resulted in a new breed of consumer, who looks for increased performance, ultimate speed, and seamless convergence from the home to office and between gadgets.

?Home users are no longer satisfied with using a PC at home for basic administration. Thanks to a proliferation of digital cameras, Internet access and reduced desktop prices, the user of tomorrow is far more PC-savvy, and in touch with what is needed to enjoy the ultimate PC experience,? comments Roode.

Managing better informed consumers is not easy, which is why it is vital to understand the role components play, and how to manage the user?s demands more effectively.

Roode says that whilst new technology is great, it is traditionally more expensive when it launches. Applying the basic rules of economics, users will understand that small volumes of new technology could cost more at the outset. ?This will undoubtedly change as the technology is more widely accepted and adopted,? she adds.

Roode advises resellers to stick to the basics when selling components. Determine the customer?s requirements, and what meets those needs most successfully; gain an in-depth understanding of the reasons for the new technology, such as home/office convergence.

?Resellers should also remember to include basics, such as new supporting peripherals. Do not skimp on peripherals, such as the chassis which supports the new technology. If you supply an old chassis with the wrong power supply and insufficient cooling and ventilation, the user?s new, super-fast machine will undoubtedly overheat, particularly in Africa,? she concludes