Is now the right time to upgrade your computer?

I always ask myself recently - is now the right time to buy a new computer? Or should I wait for Windows Vista coming out early next year? My friend Sam said "Yes, it is the time. Don't wait and just do it." I was arguing with him but now I think he's right, especially after Microsoft delayed Windows Vista to January 2007. There will be at least another 7 months to wait. Even Microsoft can make it on time in January (lots of rumour said it wouldn't), it won't be a good idea to upgrade to Vista immediately after it releases. Both Vista hardware and software need some time to mature. Some experts said that it's probably not a good idea for business to upgrade to Windows Vista until 2008. (Home users will be a different story.)

In conclusion, let's do it! Windows XP is a very mature product at the moment, and all hardware and software can support it perfectly. Before we start to purchase a new PC, we need to answer a few questions for ourselves:

• Do I want a notebook or desktop? - Notebooks are getting cheaper and cheaper, more and more powerful and popular, click here for all range of notebooks from all major brands. But notebooks have limited scalability and not that comfortable when you're using it for long at home or in the office. For myself, I already got a Sony VAIO notebook, so I'll go for a desktop this time.
• Do I want a branded desktop or DIY? - If you're buying for your company, go for the branded business desktop PC, click here for all range of business desktop PCs from all major brands. But if you're looking for multimedia PC for your home, Do-it-yourself! Why? It's cheaper, better, fully customised to your needs. But the drawback is the low system stability if you don't build it properly.
  

OK, by answering these two questions, I decided to build a PC by myself in the next couple of weeks. So I'll update my hardware selection process here in the next few weeks. Keep watching...