It's time for my annual fall PC buyer's guide. As always, this guide covers what average consumers doing typical tasks should look for in a desktop or laptop PC. That excludes heavy-duty gamers, corporate buyers, techies, or enthusiasts.

But this autumn, we find ourselves in a serious global economic slowdown. So I will focus this edition of the guide on how folks whose PC budgets have shrunk can still get something adequate for light use.

The guide below applies to both desktops and laptops, since the latter, at least in the consumer market, have achieved rough parity in performance and versatility, and are now more popular than desktops.

-- Windows vs. Mac: I consider the Mac operating system, Leopard, to be faster, easier and more stable than Windows XP or Windows Vista. It isn't susceptible to the vast majority of malicious software that circulates on the Internet. And Macs also include Apple's superb built-in iLife multimedia suite. Macs can even run Windows, though that costs extra.

However, Apple has consciously chosen not to offer machines in the bargain category. The cheapest Mac desktop, the minimalist Mac Mini, which doesn't even include a monitor, speakers, keyboard or mouse, costs $650 for a model with a hard disk I consider adequate. The cheapest Mac laptop, the base model of the prior-generation MacBook (which Apple has retained in its lineup) is $999.

Both are good values, mainly due to the software. And Macs can save you money over time. But if the lowest upfront cost is your objective, you can pay hundreds less for desktops and laptops from Windows PC makers.

-- Which Windows: Windows Vista is too often slow, and incompatible with older peripherals, such as the printers you might not want to replace in this economic climate. It also can cost more because it demands beefier, and thus costlier, hardware to run well than does the older Windows XP.

Budget shoppers should look around for a computer that still runs XP, either one of the dwindling number of models built with XP in mind, or one that has been 'downgraded' by the manufacturer to XP. This downgrade 'feature' can cost $50 or more upfront, but permits you to buy a cheaper machine.

For instance, I recently advised two of my budget-minded friends to buy a low-end Dell desktop, the Inspiron 530, at Micro Center, a small but very good national chain of computer superstores. This Dell runs XP, and has a low-end Intel processor. The store is currently selling a version with a 250-gigabyte hard disk -- more than enough for an average user -- and 2 gigabytes of memory, generous for XP, for just $400 after instant rebate. You can get a similar good deal directly from Dell.

These particular friends, one on each coast, each bought a nice LCD monitor for $100-$150, and were out of the store for very little money. Since they only wanted to run Microsoft Office, browse the Web, do email and manage photos, this machine met their needs.

Another option is a low-cost machine with the Home Basic version of Vista, which also tends to cost less and to require less-expensive hardware than the more-common Vista Home Premium. If my friends had wanted laptops, I could have steered them to a 15-inch Acer Aspire laptop at the same store. This machine runs Vista Basic, with 1 gigabyte of memory and a 120-gigabyte hard disk, and costs $380.

You can often buy an even less-costly computer if you opt for the Linux operating system, but I still don't advise this for average non-techie users.

-- Memory: For XP, or a Mac, I suggest 2 gigabytes of memory, but you can get away with 1 gigabyte for light use. For Vista, I recommend 3 gigabytes, but 2 megabytes will do on a tight budget. You can always add memory later.

-- Hard disk: On a laptop, 160 gigabytes is the minimum I usually suggest, but you can get by with 120 gigabytes and upgrade when economic times are better. On a desktop, 250 gigabytes is easily obtainable, but 160 gigabytes will do.

-- DVD drive: If you never record DVDs, you can save money by buying a cheaper combo drive, which plays both DVDs and CDs, but records only the latter.

-- Processor: Look for a dual-core processor, but to save money, don't worry about the speed, model number, or brand.

-- Video: A separate, or 'discrete,' video card is best, especially for Vista Home Premium, but budget shoppers should stick with lesser 'integrated graphics.'

-- Other features: If your home lacks the fastest 'n' version of Wi-Fi, spend less for a laptop with the older 'g' version. If you don't need to do video chats or recording, don't pay for a built-in camera and microphone.

-- Netbooks: If you don't mind a tiny screen, cramped keyboard and limited file storage, these popular new mini-laptops can save you money. Some sell for under $400, even equipped with Windows.

Remember, pay only for the computing capabilities you need.

又到了一年一度我为准备购买电脑的朋友们支招的时候了。同往常一样，本指南仅针对那些使用台式机或笔记本电脑执行一般任务的普通用户，而不包括超级游戏玩家、企业用户、专业人士或者是电脑迷。

全球经济在这个秋天陷入了严重放缓的困境。所以，本期指南将旨在帮助那些削减电脑预算的人们买到一台能满足一般操作的电脑。

本指南对台式机和笔记本电脑均适用，因为至少在消费市场，笔记本电脑不论是从性能还是从功能上来讲已达到了台式机的水平，眼下变得比台式机更受欢迎。

Windows vs. Mac苹果电脑：我认为苹果电脑的Leopard操作系统比Windows XP或Windows Vista的运行更加快速、简单和稳定，也不受充斥互联网的大多数恶意软件的侵扰。该系统还配备了苹果公司(Apple)超棒的内置iLife多媒体套装软件。苹果电脑甚至还可以运行Windows系统，当然这需额外付费。

不过，苹果公司有意不对产品进行降价销售。简简单单的Mac Mini是最便宜的苹果台式机，它甚至没有安装显示器、音箱、键盘和鼠标。只配有一块硬盘的Mac Mini售价650美元，我认为这样的配置已经足够了。苹果电脑中最便宜的笔记本电脑是上一代MacBook（苹果公司保留了这个系列）的基本款，售价999美元。

两者都物有所值，主要是由于它们的软件不错。而且，从长远看，苹果电脑能够帮你省钱。但是如果你的目标是前期投资成本最低，那么你可以少花几百块去买Windows电脑生产商制造的台式机和笔记本。

购买Windows哪个系列：Windows Vista总是运行缓慢，而且和上一代的外设不兼容，比如说，在当前的经济形势下你或许不愿更换的打印机。另外，因为Vista需要比上一代Windows XP更强劲、也因此更昂贵的硬件来保持平稳运行，你还要花上更多的钱。

预算有限的用户应该留意仍使用XP系统的电脑，选择那些内置XP系统的机型──这样的机型已经变得越来越少了，或者被制造商“降级”成XP系统的机型。这个降级“特点”会为先期成本增加50多美元，不过却能让你买来一台更便宜的机器。

比如说，我最近建议两个打算省钱的朋友在Micro Center购买了低端的戴尔(Dell)台式机Inspiron 530。Micro Center是家规模不大但却非常出色的全国性的电脑连锁店。这款电脑安装了XP操作系统，配有低端的英特尔(Intel)处理器。这家连锁店正在销售一款配备有250G硬盘──对普通用户来说足够了──和2G内存的戴尔电脑，足以运行XP，折扣价只要400美元。你还可以直接从戴尔公司购买，也能得到类似的优惠。

这两位分住在美国东西海岸的朋友，每人以100到150美元的价格都买到了很好的液晶显示器，只在商店里花了很少的钱。因为他们只是想用电脑来进行Microsoft Office操作、浏览网页、收发电子邮件和处理照片，所以这台机器能够满足他们的需要。

另外一个选择是装有Vista家庭普通版(Home Basic)的低成本电脑。它的价格更低，需要的硬件也比更常见的Vista家庭高级版(Home Premium)要便宜。如果我的朋友需要买台笔记本电脑，我会建议他们去看同一家商店里15英寸的宏 (Acer) Aspire。这台机器使用Vista普通版操作系统，配有1G内存和120G硬盘，售价为380美元。

如果你选择Linux操作系统，那么你经常可以买到更加便宜的电脑，但我还是不会向非专业人士推荐这种做法。

内存：对于XP或苹果机，我建议购买有2G内存的机器，但是如果你只是进行常规操作，1G的也可以。对于Vista系统，我建议要3G的内存,但如果预算紧张，2G的也可以。你可以在今后增加内存。

硬盘：对于笔记本电脑，我通常的建议是最小160G，但你可以买个120G的，等经济好转时再升级。对于台式机，250G的硬盘可以轻松买到，但160G也够用了。

DVD驱动器：如果你从不刻录DVD，那么你可以省些钱，买比较便宜的combo驱动器。它可以播放DVD和CD，但是只能刻录CD。

处理器：最好买双核处理器，但从省钱角度讲，不必在乎运行速度、型号或者是品牌。

显卡：独立显卡是最好的，尤其是对Vista家庭高级版而言，但是预算有限的用户应该选择功能相对较低的“集成显卡”。

其他部件：如果你家里没有最快的n版Wi-Fi（无限保真），那么就少花些钱，买台使用老一代g版Wi-Fi技术的笔记本电脑。如果你不需要视频聊天或录音，就不用为内置摄像头和麦克风花钱。

Netbooks：如果你不介意小屏幕，狭促的键盘和有限的文档存储空间，这些新上市的迷你笔记本很受人们欢迎，还可以为你省钱。其中某些机型售价低于400美元，甚至还预装了Windows操作系统。

记住，买台满足自己需要的电脑就可以了。