Remember to budget for extras, like a printer. Most new PCs cost around £1,000, but prices are falling. Even on the high street, you can buy adequate PCs for under £500. But you get what you pay for. Spend more and you'll get a more powerful computer - this won't make the Internet faster, but it will speed up games and other software, and it will be more useful in years to come. If possible, buy by credit card for valuable extra consumer protection.

You don't have to buy from a high-street name, but do choose a reputable company that has traded for several years. Buy a PC magazine and look for companies that win awards for reliability, value for money and customer support. You can get information on the company's range of computers on its website. If you don't have Internet access, visit your local UK online centre (see the phone number below) who will help you to get online and do your research.

It's worth spending extra on an extended warranty, a guarantee that lasts longer than a year. Most warranties are "return-to-base", which means you have to take the computer back to the company for repairs. If this would be difficult, consider paying more for an "on-site" warranty, which means a repairman comes to your house.

When salesmen start talking in jargon, it's easy to glaze over, but you don't need to be a boffin to buy a PC. Here's the basics explained:

a.. MHz, pronounced 'mega hurts', the speed of the computer's processor (brain). Don't get dazzled by this - if you need a fast computer, consult a magazine to find out which PCs really perform best in tests.

b.. MB, pronounced 'mega bites', the amount of memory the computer uses when thinking. Memory's cheap, so aim for at least 128MB.

c.. GB, pronounced 'giga bites', the amount of hard drive (storage) space. Again it's cheap, so aim for 10GB or more.

d.. CD-ROM, plays software, games and music CDs. It's essential. For a bit more money you can get a CD-RW that records CDs or a DVD-ROM that plays DVD movies.

e.. Modem, the bit you plug your phone line into to get on the Internet. All new PCs should come with one.