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Malware is a term used to describe a broad category of damaging software that includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, spyware, and adware. The effects of malware range from brief annoyance to computer crashes and identity theft. Malware is easier to avoid than it is to remove. Avoiding malware involves a two-part strategy. Follow these guidelines for staying safe.

Prevent Malware With Smart Online Behavior

The single biggest factor in preventing a malware infection on your PC is you. You don’t need expert knowledge or special training. You just need vigilance to avoid downloading and installing anything you do not understand or trust, no matter how tempting, from the following sources:

From a website: If you are unsure, leave the site and research the software you are being asked to install. If it is OK, you can always come back to site and install it. If it is not OK, you will avoid a malware headache.

From e-mail: Do not trust anything associated with a spam e-mail. Approach e-mail from people you know with caution when the message contains links or attachments. If you are suspicious of what you are being asked to view or install, don’t do it.

From physical media: Your friends, family, and associates may unknowingly give you a disc or flash drive with an infected file on it. Don’t blindly accept these files; scan them with security software. If you are still unsure, do not accept the files.

From a pop-up window: Some pop-up windows or boxes will attempt to corner you into downloading software or accepting a free “system scan” of some type. Often these pop-ups will employ scare tactics to make you believe you need what they are offering in order to be safe. Close the pop-up without clicking anything inside it (including the X in the corner). Close the window via Windows Task Manager (press Ctrl-Alt-Delete).

From another piece of software: Some programs attempt to install malware as a part of their own installation process. When installing software, pay close attention to the message boxes before clicking Next, OK, or I Agree. Scan the user agreement for anything that suggests malware may be a part of the installation. If you are unsure, cancel the installation, check up on the program, and run the installation again if you determine it is safe.

From illegal file-sharing services: You’re on your own if you enter this realm. There is little quality control in the world of illegal software, and it is easy for an attacker to name a piece of malware after a popular movie, album, or program to tempt you into downloading it.

Remove Malware With the Right Software

Chances are that no matter how careful you are, you will be infected some day. That’s because malware is designed to sneak onto your computer in ways you can’t possibly foresee. Enlist the help of the following software:

An updated operating system: Use Windows Update. Take advantage of its ability to automatically notify you of updates, or better yet, to automatically download and install updates.

An updated browser: No matter which browser you use, keeping it current is vital to preventing infection. Take advantage of your browser’s pop-up blocking, download screening, and automatic update features.

Antivirus software: You must run an antivirus program to be safe. Keep it updated, turned on, and schedule a scan to run at least once a month. (Don’t run two antivirus programs; they will interfere with one another.)

Anti-malware: Also called anti-spyware, many antivirus applications include an anti-malware component. If yours does not, install and use a standalone anti-malware program that does not conflict with your antivirus program. Keep it updated.

Firewall: If you aren’t running a third-party firewall, use Windows Firewall. (Don’t run two firewalls at once; they will interfere with one another.)

Spam filter: If your e-mail program is not adequately filtering spam from your in-box, consider additional spam filtering software. If your security software is a security suite, spam filtering may be a feature that you need to switch on.

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Over half a billion people use Facebook around the world. It is the single largest phenomenon of human connection in history, not to mention the biggest thing ever to hit the Web, and a source of enjoyment for millions. But it’s becoming more and more of a love-hate relationship. We love using Facebook and other online social networks, but we hate the ever-increasing privacy and security concerns.

Those concerns about privacy on Facebook have caught the attention of the U.S. Government: Congress recently sent Facebook an open letter asking the company to explain the disclosure of user identities to third parties (as originally reported by the Wall Street Journal), and how the company plans to address this issue. James Clarke, senior consumer technology analyst at Mintel International, makes very clear what’s at stake: “It’s in Facebook’s own interests to provide a safe environment for users to enjoy; the value of their business depends on it.”

The wheels of Government will inexorably turn, albeit slowly, and you need to secure your privacy now. Here are some steps you can take to keep your private information private on Facebook.

Facebook Places

Using Facebook Places has its benefits, but whether you’re using a mobile device or a desktop, telling the world where you are has major disadvantages. When you broadcast your location, you’re exposing vulnerabilities for an ill-intentioned person to swoop up. And your iPhone or Android-based smartphone can broadcast your exact geographic coordinates down to a few feet.

If you use Facebook Places, remember that Facebook instantly defaults your privacy setting so that “Everyone” can see your profile. And that doesn’t mean everyone on Facebook, but everyone on the Internet.

Surf over to the Account tab in the upper right corner and select Privacy Settings. From here, you can set who can and can’t see your profile, and how much you want others to see when you upload comments and images. If you don’t like the idea of anyone knowing where you are, you should disable Facebook Places completely.

Disable Facebook Places: To do so, log into Facebook, and select Privacy Settings from the Account drop-down menu (upper-right corner of the page). From there, click Customize settings–the link is at the bottom left of the page. The last line under the Things I share section deals with Facebook Places. Click Edit and select Disable.

This stops Places from operating on your profile, but it does nothing for what your friends do.

To stop friends from broadcasting your location, scroll to the Things others share section. At the bottom of that table is the Places section. There, click Edit and select Disable.

Control Individual Items Posted to Your Profile

Aside from the generic settings you control through the Account and Privacy Settings pane, you can also set the privacy level for individual items you post to your profile. This is frequently overlooked, but it is a targeted way of controlling the content posted to your profile.

Naturally, you should be careful what you post to begin with. Even if you permanently delete your Facebook account (see the last tip, below), the photographs and information that you’ve shared with your Facebook friends can still be lurking somewhere on Facebook or the Internet; if in doubt, don’t post it, but if you do, control who sees it by using the lock feature.

Using the Lock: Posting a photograph to your profile? Before you press Share, look closely at the drop-down menu above the sharing tool. Click the drop-down menu to reveal the choices of who you want to see the post: Everyone, Friends of Friends, Friends Only, or Customize.

The Customize setting will allow you to block individual Facebook friends irrespective of the choice you select. (It should go without saying, but you shouldn’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Doing so negates any and all security tips you can possibly implement.)

Hide Your App Activity

Some of the most popular games on Facebook, such as Metropolis and Mafia Wars, require–and reward–players for recruiting other users–that is, you can’t succeed in the game unless you recruit other friends. And some games and apps will automatically post messages to your wall so your friends see what you’ve been up to (when you first play the game or use the app, you agree to the terms and conditions that allow the game or app to do this).

These frequent posts can be a nuisance to your Facebook friends, and besides, do you really want others to know that you’ve been playing Farmville all day instead of working?

Hitting the Facebook Invisible Key: Head over to Privacy Settings under your Account settings. At the bottom left of the Privacy Settings page is a link to the privacy options for Applications and websites.

Select Edit Your Settings, and then locate Game and application activity, which is the third item listed on the resulting page. Next, select Custom from the drop-down menu and choose Only Me in the dialog box that pops up.

Now no one but you will be able to see your gaming activity through your Facebook profile.

Disable Facebook Apps Entirely

Sending out updates is just one example of what Facebook apps can do. Not all apps flood your newsfeed, but Facebook apps all have a common denominator: They can gain access to personal information you enter into your profile.

Author and former head of The Security Consortium Mark Kadrich is concerned about Facebook’s quality control over third-party developers. “App developers are providing code for the Facebook environment,” Kadrich says. “But how much security testing is really being carried out by Facebook before letting it loose on users?”

Facebook’s policy is that application developers are not allowed to use your personal data off-site and are only supposed to access sufficient personal information to allow them to run, or to “enrich” your user experience. But once an app has access to the personal information that it needs, it’s up to the app developer to keep that information safe.

If you’re not happy with third parties having access to your information, the best course of action is to block all applications on Facebook.

Applications–Exit Stage Left: Select Privacy Settings under the Account drop-down menu and press Edit your settings under Applications and websites.

Under Applications you use, select Turn off all platform applications:

And on the resulting alert box, choose Select all and press the Turn Off Platform button:

You may have to wait a few minutes while the new settings are put in place; it takes time to go through any existing applications to disable their access.

Controlling What Your Facebook Friends Tell the World About You

Just as you might not want people to know where you are, you also may not want your friends passing on information about you either. Your friends have access to your profile, and they can repost items you posted to your wall–such as photographs–to their own profiles, or share the information with others, all without you knowing or having any control.

Your Facebook friends may also be using Facebook apps themselves–these apps may have access to their friend lists for information, and that includes you. To better control who can access your private information, you have to control what information your friends can give out about you.

Access Denied: Press Privacy Settings under Account and go to Applications and websites. From there, click Edit your settings, and then Info accessible through your friends. There, you’ll find a detailed table of items you can deselect from sharing when your friends allow apps to access your profile information; for full privacy, deselect everything (recommended).

The Ultimate Security: Delete the Account

Deleting your Facebook account entirely is a draconian step, but it may be worth considering if you feel you’ve outgrown the usefulness of Facebook, or have simply changed in outlook. All those drunken or injudicious frolics–or simply the need to adopt a professional persona in public–may mean you need to wield the ax over your Facebook account.

The problem is, you can’t–at least not without doing some digging. You can only deactivate your account, which makes it, dormant so to speak, from your Account Settings page. Your profile is still there, in hibernation, still available to Facebook.

Deep-sixing Your Facebook Account: Be warned–this process takes 14 days, and you cannot use your Facebook account in any way once initiated. The link to permanently delete your Facebook account is buried deep in Facebook’s Help pages, so we found it for you. Request that your account be deleted here.

Press Submit. Fill out the resulting form, then press OK. Leave the site, never to return.

Facebook is great fun, but ultimately you are responsible for staying safe and secure. And although Facebook has its responsibilities too, the onus is on individual users to understand how the privacy and account settings work, to apply Facebook’s privacy controls, and to regulate their own behavior. Even if Facebook should, hypothetically, be sanctioned for losing user information–for letting it get into the wrong hands–that will be little comfort if you are one of the victims.

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Hassle-Free PC

Savvy users know that the mouse wheel can do more than just scroll up and down in a document or Web page. For example, in your Web browser, if you hold down the Ctrl key and nudge the wheel, you can quickly change the font size.

What I didn’t know (it’s true: I don’t know everything–some would say anything) is that this same tip works with desktop icons.

Specifically, if you’re a Windows 7 user, you can increase or decrease the size of your desktop icons just by holding down the Ctrl key and scrolling up or down with the wheel. (Scrolling up makes them larger; down makes them smaller. Natch.)

That’s about a zillion times easier than wading into the Control Panel in search of an icon-size setting.

Alas, I can’t take credit for this tip; a reader submitted it to Lifehacker. But I can remind you of my all-time favorite mouse-wheel tweak: WizMouse, the free utility that makes the wheel work wherever you point your cursor–no clicking required. It’s a must-have.

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Designing your own holiday cards makes for fun, creative, and deeply personal messages to friends and family. Armed with your trusty PC and a digital camera, the design possibilities are endless! Here are three ideas to get your creative juices flowing fast.

Document Setup

No matter which software you use-I demo the techniques with Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop Elements 9, but you can use almost any image editor-start with a 5-by-7-inch document. With Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, set the resolution to 250 ppi (pixels per inch). Be sure to keep text and other important parts of the message at least a quarter inch away from the document’s edge to ensure they’re not cropped when printed.

Design 1: Vintage Photo With Red Accent

Start this design by adding your favorite photo to your card document (a simple copy and paste operation works just fine), and then resize the photo so there’s an inch of free space on all sides. For a quick antique look, you can drain the photo’s color and add a sepia (brown) tint. This is easily done in Photoshop CS3 and later by choosing Image – Adjustments – Black White. In the resulting dialog box, click the Tint checkbox and Photoshop bathes your photo in light brown. To add a dark red outline to the photo, open the fx menu at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Stroke (double-click to unlock the layer if you need to).

In the resulting dialog box, enter 8 pixels for size, click the color swatch to open the Color Picker and choose dark red, and then set the Location pop-up menu to inside. Pick your favorite holiday quote-or create your own-and place the text under the photo. Use a serif typeface (one that has little feet or slabs on the end of each letterform) in the same dark red color as your stroke.

If you’re using Photoshop Elements, you can create the same look by using Full Edit mode and the Effects panel. Once you’ve added your photo to the card document by using File – Place or via copy and paste, locate the Effects panel on the right side of the Elements workspace (if you don’t see it, choose Window – Effects). Click the Photo Effects button at the top of the panel (third from left) and then choose Show All from the pop-up menu. Scroll to the bottom of the list and double-click the sepia thumbnail preview; Elements creates the sepia on a duplicate image layer (go ahead and simplify the layer, if you get an alert). Choose Edit – Stroke (Outline) Selection to add the dark red outline around the image. If your quote is short enough, you can use all capital letters or apply the Small Caps style to your typeface using the Character panel in Photoshop (this example uses 16-point Big Caslon, Small Caps). You can also use the Character panel’s leading control to increase the space between lines. Photo credit: iStockphoto/Maxim Bolotnikov.

Design 2: Photo Blocks

Take six photos using the macro (close-up) setting on your digital camera. These photos could be close-ups of your favorite decorations, wrapping paper designs, or the holiday baking process (house-decorating and present-wrapping are great ideas, too!).

In Photoshop or Elements, add the photos to your card document via copy and paste or by using File – Place (the latter creates a smart object in Photoshop) and then arrange them side-by-side in two rows of three. Make sure your images are properly cropped and sized before you place them. If you’re using a program that supports guides (such as Photoshop or InDesign), place a horizontal guide at 2.5 inches and vertical guides at 2.3 and 4.6 to help get the alignment just right.

Add a short text greeting that’s centered vertically and horizontally. Use a script (cursive) typeface set to white and a large point size (I used 92-point Adios Script Pro in the example), and then add a drop shadow to increase readability atop the photos. If you’re printing the card at home, be sure to choose a paper size that includes the word “borderless” so your printer knows to print all the way to the paper’s edge. With macro photography, ordinary items often look as if they were professionally shot (just be sure all the photos have the same lighting conditions). Photo credit: iStockphoto/Kati Molin

Design 3: Stock Photo Frame

You can use stock imagery to creatively frame or embellish a photo. Companies such as iStockphoto.com have millions of affordable, royalty-free images to pick from. For best results, try searching stock sites for the key words Christmas frame or Holiday frame.

Once you’ve located and downloaded the stock art, open it in Photoshop and then create a selection of the area in which you’ll plop your own photo. Open the photo, select all and then copy it to your Mac’s clipboard. Return to your stock art document and choose Edit – Paste Special – Paste Into in CS5, or Edit Paste Special in earlier versions, and the new image appears inside your selection (in Photoshop Elements choose Edit – Paste Into Selection). Choose Edit – Free Transform to resize your photo if necessary, and then use the fx menu to add an Inner Shadow for extra realism.

Using royalty-free stock art opens a realm of creative possibilities, though you can use the images for personal use only; you can’t resell your design as a card or template. Photo credit: iStockphoto/ Donna Coleman (frame), Digitalskillet (portrait)As you can see, your holiday card options are limitless! And by using your own photos and text, the card will have an extra special place in the heart of each recipient.

[Lesa Snider, author of Photoshop CS5: The Missing Manual (Pogue Press/O'Reilly) and co-author of the upcoming iPhoto 11: The Missing Manual (Pogue Press/O'Reilly), records training videos for KelbyTraining.com and Lynda.com, is chief evangelist of iStockphoto.com, a long-time member of the Photoshop World Instructor Dream Team, and founder of GraphicReporter.com
.]

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YouTube is an excellent way of informing others about your products, but it’s surprising how many video clips involve the same fundamental errors–everything from interjecting speech with “um,” to allowing the camera to lose its focus. Even videos from supposedly professional media outlets can involve a depressing level of amateurism.

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The solutions to such sins are often incredibly simple, and just take a few moments to learn and perfect. And if you’re going to do something, it’s best to do it right…right?

Here are the top six sins frequently found on YouTube videos, along with simple fixes.

1. Erm, Quit It With the, Um, Fillers

Once upon a time littering conversations with fillers–words like “um” that provide conversational space while your brain sorts itself out–was enough to invoke corporal punishment from teachers. This was an effective way of training individuals to avoid them but, unfortunately, times change. In everyday speech fillers are common but usually ignored. On a Web video or podcast they can become intensely annoying, perhaps because microphones are unforgiving and seem to pick them out.

The solution is twofold. First, make a bullet point list of all the points you want to make during the video and stick it just below the camera so you can see it at all times. Second, rehearse a few times before going for a take–go through the motions of what you intend to say without actually hitting the Record button.

This is how professional speechmakers sound so fluent. Of course, if you can prepare a full script and learn the words then that’s even better, but don’t punish yourself if you find yourself deviating from the page during the recording–nobody but you will know. Allow yourself to be flexible.

2. Hold the Camera Steady

Almost everybody suffers from motion sickness to some degree. Wobbly camera work in a video, or zooming in and out, can trigger it very effectively and quite literally make a video presentation unwatchable. My particular hate is when the camera’s autofocus fails and everything goes blurry. That’s enough to make my eyes water.

Get a tripod and fix your camera to it. All modern cameras have a tripod mount at the bottom–that’s the little round hole near the battery compartment, and it’s a universal fitting, so all tripods will be OK.

Secondly, before hitting the Record button, make use of autofocus fix, if your camera has one (check the manual if you’re unsure). This will stop the autofocus hunting if the light changes, for example.

Thirdly, never zoom the camera during shooting. If you need close-up detail, shoot it afterwards using macro mode and cut it into the video during editing (you only need to insert the visuals, of course, not the audio).

In Video: How to Buy a Camcorder

3. Look Into My Eyes

If your video involves you directly addressing the camera, look into the lens at all times. Don’t look away, because it’ll make you look shifty or–worse–disinterested. Looking at anything for such a long period of time will feel unnatural, I know, but that’s the way it is.

Looking into a camera lens or, often, a little black square at the top of your monitor or laptop case, takes practice and not everybody can do it. The TV presenter David Frost puts at least part of his success down to the fact that he’s comfortable doing so, although in his case he’s talking to a TV studio camera lens, which is much larger.

There are various tricks you can do to make life easier under the glare of the lens. The main one is to keep your head moving and animated, just like you would in a conversation with another person. Nobody said you have to look square-on at the camera all the time. You can turn your head to three quarters to give a sideways glance, you can frown slightly (if the script calls for it), you can raise your head while you smile, and so on. Such head movements will also make videos more naturalistic and, therefore, compelling.

Next page: The importance of lights for your cameras and action

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Ready to buy a desktop? Once you’ve determined the type of desktop you want and consulted our guide to desktop PC specs, you likely have a clear idea of the configuration that’s right for you.

To narrow your choices further, consult our desktop reviews. But when you’re ready to buy, keep these handy tips in mind.

Know your way around standard upgrades: Be wary of the upgrade options posted on a desktop vendor’s Website. Though prices for components like memory and hard drives are often competitive, a quick search on Amazon or Newegg for the same component can save you a few bucks–if you’re willing to perform the upgrade yourself. Our guide to building your own PC steps you through the process of installing components yourself.

If you’re inclined to try the do-it-yourself route, be aware of which components are easy to install, and which require extra effort. Adding a graphics card, for example, can be easy as opening the case, inserting the card into an open slot, and installing the necessary driver. Similarly, adding a second hard drive may involve nothing more than opening the case and popping it in. But if you plan to replace your primary hard drive after buying the system, you’ll have to reinstall the operating system–a potential hassle that undercuts the advantage of buying a premade PC.

If you want to upgrade the system’s memory, pay close attention to the type of RAM that came with your machine. Though RAM is relatively simple to install, motherboards generally only support one type, such as DDR2 or DDR3. If you’re looking at dual- or triple-channel memory, and you’re sure that your motherboard supports it, be aware that you’ll have to buy your RAM in pairs or triplets, respectively.

When you’re customizing your machine, always be on the lookout for deals. PC makers generally offer competitive prices on their components, but you may be able to find a better price by shopping around. If you’re comfortable upgrading your PC yourself, sites like Newegg and Amazon are a great place to start.

Consider an extended warranty and tech support: A two- or three-year warranty can add between $100 to $200 to the cost of your PC, with services and coverage varying by retailer. Before purchasing one, read the fine print. An extended warranty can be a lifesaver if your PC malfunctions, but then again you may never need it during the period it covers. When we conducted a survey investigating customer satisfaction with extended warranties, 71 percent of respondents said that they were glad they had bought one. If you aren’t especially computer-savvy, or if you worry that your desktop may fall victim to a curious pet or messy toddler, you might want to pay extra to protect the investment–but only if the extra is within reason.

Be wary of pushy salespeople offering you services you may not need. Some retailers offer software installation or “computer tune-up” packages that consist of deleting shortcuts or clicking through software prompts. When in doubt, try to get a straight answer as to the specific services being rendered, or do a bit of research: You can probably tune up your new PC yourself.

Make sure that your PC meets your connectivity needs: You’ll be using all sorts of electronics with your PC. External hard drives, cameras, and portable media players are a few of the devices that can occupy precious USB ports on your machine, so be sure you’re satisfied with what your machine offers. Compact PCs have fewer ports than full-size tower desktops do, but even the most minuscule should offer at least six USB 2.0 ports, scattered around the case. Watch for different interfaces, too: Many external hard drives benefit from e-SATA ports, and still other devices may require FireWire.

If you purchase your monitor separately from the rest of the system, the interface connector may vary by brand or model. Connection options include VGA, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. So if you buy (or already have) a nonbundled display, make sure that it will work the new system, by checking the interface connectors on your graphics card or on your computer’s motherboard. The same applies if you’d like to stream media to your HDTV.

If your PC lacks the right interface–because your HDTV has HDMI only ports, and your graphics card has only a DVI port, for example–you can purchase adapters or cables that merge two different formats.

On larger towers, port placement is important. Most input ports are located on the rear of a PC, but nearly all PCs include at least a few on the front of the case as well, where they share space with headphone jacks, microphone jacks, and multiformat memory card readers. If you’d rather not have to fumble around behind the case when attaching or detaching peripheral devices, make sure that the model you chose has enough ports situated on or near the front of the machine.

Don’t get caught on the upgrade treadmill: If you’re a savvy consumer, you know that today’s top-of-the-line PC will be tomorrow’s budget box–and you’ll be able to get that dream machine on the cheap, if you wait just a little bit longer.

Prices will inevitably drop, and upper-end performance will continue to improve. But if you persist in waiting for a mythical sweet spot to appear, you’re likely to end up stuck. Though you should certainly keep potential sales and price cuts in mind, your best bet is to decide exactly what you need, pick your acceptable price range, and go for it.

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Once you’ve determined the type of desktop system you want–a compact PC, a budget system, a mainstream all-purpose model, or a performance crackerjack–you need to know what components to look for. The processor and graphics chip you choose will determine many of your machine’s capabilities, as will the system’s memory and hard drive. Understanding those components will help you get the performance you need, without paying for things you don’t. (Our buying guide includes further shopping tips for purchasing a desktop PC.)

You’ll also want to consider details like the layout of the case, which can also make the difference between a pleasant workstation and a nightmare PC.

Processor

The CPU is one of your PC’s most important components. The processor you choose is likely to determine your PC’s shape and size, and will definitely determine its price. Generally, the higher the CPU clock speed, the faster the performance you may see–and the higher the price. A 3.46GHz Core i5-670 PC will trounce a 2.93GHz Core i3-530 system, but you’ll pay nearly twice as much for the faster CPU. Another spec to watch is cache size: More is better, here: Core i3 and Core i5 parts have 4MB caches, while performance-geared Core i7 chips have 6MB or 8MB caches.

Compact PCs and some all-in-ones use relatively puny netbook or notebook processors. Though these CPUs deliver weaker performance than desktop processors, they’re also smaller and generate less heat, which makes them ideal for small machines. A PC packing an Atom processor should be fine for basic word processing, Web surfing, and limited media playback–but little more.

Intel’s new Clarkdale line of Core i3 and Core i5 desktop processors tend to appear on systems in the budget desktop and mainstream desktop PC categories. Most users will find something they like in the Core i3 and Core i5 lines, as these CPUs offer dual-core performance at palatable price points. Core i3 chips are the cheaper, lower-powered models, so you’ll generally find them in cheaper machines.

The quad- and six-core Core i7 targets users who need a real workhorse processor. If you play high-end games or edit hours of audio or video, you’ll benefit from the Core i7. The lowliest Core i3 CPU can easily handle basic computing tasks, so stay within a reasonable price range when possible.

Desktop PCs use either Intel or AMD processors. Intel currently holds the performance crown, but AMD has priced its dual-core, quad-core, and six-core chips aggressively. If you’re looking for quad-core performance on a budget, AMD-based offerings are certainly worth a look.

Graphics Cards

The GPU (graphics processing unit) is responsible for everything you see on your display, whether you play games, watch videos, or just stare at the Aero desktop baked into Windows 7.

If you aren’t interested in gaming on your PC, integrated graphics built onto the motherboard–or in the CPU itself with Intel’s new Core i3 and Core i5 Clarkdale chips–is the way to go. Integrated graphics help keep a system’s cost low, and they deliver enough power to run simple games or high-definition Flash video. Intel’s integrated graphics chips are widely used, but some PCs include an nVidia Ion graphics chip, which offers superior integrated video performance.

If you plan to render your own high-definition content or play BioShock 2, you’ll need a discrete graphics card. Such cards come installed in a PCIe x16 slot on your motherboard and deliver significantly more power than integrated graphics do. Both AMD and Nvidia offer plenty of options to choose from. AMD’s Radeon HD 6800 series of graphics cards offer excellent performance, in the $180 to $250 price range. Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 580 is currently the fastest GPU that money can buy, aimed expressly at gaming enthusiasts with its $500 price tag.

Variables such as power consumption, size, and the brand of your motherboard (which may limit which cards you can use) will help determine which GPU is right for you. Gamers with deep pockets can also opt for a multiple-graphics-card setup using either Nvidia’s SLI or AMD’s CrossFire technology, either of which sets multiple cards to work in tandem for vastly improved performance.

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Most digital cameras use an SD (Secure Digital) card to store images, so at some point, you’ll need to buy one. While there are many cards in the market today, make sure you get one that meets your needs.

Capacity

How much space do you need? The standard SD card has a storage capacity of up to 2GB while the High Capacity (SDHC) format supports up to 32GB of data. The new Extended Capacity (SDXC) memory card supports up to 2TB of data, but you’ll need a new camera that supports that latest format.

Compatibility and Speed

While most digital cameras are compatible with most SD cards, it is important to find out from your camera’s manufacturer (or by consulting your camera’s manual) what type of card is compatible with your camera, particularly if you’re buying a high-speed card. SD cards come in speed classes 2, 4, 6, and 10, which mean that they write data at 2MB per second, 4MB per second, and so on. A 6X card should meet and even exceed the needs of most casual photographers.

Data Safety Considerations

For most people, a higher capacity SD card will always be preferable to a lower capacity one, but then you may be putting all your proverbial eggs in one basket. Buying several smaller cards will protect against losing all your images should one become corrupted. Better yet, download your images often and back them up.

You’ll also want at least an 8GB card if you are shooting in the RAW image format or if you shoot video. This handy chart compiled by the SD Association lets you see how much video, photography, and music you can load onto different sizes of SD cards. A 4GB card, for example, holds 40 minutes of high-quality video, 1540 photos, and 68 hours of music.

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