The lack of available computers in dorms has some students considering buying a computer instead of waiting in line to use one.

“The setup they have here [in the dorms] doesn’t allow all students to use the computer to the extent they need to use them,” said Katie Gilbert, freshman in political science. “There’s not enough computers available.”

But for those who are computer illiterate, decisions on whether to buy a Macintosh or an IBM-compatible, what size of hard drive or memory to choose and what options to include can become a jumbled mess.

“Connected @ Iowa State,” a publication produced by the Durham Center to inform students about their computing options, recommends buying a computer with a hard drive of two to eight gigabytes and at least 32 megabytes of RAM (Random Access Memory).

“If you are just going to use it for games, you don’t need a lot of memory, but if you’re going to use it for the Internet, you’d need more,” said Mary Ann Kanentz, data entry operator for Agnew Tunink & Associates, 6th Street and Duff Avenue.

According to “Connected @ Iowa State,” students should become aware of what applications they will be using in their classes and for personal use before determining what computer to purchase.

For students who want to connect to the Internet, it also is recommended they have an Ethernet card when living in the dorms and a modem if living off-campus.

Gilbert plans to purchase a Macintosh G3, but said she will wait until the special-system software she wants is released and goes down in price.

“The G3 will have the capability to do some things that I want to do that I wouldn’t be able to on a PC,” she said.

Kevin Emmert, sophomore in computer science, is in the process of buying a PC. He feels the Macintosh does not offer enough for him to buy one.

“All the software you can buy is going to be PC based,” Emmert said. “There are so few things you can buy for the Mac.”

According to “Connected @ Iowa State,” a problem some students face is that the market of computer technology moves so fast, there will always be something better next month.

“Nowadays, by the time you buy one it’s already outdated,” Kanentz said.

However, Gilbert said some students do not put enough consideration into what computer to purchase.

“I think that they’re just looking for something that they can reach the Internet on or type on,” Gilbert said, “The fact that they go for the cheapest model may not fit their needs.”

“Most people don’t understand you need a certain thing to run a certain application, and you can’t get that on every computer,” she said.