KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN NEW PC.

Byline: Dwight Silverman Houston Chronicle

There's no fighting it - any computer you buy now will be outdated very soon. Time marches on, but technology sprints ahead.

About twice a year, I try to assess the personal computer landscape and offer some thoughts on the current minimum specifications that buyers should consider in a home desktop PC.

Here are the summer '96 numbers. For those of you who are in the same position as my boss - well, read 'em and weep.

Processor: Consider the 100-megahertz chip as the minimum, with 120- and 133-megahertz chips as best-bang-for-the-buck values.

If you use a Macintosh, look for a 75-megahertz PowerPC 603 processor. Happily, it's also the best value in the Mac line.

Memory: Sixteen megabytes is the minimum for random-access memory in either Macintosh or IBM-compatible computers.

Hard disk: Get at least a gigabyte of hard disk space if you buy an IBM-compatible, and 700 megabytes if you want a Mac.

CD-ROM: Most personal computers now come with a quad-speed CD-ROM drive, and that's fine. Some systems are starting to show up with six- and eight-speed drives.

Monitor: This is one area where many buyers mistakenly scrimp.

You spend hours staring at a monitor, so it should be a good one. Go for a 15-inch model - 17 inches if you do desktop publishing or play lots of games - that has a maximum of .28 dot pitch.

Video cards: Although most computer makers who sell their goods at retail put only one megabyte of video RAM in the system, add another if you can afford it.

Sound cards: On IBM-compatible systems, look for a 16-bit stereo sound card with wave-table capabilities, which uses the real sounds of instruments to play MIDI music files. Many of these cards also include 3D, surround sound and full duplex features. Full duplex, in which an audio card can both emit and receive sounds at the same time, is useful if you use a program to make phone calls over the Internet.

Excellent sound is built into the Macintosh.

Modems: For both types of computers, you'll want a 28,800-baud fax modem.

Operating system: If you buy an IBM-compatible computer from a retailer, it's almost impossible to find one that does not have Windows 95. Make sure it has the most recent version. Right-click on the My Computer icon and choose Properties from the menu that appears. Look for version number 4.00.950a.

If the ``a'' is missing, you can get an upgrade patch from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/servpak1/sphome.htm.

The latest Macintosh operating system is 7.5.3, and all of Apple's current products are shipping with this version.