Computer - Minimum P4 with atleast 1GB Ram, you can get buy with less ram but in most cases you will want to run multiple programs.

Laptop or Desktop?

Laptops offer the greatest of portability and will allow you to carry your files anywhere. This makes flashing on the go a great ease.

Desktop offers greater amounts of USB ports. This will allow multiflashing and expand your ability to flash more than one or two phones at a time.

OS - Go 32 bit. 64 Bit drivers are few and far in between. While Windows 7 is a great OS, most of these programs used in cdma repair operate best in XP. A good work around would be a dual boot with XP or just dedicate one machine to XP.

USB - You need a way to connect that phone to the computer. Make sure you have the correct USB cable and that it is functional. Having multiples can be very handy, as to the fact that USB cables can and will go bad. Many a flasher can atest to a long night of headaches because the usb cord was bad.

Modem Drivers - Your PC needs a way to talk to the phone. Each brand of phone has one or more drivers that allow it to connect to the phone. Each section in the forum contains links to drivers that work with your phone. Also, make sure your phone is not in MTP mode (connects as an external hard drive instead of modem).

Flashing software - You will find links to software posted all over the forum. Most phones connect to a PST. In most cases, the PST will allow mulitple forms of access to your phone to include flashing firmware, editing data settings, prl, and many other items.