This isn't about specific manufacturers or models but just some general
advice on purchasing computers. I will make every effort not to be
prejudice toward the TELEcomputers we manufacture. I have been
working with computers in some fashion or another since my purchase of a
64k floppy disk DOS model back in 1975. They didn't have hard drives
in them in those days, you had to swap floppy disks to run most programs.
Many people, knowing that I have had this long association with computers,
ask me my advice when it comes to buying one. I usually offer these
tips and, in the hopes that I may never have to speak these words again, I
have placed them here so I might direct those in search of answers to this
popular question to this page.
Wait as long as possible before you buy.
Computers get less expensive and more powerful almost every day.
If you don't have an immediate need, put it off for awhile and you will get either the same technology for less money or more technology for the
same money. Of course you can't put it off forever, but it will help
if you realize the following, right upfront.
Your brand new computer is already obsolete.
That's right, by the time it is unboxed and plugged in, someone,
somewhere has made one bigger, better and faster. So trying to stay
up-to-date with the latest technology is a race you cannot win. The
difference between a 550 mhz chip (or CPU) and a 600 mhz CPU is only about
a fortieth of an eye blink. When you realize that, then you might
learn to live with a technology that is a bit older, a step or two back
from cutting edge, for the next three to four years. By then, no
matter what computer you purchase, it will seem too slow and not have
enough hard drive space to run the latest games, office programs or your
favorite applications. The best decision you can make, knowing that
this is the case, is to...
Always buy "not the latest" technology.
If you drop back one or two levels from the high priced X,000 mhz CPU
that was just released, to one that has been out for a few months you will
be rewarded two-fold. First, older CPU cost better than half the
price than the latest creations and second, they have been used and
tested. When you buy the newest and fastest you are being a tester
for their new product. Many times, motherboards and drivers do not
yet exist for these super fast new chips. So you end up testing it
out for them and many times finding the frustrating truth that you have to
wait for the rest of the technological world to catch up to your new
system.
The price you may pay besides the money.
I remember the week the 600 mhz chip was released and we put them into
a bunch of PC's for a client who wanted the very fastest for his network,
spare no expense. It was great until we ran a program on any of the
PCs; any program and the entire computer froze. All of them did the
same thing, nothing would run. The high-end motherboard
(manufacturer by the same company as the CPU, by the way) that was rated
for up to 800 mhz (even though they didn't exist yet), couldn't handle the
600. We replaced them with 550 CPU's and everything was fine.
The next generation of motherboards (released a few months later) could
handle the 600's but by then the 700 mhz were out. Take my
advice and live with the older, proven, components -- the actual
difference in performance will be unnoticeable, you will save some money
and not have to work as an unpaid tester. Since you know that your
investment is going to be good for the next three to four years you
must...
Plan for the next three to four years.
What are your needs for the next few years? What applications are
you going to be using? Are you going to be just word processing,
browsing the Internet and using email? If so then you won't need a
lot of power. But if you are going to be doing video or music
editing, running graphic or photographic art programs then, you are going
to need a lot more computer. Extra memory (RAM) and a larger hard
drive for the bigger files and piggish programs. For extreme power
you might think of getting a dual CPU motherboard with two older CPU (for
about the same money as one of the latest X,000 mhz). Even the
latest games need some pretty powerful components that might include the
latest video board with lots of video RAM, fast Internet connection and
upscale sound card. What peripherals will you use and how will they
connect to the PC? Do you need USB ports for a scanner or video
camera? What type of Internet connection will you use? Phone
line, cable, will it require a network card? Plan ahead and make a
list of the items you know you are going to need and have it with you when
you go shopping or talk with someone about the purchase. Some
bargain PCs may not have the capacity to do all that you need.
Buy lots of RAM; RAM is power.
Even the slower computer chip will perform well with an abundance of
RAM memory. When you save a small fortune by not buying the latest
X,000 mhz CPU you can put about half of that money into more RAM.
Doubling from the standard 64MB to 128MB or even more will make your
operating system sing. All your programs will love you for it. We
run between 256MB and 512MB on our office PCs and 1GB of RAM on our
network and web site servers. RAM prices can fluctuate with supply
and demand, so if they are high, buy half now and half when the prices
drop again. The recent earthquake in Taiwan more than doubled the
price of RAM for several months. Unfortunately, RAM technology keeps
changing too, so the idea of adding more RAM to your older (three to four
year old) computer may not be so easy to accomplish.
Buy a nice monitor,
You are going to be looking into this part of the computer all the time
so do yourself and your eyes a favor, get a good size, quality monitor.
It doesn't have to be huge but a good one will be worth the extra money
when you are browsing the Internet or working in front of it. Monitors do
not fluctuate or drop in price like the rest of the computer components,
although they have come a long way down in price over the past three
years. So that 48" flat-screen monitor may still be a bit
over-budget. Check the warranty and avoid anything with only a
one year period, as there is probably a very good reason why they don't
cover it for more than that!
Get a comfortable keyboard and mouse.
This is your physical connection to your computer. Buy something
that fits you. Some keyboards make a clicking noise like a
typewriter, some don't, some are curved (like the natural keyboards) and
some just plain plain. The mouse can be a ball mouse which requires
cleaning from time to time, a newer (no cleaning) optical mouse with no
ball or even a track-ball type mouse which is stationary. Stop by
the retail computer store and test them all out before you buy. When
you order your new PC you can ask for these items as an upgrade to the
plain ones that usually accompany it.
Buy the right hard drive.
Here again the latest ones, now 30 to 60 GB in size are very expensive,
however the 10 to 15 GB ones are very reasonable. As the newer hard
drives are released into the marketplace the older ones drop in price.
You should always figure the size of the hard drive for your first one to
two years of storage space. After that you can get an additional
hard drive (it is easily installed as a second drive) and double your
space. The cost will be pennies, compared to what you would have
spent on one twice the size today. One year ago we were installing
4GB hard drives in all our computers. Six months ago you couldn't
find a 4GB drive as the manufacturers were only making 6 to 8GB.
Today we are using all 10GB drives since smaller ones are just not
available and they are less expensive than what we were paying for the 4GB
ones last year.
Keep your eyes on the slots.
There are lots of slots in a computer on the motherboard. Some
for the little cards that hold RAM memory (know as SIMMs) and some for
adding internal cards. Every computer motherboard can have a
different number of slots. Let's start with RAM. If you
purchase a computer with only two RAM slots and a total of 64MB RAM but
the manufacturer (who saved some money) put in two (older and cheaper)
32MB RAM cards, when you go to add some more memory someday you will have
to throw out some SIMM cards to make room for the new larger ones.
If you get three or four RAM slots in your computer with one 64MB RAM SIMM
you will have plenty of room for growth without losing any existing RAM.
Remember the memory cards will get bigger and cheaper too, in time.
Next, there are the PCI and IDE slots for adding devices like modem, sound
and networks cards. IDE are the old fashioned ones and the PCI are
the new ones (sometimes referred to as plug and play). If you have
some older device on your existing computer that will need to be moved
over to your new PC then you will need to make sure that there is at least
one IDE slot on the motherboard. Many newer motherboards do not have
them at all. Also many newer, cheaper motherboards may have only a
limited number of PCI slots. Some cheaper models will only have two.
This may be a problem when you go to add a new card for some great new
thing, one that probably hasn't been invented yet. Find out up front
how many of each slots you need and how many will be in your new computer
and make sure you allow a few extras for growth. Lastly, USB slots
or "ports" as they are called. These are the newest and latest
technology to add peripheral devices to your computer. Most new PC
(but not all of them) come with two USB ports on the back. Ask about
these and make sure, as all the new printers, scanners, digital cameras
and many devices (that haven't been invented as yet) will need these ports
to plug into your new computer. You won't need any more than two, as
you can get inexpensive splitters that will make two into four and four
into eight, etc. Many consider this to be the greatest advancement
for the PC in years. Bottom line for slots, make sure your future
needs will be taken care of.
Don't try to save all those old cards.
Today's newer component (modems, video, network, etc.) cards are
faster, smaller, better constructed and cheaper than the ones in your old
computer. To take an older (slower) card out of one computer and put
it into the new one would probably cost in labor about the same as buying
a brand new card. So don't get too involved with trying to salvage
those older parts. Let them go, they had their time, it's time to
get the newer versions of everything to go with your newer faster
computer. You will be glad you did.
Don't automatically buy your peripherals with
your computer.
When you buy a bargain computer online, they always try to sell you a
printer, scanner or other peripherals at full (or marked up) price.
Don't buy until you do some shopping: You may find that peripheral at a
steep discount elsewhere.
Pay attention to the software you need.
Software is expensive when bought at retail, but sometimes a
bargain when bundled with a computer purchase. However, bundled
software is no bargain if it is software you don't need.
What about an operating system (OS)? Some computer sellers list
price may seem very inexpensive because it may not come with any OS
installed. You can bet there will be an increase in the price for
that. If you do purchase a computer without the OS installed you may
be in for a surprise if when you install it some of the components do not
work. Is it a hardware problem or the OS installed wrong?
Don't go there. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) versions of
software are available from most companies that build custom computers and
this can be a savings as you only need to purchase the license to use the
software.
What about laptops?
A notebook or laptop computer offers few advantages over a desktop if
you never move it. Notebooks are "cooler" and handier than desktops,
but they're also much more expensive. Sometimes 50 to 100 percent
more expensive than desktops with comparable power. In
addition, they are not easy to expand. Most laptop companies make
their real profit on the upgrade components, for example RAM typically may
cost 100% more than the same amount of RAM for a PC. Some of the
clients I have known who needed a laptop to be able to work from
home as well as work actually got a better deal by purchasing two PCs
instead of one laptop. If you really need notebook portability,
don't get one that is too heavy, you may lose a bit in features to gain a
thinner, more lightweight, notebook but it will be well worth it once you
start carrying it around.
Buy your computer direct from the
manufacturer.
Otherwise you're paying somebody a retail markup. Did I happen to
mention that we manufacture our own computers?
I sure hope this helps and I hope you don't mind my sending you here
for the answer to your questions.
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