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What You Need To Know About Buying A New PC:
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Are You Ready to Buy A New PC?
Buying a computer can be a daunting task.
We've heard it compared to buying a new car.
There are so many options and there is so much jargon associated with
purchasing a new PC. Most people dread it. Often people simply rely
on the recommendations of friends or family. Others spend hours
researching the upcoming purchase only find the options available don't
match the system they want. At Byte Slaves, we realize you won't be
happy with just any computer. It has got to do what you want and need it to do. Here's a simple "how to" primer on buying a PC. (If you are
considering a Macintosh, many of these items won't apply. Instead,
contact us directly for thoughts and considerations regarding your new Mac.)
If you meet with us directly, you get a one-on-one consultation (up to an hour) for $50. We help
you identify your needs and give you a list of questions to ask while
you're shopping. We even give you a quote for a custom built
system to use when comparing options.
 Here are the hot questions. Click the link or scroll down to get the scoop.
Should You Buy a Laptop or Desktop?
Laptops are great in that they are portable. With
the ubiquitous wireless network capability you can work from the
comfort of your sofa, breakfast table, or corner coffee shop. But that
comfort may be offset by a cramped keyboard or a hard-to-use pointing
device. If you are considering a laptop try typing on the keyboard and
navigating a few Web page with the mouse before making a decision. If
you're purchasing online or don't have a way to try it out, be prepared
to purchase and external mouse and keyboard or docking station.
The general life expectancy of a laptop is
approximately three years. Obsolescence, wear and tear, and
compatibility quickly take their toll. You will also find that support
plans are pricey.
Back to Top of Page
Brand Name or Custom-Built?
Most people buy "name brand" computer like a Dell,
Compaq, eMachine, etc. because they get a good price at the local
Costco or because a national magazine or website has rated it highly.
Generally that's a great reason to consider purchasing one of these
systems (subject to the caveats above). If you're looking for a
computer that is affordable and won't need to be substantially upgraded
over its lifetime, or if you plan to be moving out of the area, this is an option to consider. You will find that many of
these name-brand providers offer excellent support options.
If you are a gamer, if you need a powerful
graphics-oriented system, or simply want to be prepared to upgrade your
to utilize new technologies down the road, you should consider
having a system custom-built for you. The key element to buying a custom system
is to find a store that has been in business for a while and one that is
willing to explain to you in detail the pros and cons of different
components and configurations. You might be surprised to find that you
can get a comparable system at a competitive price when compared to the
"name brand" systems.
Purchasing a brand name system from a large
retail chain can limit your options. Find out if the retailer
will upgrade the system in any way or whether you have to buy it "as
is." Keep in mind that many times the retailer is offering a great
price because the system is already being replaced by a newer and more
powerful model. Think about this: when Microsoft released Windows XP
in 2001 (and now Vista in 2007), many computer owners found themselves
with systems that did not meet the minimum requirements to upgrade to
the new operating system. That meant that either they had to do without
new features and functionality or else they had to purchase new
computers.
Finally, when purchasing a brand name system,
realize that the lower price you are paying is being subsidized by a
lot of trial programs, "lite" versions of programs, or programs that
may greatly reduce the performance of your new computer. I won't
mention any names, but we hear many complaints about programs
that keep popping up advertisements, upgrade offers, and demands to be
registered. Sometimes to the point where folks are willing to pay us to
come remove them. A reputable retailer building custom computers willl
generally only include the programs you want so that all you need to do
is register and/or activate them.
People tend to get the definitions of RAM (memory) and Hard Drive mixed
up, and it is very important to understand the difference when shopping for a new computer. The two things you need to
know about memory are size (expressed in MegaBytes [MB] or
GigaBytes[GB]) and speed (MegaHertz, or MHz). More is better for both.
For size, the best bet is to buy as much as you can afford. If
you're on a budget, the rule of thumb is to double whatever your
biggest program's minimum requirements are. For example, Windows Vista
requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM. If you plan to run Vista, you
should install at least 1GB of RAM (2 to 3GB is even better). If you don't have enough RAM, your
system will run slower. As RAM prices continue to decrease,
programmers seem to write programs that require more and more memory.
It's a safe bet that you will need more memory next year than you did
this year, so plan on adding later if you can't do it now.
Back to Top of Page
How Big a Hard Drive Do I Need?That's a question that's hard to answer. The
price of storage is hovering at or just below a dollar per GigaByte. A
GigaByte will hold about 1,000 digital photos. It takes about 13
GigaBytes to install Windows. Currently, desktop computers tend to ship
with 120GB or 160GB disk drives. These are more than adequate for
almost any program and its data. If you plan to store and edit video or
work with large graphics files, you should consider having a second
hard drive installed.
Another consideration with hard drives is how fast
they spin. Why is this important? Your data is stored at various places
on the platter of the disk. The faster the disk spins, the faster it
can track down all the data it needs for the file you're trying to open
or the game you're playing. Disks typically spin at 5400rpm or 7200rpm
(some go as high as 10,000rpm). Laptops tend to favor the 5400rpm
drives, which are fine for office applications and general computing,
but if you are working with graphics or playing games, you definitely
want the 7200rpm drives. Back to Top of Page
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