This article is should help you become a more informed consumer for your next computer purchase for your home or office while at the same time give you some ongoing resources to help you understand and research trends in the computer industry.
Your Basic Configuration:
A computer usually consists of the following parts:
CPU, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse
(in the case of a laptop most of this functionality if not all should be part of the unit itself)
And some common peripherals include:
Scanner, Printer, Camera, Fax
If you want to connect to a broadband connection or dial-up, you may also need;
Router, Firewall, Hub/Switch, Modem
Choosing a computer:
Within the PC world there are a multitude of vendors and pricing. I break the vendors down into two schools; those that include support and those that don't. There are a lot of great local stores and online deals for cheap non-Name Brand computers which can be perfectly good. The only issue is that if you want these computers to be supported, you maybe out of luck or tied to a 9-5 shop in your local neighborhood. The difference between these vendors and the major companies in the computer market is 24 hr support and the unconditional warranty which you definitely pay for. Some vendors who offer this include; Dell, IBM, Toshiba, Sony, Gateway and HP. Out of these I think of Sony as being more of a media oriented vendor who is always pushing the envelope and consequently costs more and has more issues with 3rd party devices and software. Dell, Toshiba and Gateway have established themselves as good solid players with IBM and HP being the big legacy vendors.
An upper mid range PC as of 04/2004 should be similar in configuration to the following;
- IntelR PentiumR 4 Processor 2.80GHz,512K/800MHz
- 512MB DDR Non-ECC SDRAM
- 80 GB HD (7200 RPM)
- MicrosoftR WindowsR XP Professional, SP1
- Video Card - 64MB, nVidia, GeForce 4MX, DVI w/VGA adapter
- CD - 48X/32X/48X CD-RW
- Microsoft Office XP Small Business and ADOBE ACROBAT 6.0
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
This computer without a monitor runs $1200 at Dell for their business class computer. You can certainly find it for less if you spend some time looking and I have included some links at the bottom of the article with suggested sites to watch. A 17" flat panel will set you back around $475 on top of that price or you can get a 17" standard monitor for about $175. A lot of the cost of this computer goes on to Microsoft as part of the licensing for the new version of Office and the Windows XP Operating system.
After you get your computer you will probably want to purchase a printer unless you enjoy running back and forth to to a local copy center. HP and Epson are the current leaders and you can go to a local computer store to look at the different models. One caveat I would give you is that most printer manufactures make very little if any profit off the printers themselves, they make most of their profit off of ink and paper. Look at the volume of ink that each cartridge holds and look for printers cartridges that hold more because the price is more consistent per unit than by volume.
If you are a small business, you should also look at the all-in-one models the vendors produce which contain a fax, scanner, printer and sometimes copier in one unit. Again, before you buy, take a look at the links at the bottom of the article.
These days, everybody is buying a digital camera. The current standard is
3-4 megapixel. Depending on what your final resting place will be for your pictures you can go up or down from that. Monitors are very low resolution in general and therefore you can waste a lot of money on a high end camera if you will always keep your pictures online. On the other hand, if you plan to print them at 11 x 17 for mounting on the wall, a higher megapixel is probably right for you. Probably the most inmportant thing I can tell you to do is to go to a few local stores and try out the feel of a camera before buying it. If it doesn't fit in your hand or with you lifestyle, you may end up wasting money on it.
Computer support for home or business:
Most computers come preloaded with software and if you are working with a reputable vendor they will have phone support that can help you set up the computer or they may even have onsite setup as part of the price or for a small additional price.
If you have an old computer or your new computer has passed out of warranty, you will need to get a referral from a freind or a local computer store. The sad fact is that the older your computer is, the more it will cost to support (If you pay for more than 3-4 hrs to fix an old computer you should look at buying a new one). The reason for this is that most support people are up to date on the current technology trends, but if they have to remember how something from 5 years ago works, it will take them twice as long to get it done because the resources to fix it are not currently available. In addition to the time issue, many companies sunset or stop supporting their products after 3-5 years because the cost of supporting a product forever is cost prohibitive.
Most companies plan on refreshing their computers every 3-5 years and for a primary computer that you want to be able to call someone for support on, you should also consider this timeframe.
The upside to this is that replacing the hardware has become inexpensive in most cases with the mid-range desktops ranging from $500 - $1500 for a CPU by itself where they would have cost $1500 or more just a few years ago.
That said, if you do upgrade your computer, plan on purchasing or upgrading all of your software at the same time, because much of the software you bought with your original computer may not be compatible with the new hardware and operating system.
Now let's take a look at a few places where you can learn more about computers or find the best bargains on computers and related products;
http://www.techbargains.com/
One of the best sites for finding bargains on computer and technology related purchases.
http://www.zdnet.com/
Ziff Davis online is a great site for finding more information about a specific technology
http://www.cnet.com/
Cnet Offers product reviews, insight into computer technology and comparisons of different brands and models
http://www.overstock.com
A good site for cheap computer peripherals and some rebuilds from major manufacturers
http://www.froogle.com
Google's entry into the bargain market
http://www.ebay.com
EBay, an online auction site, but you are dependent on the good will of vendors you may never meet
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