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Shopping for a New Computer

 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - INFORMATION BEING UPDATED...


When shopping for a new computer, try to plan for all possible uses; think beyond your immediate needs - especially if you are planning to keep the computer for more than 3 years.  Check for the following:

  1. Brand / Warranty: Direct Vendors such as Dell, IBM/Lenovo, HP, and Gateway offer high quality customizable systems at rock-bottom prices.  Make sure to get a good warranty and realize that most parts failures occur within the first year if you use the system a decent percentage of time (at least 3-5 hours a day).  Most common DOA (dead on arrival) or quick to fail parts: hard drive, cooling fans, CDROM/CDRW/DVD/DVDRW drives, floppy drives, tape drives - basically any device with moving parts.  Circuit boards in the computer are unlikely to fail, especially after the 6-12 month break in period.  It is important to make sure documents are backed up in case of hardware failure, especially during your break in period.

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  2. Power protection - make sure to get a QUALITY power strip or UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the computer.  Quality power strips from APC, Tripplite, and Belkin typically cost $24-$40 and come with a warranty to reimburse for damaged equipment if the strip fails.  Low cost UPS/Power strips combination devices are available for APC for the same cost  as a power strip - around $39.  The battery runtime is short on these inexpensive devices, but it's long enough to save your work and shut down your computer!

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  3. Laptop or Desktop?  Laptop prices are close to desktop computer prices, but laptops are less expandable and most expansion options cost much more than similar desktop upgrades (i.e. memory, CDRW drive, etc.).  Laptops do allow one to work "on the go," in tight spaces (i.e. dorm rooms, small offices, etc.), or in places there is simply no electricity (of concern for people who work outdoors).  LCD displays when used with a desktop can provide some of the capabilities of a laptop, and then some, for people with lack of space in an office.

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  4. Cooling / Power capabilities: needed for adding add-in cards or drives - larger cases typically have larger power supplies and better cooling systems.  Laptops:  try to get a 6 cell Lithium Ion battery - these typically will last at least 3 hours of heavy usage.

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  5. Internal or external drive bays:needed for devices such as CDRW ("CD Burner") or DVD/DVDRW, tape drive, etc.Laptops:  consider whether you need a "2 spindle" or "3 spindle" design - this refers to whether all the drives are inside the computer or whether you need to swap a drive for another drive (i.e. swap out the floppy drive and insert a CDROM or other drive).

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  6. Memory: at LEAST 256MB if using Windows NT/2000/XP, at LEAST 128MB if using Windows 95/98/ME - also make sure to stick to easy-to-come-by RAM technologies such as SDRAM or DDR SDRAM.

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  7. Storage: Make sure the hard drive is at least 40GB - you will be surprised at how your storage needs change over time!

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  8. Display: Most people find it more enjoyable to have at least a 17" monitor and with prices for high quality Trinitron or Diamondtron-based monitors around $250 there is no reason not to treat your eyes to a good monitor!

    9. LCD flat panel displays are also becoming more economical (<$400 for a quality 15" panel.  High quality 15" panels with the capability to rotate (great for people who spend a good amount of time typing documents) have the viewing area of a 17" monitor when horizontal/landscape and the vertical viewing area of a 19" monitor when rotated!  They take up very little space and use less electricity than a common light bulb!  Laptops: make sure not to get tricked into strange high-resolution models such as SXGA, SXGA+, UXGA etc. - you will find them too hard to read on the 14.1 and 15" panels that are being used.  Try not to get more than XGA (1024x768) on a 14.1 panel and SXGA (1280x1024) on a 15" panel otherwise you might find it too hard to read.  Keep in mind that on ALL LCD panels, the panel can physically only display one set resolution; for all other resolutions, it merely lights up groups of pixels (dots) to make it look like a bigger dot that would be drawn on a traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor which projects the image and is able to do such a task.  These "fake" resolutions on an LCD panel will look jagged and "fuzzy" because of this grouped dot approach.
For more advice, feel free to set up an appointment !



Shopping for a Used Computer
 
Shopping for a used computer is similar to a new computer; try to plan for all possible uses and think beyond your immediate needs. Used computers, if honestly represented (no damaged parts) can often be more reliable than a new computer since all the parts are past their "break in" period.  Exceptions would be overworked computers, mistreated computers (damaged by electrical surges, physically dropped/damaged, "flood victim" or other hidden damage, etc.). You want to keep in mind cost when shopping; the cost of the computer itself (is it a fair price? - PCs depreciate faster than cars!) plus the cost of adding components to the computer to make it "what you want."  Most direct vendors (Dell, Gateway, Micron) also offer "new" used computers.  These are computers that either came back from a lease, were returned within 30 days, or were returned due to a defective part and needed repair.  Many times one can save $300 or more on an IDENTICAL model, with the same warranty choices, by purchasing a "used" unit.  In addition to some of the hardware tips for new computer buying. check for the following - especially if it's a used PC that's at least 1 year old:
 
  1. Brand / Warranty: Direct Vendors such as Dell, Micron, and Gateway offer better support for older computers.  Dell, in particular, has fantastic online support for their computers - all the way back to their first models!  Also, some computer manufacturer warranties can be transferred between owners, so make sure to inquire if this is the case (particularly if the computer is less than 3 years old).

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  2. Memory: make sure the PC accepts standard DIMMs (dual inline memory modules), preferably SDRAM DIMMs - if the computer uses SIMMs then it is too old and will be costly to upgrade to make it useful.  The cost of older memory can dramatically increase the costs to upgrade an older PC to something "useful" so it is important to make sure the computer uses modern memory technology.

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  3. Hard Drive: where possible, run a full chkdsk or scandisk and check for both software errors and in the case of scandisk have it run a "thorough scan" which scans for physical problems on the drive.  Special hardware diagnostic programs such as norton utilities can be used, but won't necessarily be handy when you are shopping!

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  4. CDROM, Floppy drives, etc.:  Make sure they work!  Test out the CDROM and floppy drive and make sure they work - in the case of the floppy drive, use a blank disk: format it in the prospective PC and use scandisk or chkdsk like in the hard drive test.  Also try copying files to the disk and then reading the disk after ejecting it and reinserting the disk a few times.

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  5. Viruses:  Used computers can have viruses lurking inside them.  It is important not to insert any unprotected diskettes or other writeable media (ZIP disks, etc.) into the computer until you have verified it "virus free" using an up to date virus program such as Norton AntiVirus, McAfee Virusscan, Trend Micro AntiVirus - with the LATEST pattern file/update applied to the program!

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  6. Display:  Make sure the monitor is not damaged - discolored screen, cable damaged  (wiggle it on both ends while the computer is turned on and see if there are color changes).  LCD Panels (laptops, etc.) - look for dead pixels (dots stuck in one color), cracks, damaged hinge (laptops), etc.  Also, in the case of monitors, see how long it takes for the monitor to warm up and display an image when it's cole - this will give you an idea of the shape of the picture tube.
For more advice, feel free to set up an appointment !