Tech Immersion

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

10 Computer Shopping Tips

Follow these guidelines and you are sure to have a solid machine.

1. Do not buy crappy pre-built computers or barebones combos from Fry's; you are better off with a Dell or HP they've been tested and warranted, where as the Fry's box is not. The pre-builds often use cheap components (usually the motherboard) that will burn out in less than a year.

BUY=ASUS & INTEL
AVOID=EPOX & FOXCONN

2. When purcahsing a computer, DO NOT BUY computers with processors branded "Sempron" or "Celeron". These low budget CPUs are about 15x slower than the quality versions they mimic. If you want to avoid a lot of headache simply avoid them. If price is an issue hold on to your money and buy a new sealed in box model from ebay. At a minimum, the processor speed should be 2 ghz referred to as "2 gigahertz" or more commonly "2 gigs"

Processors I Like

Intel Pentium 4
Intel Core Duo-
AMD ATHLON 64 X2-notice the x2 it means dual core- 2 processors in one
AMD TURION 2-2.2ghz

Budget
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 3800+
Intel Pentium 4 2ghz or higher
Good
Intel P4 3GHZ or Higher
Really Good
AMD 64x2 6200

3. Memory- The more the merry. Your standard for purchase should be at least 1 gigabyte, especially for a laptop. It doesn't matter how fast your processor is if you only have 512mb of ram you will never be able to reach your potential. It would be like having a new ferrari with wooden wheels-you're not going anywhere. Look for the Brand Corsair and the Series XMS or OCZ platinum revision 2.

Budget


1gb-anything is better than 512mb

Good

2gb CORSAIR XMS

Really Good

3gb+ CORSAIR XMS

4. Buy Computers Online- you will save more money without mail in rebates and get the latest and gratest instead of overpaying for last year's model.
USE
EBAY
AMAZON
DELL
HP
NEWEGG
PRICEGRABBER
PRICEWATCH

5. For Dell and HP browse the different stores within the website for the same model- often times you can
find a better deal for the exact same machine if you were to click on
the other stores like "home and home office" or "small business" or
"graphic design" These are Different stores from the same vendor and
they run different deals on the same model so shop around.

6. On Ebay be sure to read the seller approval rating- if it is below 98% be careful and study up on the seller read the complaints. If time is of the essence and money is an issue hop on ebay and look at computers that have the"BUY IT NOW" option AND the "NEW SEALED IN BOX" under condition. Ebay is a great place for purchasing a new Dell or HP system.

7. DO NOT BUY a Geek Sqaud protection plan!-this is like signing your kid up for little league with a convicted sex offender for a coach. Geek Squad is a shady group and certainly has more bad than good stories going for it. Find a local shop where you will get more for your money and treated like a valuable customer. IF you don't know where to go email me and let me know the city and state you live in and I will find you a reputable service shop- mcgillnicholas@gmail.com

8.Buy Windows XP Professional. Don't buy Home Edition- it has limited functionality and doesn't play nice with other computers. Avoid the headache and go PRO or Media Center Edition

BUY
WINDOWS XP PRO
WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER 2005 EDITION

9.Do not buy extended hardware warranty for a computer=chances are the technology or the demand on technology will change before your hardware goes out and you'll need to buy a new model before the warranty is expired. Expect 2 year max shelf life, 3 years if you buy a nice one, after that it is probably time to upgrade.

10. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SALES PERSON-I worked in retail before I became a consultant and I have many friends who still do. They will lie, cheat,

10. Words to avoid
Mail In Rebate
MANAGER'S SPECIAL-great low price for store brand technology or discontinued products that have known issues that render them crap.
IDE
AGP
SOLO
ACER-for the most part a company with horrible support and crappy products, if you are an intermediate geek their laptops are good, but in general avoid this brand
EMACHINES=POOP-a few good models here and there but mostly poop
GATEWAY=POOP-a few good models here and there but mostly poop

11. Words to look for
General
ASUS=QUALITY
INTEL=QUALITY

LIFETIME WARRANTY


LCD MONITORS
NEC-great LCD monitors spend the money
VIEWSONIC-also usually great aim high
LG-SOLID PERFORMANCE
DELL-2007 widescreen 2405fp-what I currently use-24 inches of bliss
16:9 aspect ratio-widescreen great for movies, games and design
8ms response time-make sure this isn't grey to grey response time
at least

Processors
Dual Core

Hard Drives
7200 RPM-hard drive
5 year warranty or at least anything better 1 year
SATA= fast

Video Cards
PCI-EXPRESS X10 OR X16-for latest graphics capability
SLI= Dual Video Cards
NVIDIA CHIPSET
6800 GT OR HIGHER
EVGA,BFG, PNY=lifetime warranty on graphics cards

ASUS=quality


Memory
CORSAIR XMS 2= quality

Power Supply
ANTEC POWER SUPPLY- these are usually kid tested and mother approved-solid and dependable