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TIPS ON BUYING A COMPUTER:
1. Why do you need a computer?
Whether you are a new user or
advanced one, whether this is your first computer or second (or even
third), be clear as to why you want a computer before you even think of
buying one.
How will you use your computer?
Are you only interested in browsing the Internet and checking e-mail?
Do you plan to use your PC as a programming machine? Do desktop
publishing or video editing feature on your agenda? Or is it a gaming
rig? What is a computer? http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com
Consider these factors before stepping into a hardware shop.
The basic components of a
computer system are the motherboard (containing the processor and
memory), keyboard, mouse, monitor, diskette drive, CD-ROM drive and
hard drive.
In addition, there are several
other types of devices you may or may not need. A trackball, joy stick,
modem, tape drive, zip drive, printer, plotter, scanner, sound card and
speakers, television card and video capture card, to name a few.
Whether you buy these will depend on what you need the computer for and which software applications you intend to use.
Remember the golden rule: the fastest or most expensive computer is not necessarily the one you need.
Finally, the length of time
that you plan to own the computer before replacing it will also help
determine which computer to buy.
2. What is your budget?
This is the next thing you need to be certain of. How much are you willing to spend on a PC?
After you arrive at a figure,
keep a margin of a few thousands. It will give you some room for
flexibility. If you are short on money when you buy your computer and
cannot add all the peripherals you want, be smart.
Buy as much as you can afford. Don't cut corners on the main system unit (monitor, processor, memory, disk space).
Remember, you want the computer
to last at least four years. You don't want to run out of disk space or
memory in the very first year, all because you trimmed down on the
memory or got a smaller hard drive.
Hard disk capacity matters a
great deal as it takes no time for data to fill the available space. A
40 GB hard disk is sufficient disk space, but 80 GB is the standard
recommendation.
Random Access Memory is the
amount of memory available for use by programmes on a computer. One of
the important factors to ensure the smooth running of your system is
the memory available.
The more the memory, the better it is. Make sure you can upgrade your computer's memory as and when required.
The RAM chip comes in
capacities of 128, 256, 512 MB, even 1 GB. Most computers function
efficiently with 256 MB RAM, though a 512 MB RAM does offer you an edge.
Hold off on the printer or a
software application and other accessories that you really don't need
right away. You shouldn't have any problem installing these after the
original purchase has been made. Just ensure you buy components that
are compatible with your system.
3. Should you go for a branded PC or an assembled one?
Assembled machines are popular because they are more economically priced.
Branded PCs cost around 35 to 40% more than their assembled counterparts.
Besides, you can choose your
own specifications with assembled PCs. You are not forced to accept a
rigid component configuration. You cannot customise a branded PC to
suit your exact requirements.
With the same price that you would pay for a branded piece, you will be able to own a superior assembled PC.
Make sure the components
purchased for the assembled PC are original. Take along an informed,
reliable assembler to purchase the components so that you are not
fooled by counterfeit parts.
The advantage of a branded PC
is the reliability of the brand, the after sales service and the
technical support. On the flip side, the after sales services and
repairs offered by the brands are a tad expensive and not prompt most
times.
Don't forget to look at the
warranty. Generally, a warranty period of a year is normal for all
major parts of the PC. But there are good brands that offer either more
years or the option of an additional payment to top up the warranty
period.
Talk to your friends and
colleagues who have assembled PCs. Ask them about their experience and
recommendations on whom to approach. Question them as to what happened
when they had a problem. Was the individual easy to access? Did he
offer prompt service? Does their computer give a lot of trouble?
EXPLORE EARTH FROM YOUR PC:
I was over at a friend’s house the
other day and on his computer he showed me his own house as viewed by a
satellite in Earth’s orbit. It was awesome. The screen started out
looking at our great blue planet, then he typed in his house’s address
(he had programmed it in, as only the USA, UK, and Canada have the
ability to find an address automatically so far) and the planet turned
to our country. Then it zoomed in further and further until we could
see the roof of his house! My genetic father (mother has been married
thrice) lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, so I typed in his address, the
world shifted around, zoomed in, and all of a sudden I could see the
roof of his house, the swimming pool in the backyard, driveway and
street, trees etc. It was a real mind-blower. One of the best things
about www.google.earth.com is that we can now look at real photographs
of any part of the world: pyramids in Egypt, Shanghai city, beaches in
Jamaica, you can go and look at any place on the globe. All you need to
do is point and click your computer’s mouse on any spot (address
unnecessary), and it’s free.
I eventually found my own house (it
will be much easier when the whole world has been mapped by street
names on the free downloadable version) and I think that the 20$
version has a GPS (Global positioning system) which must make finding
things a lot easier. You can also get directions to local areas such as
restaurants, parks, hospitals, schools and hotels. The idea is to
combine Google’s search abilities with imagery and mapping and I think
it has great ramifications for the future of location information. You
can then save and share your location searches with your friends and
colleagues as well as adding your own data, as in my friend’s case.
Google Earth’s users have already saved thousands of personal data
points for you to look at and add to: EG: Show people where your
business is located.
Another neat aspect of the technology
is that you can tilt and rotate the satellite’s view to give you a more
3-D perspective on buildings, mountains and landmarks on the terrain.
Many people have asked me if the photos are real time and if you run
out front of your house will you see yourself? We would need a lot of
satellites out in orbit if we hoped to have this kind of ‘Big Brother’
capability and I‘m sure ethical questions would also be raised.
If you are looking for directions the
program will actually drive or fly you on the best route to get where
you are going. The website has photos of ten of the most popular
‘destinations’ so you can check out the quality of the high-resolution
photos. With the ‘Measure’ tool you can see how far it is to the local
airport or from Paris to London. With the ‘Pro’ version at $200 (there
are three versions) you can also measure area, radius, and perimeter,
which can have many applications in professional situations. There are
also different layers of mapping information you can click on so all
the volcanoes or golf courses will come up automatically if they are
what you choose to see in a specific area. If you are searching for
places to dine, when a restaurant comes up on the screen you can click
on ‘more’ and information such as hours of operation, menus, reviews,
and links to the business website become available.
Pretty cool huh! The only problem you
may have is that your computer may not be powerful enough to handle the
software or 3-D graphics capability. You also miss out if you own a
Macintosh, as a compatible version hasn’t been built for them yet.
Don’t take my word for it, go to the site and check it out. You may
find that it has applications that could change the face of your
business as well as the way you look at traversing our world, not to
mention the ease to which you will be able to locate pizzas anywhere on
Earth.
NEW OR USED COMPUTERS:
A computer that is a "surplus computer"
just means that a manufacturer has an excess, overstock, or slightly
obsolete inventories in HUGE quantities that were purchased. What that
means for you, our customer, is truly remarkable discount computer
prices! These benefits and values of surplus computers were
traditionally available to only large volume commercial buyers,
dealers, and corporate level buyers. But now discount computers are
also sold retail so you can get all the benefits too.
The manufacturers of surplus and
refurbished computers are committed to offering tremendous savings to
you, the retail customer. Desktop PCs, laptops, notebooks, barebones,
whole computer systems, computer accessories, everything in computers
you can find in surplus and discount computers.
Sometimes repackaged products are sold
as surplus or discount computers but they are always evaluated, tested
and quality assured, fully functional and repackaged for shipment.
Also, sometimes sold as surplus
computers or discount computers are open box products, which are
retested, quality assured, fully functional and complete. The customer
can expect original manufacturer packaging.
So take a look around online and see
all the great deals you can find on surplus, discount, and refurbished
computers on Overstock.com or Ebay.com
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