Speaking Digital

On the back of my previous post, I felt the need to add this bit of wisdom. Don’t be irrelevant – your new computer purchase that is.

In my previous post, I looked at what Lauren got hooked up with in the commercial. While she made out pretty well (considering she got her laptop free and free is good), I don’t believe the hardware on her laptop will be relevant in a year or two. Yes, her goal was to find a laptop under $1000 and she was well under that (depending on what she paid in sales tax), but how is that hardware going to hold up after a year or to of use? More importantly, how is Lauren going to hold up if that hardware doesn’t seem as quick in a year or two as it does the day she bought it?

She got an under-powered processor, a lacking display (in both resolution and viewing angle), old networking technologies (or none at all, in the case of Bluetooth) and an incomplete version of Windows (Home Premium, not Ultimate.) Now, I know she was working within the confines of what the commercial was about, but I think Lauren will be looking for a new laptop within a couple of years.

I recently was discussing options with a parent whose college-aged child was wanting a new laptop. The college student was wanting an Apple laptop (good job by them), but the parent was trying to figure out which option to go with. Without going into the details, I told them they should keep in mind the better laptop they get now, the more relevant it will be down the road. In doing this, the laptop would still be useful three, four or even five years out (barring any major catastrophe.)

Basically, it all boils down to getting the most bang for your buck.  Lauren should have done some homework and spent closer to $1000 to get a higher-powered laptop. If you set a dollar amount to stay under, by all means spend every penny of that dollar amount. Here are my keys to getting a computer that will be relevant longer:

• Upgrade the processor
• Upgrade the video or graphics card
• Upgrade the hard drive or add more drives
• Upgrade the memory or ad more memory

The processor and video/graphics card can usually be upgraded if buying direct from a vendor.

The hard drive, or drives, and memory can usually be upgraded or added cheaper than what the retailer will charge. Once again, do your homework. I recommend using NewEgg.com to pick up hard drives and memory. Another place to look is Other World Computing (typically dealing Mac upgrades, but the hardware will work on Windows as well.)

Another thing to be aware of is educational discounts. If you’re a student (or work for a school or are buying a new computer for a student) you can be eligible for an educational discount on computer hardware and software. You should check with computer manufacturers to see what they offer for discounts – it could be hundreds of dollars worth of savings.

Another thing computer buyers need to be aware of is total cost of ownership, something this new commercial made no mention of. Microsoft is running new ads on the web right now that make no mention of total cost of ownership, either, only touting how cheap a new PC can be. Yes, they can be dirt cheap. I won’t argue that. But do you realize what it takes to make that dirt cheap PC run decently without causing you to want to pull your hair out?

Let’s look at this example from Dell’s web site. They advertise you can get an Inspiron 530s desktop computer starting at $399 with Windows XP installed with the upgrade to Windows Vista in the box. The computer comes with the following base setup:

• 2.5GHz Intel dual-core processor (2MB L2 cache, 800MHz front-side bus)
• Windows Vista Business Bonus
• No monitor
• 16x DVD+/-RW drive
• 2GB Memory
• 320GB hard drive
• Integrated graphics card
• Integrated 7.1 audio
• 1 year warranty

Here’s what I would upgrade to make it even worthwhile to use this machine over the long haul:

• Intel Core2 Duo E8400 (2MB L2 cache, 3.0GHz processor, 1.333GHz front-side bus) – $150
• 3 Year warranty – $170
• Upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate with Windows XP pre-installed – $20
• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 – $149
• 4GB Memory – $34.99 (through newegg.com)
• 750GB hard drive – $69.99 (through newegg.com)
• 20″ S2009WFP Dell widescreen flat panel monitor – $200
• ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB graphics card – $60
• Dell AX210 speakers – 20 (otherwise you get no sound)
• Norton Internet Security 2009 – $59.99 (through newegg.com)

for a grand total of $1168, plus shipping and tax. Wow, that’s a cheap PC. Seriously, though, this PC will now be way more usable over the long term. You could go cheaper on the processor and save some cash, but other than that, I would say the rest of the add-ons should be considered almost mandatory.

Need help configuring a new computer? Drop me a line and just ask.