| How to choose when buying a computer - is asking | | | | from what I've heard, what happens is they still sell |
| "what is the most popular computer" the right | | | | them to the big computer companies at a discount, |
| question? First off, I've found that a lot of people start | | | | and those companies put them into their computers |
| thinking about this by asking "what is the most popular | | | | anyway. |
| computer?" and letting the answer to that decide the | | | | What you can do with a bad processor a lot of the |
| question for them. Well, this isn't necessarily the best | | | | time is set it to run slower, and while it may not be |
| idea. | | | | running at full speed, it works well enough to pass the |
| Just because something is popular doesn't necessarily | | | | tests. But the parts are still bad! Sure, they may work |
| mean it's the best -- for example, fast food | | | | OK for a while (maybe just long enough to make it |
| restaurants are popular places to go, but I think we all | | | | through the warranty period) but they have more little |
| know they don't serve the best food in the world. | | | | "glitches" and end up breaking down sooner. So if you |
| Here's the thing to remember when thinking about how | | | | can find a reputable local company that sells |
| to chose when buying a computer -- you should | | | | computers they assemble themselves, you'll get a well |
| generally avoid the big brand names. Yes, this might | | | | built computer for a lot less because you're not paying |
| surprise you, but in my opinion, it's usually not a good | | | | for the brand name. |
| idea to buy from one of the big brand name | | | | A family-owned store like that is the only place I'd buy |
| companies (there's one exception that I'll get to in a | | | | a Windows PC, personally. So earlier I mentioned there |
| minute). | | | | was an exception among the big brand names -- if |
| Here's why: dollar for dollar, you're generally going to | | | | you've been reading my articles or my email |
| get a worse deal than if you go with a reputable | | | | newsletter for a while, you might have already |
| "generic" or "white box" store. A lot of people have | | | | guessed which one it is -- Apple. |
| low price as the first thing on their list when they're | | | | Apple is the only big brand name computer I personally |
| trying to figure out how to chose when buying a | | | | would buy (I'm writing this on a MacBook Pro). I do this |
| computer. So they go with a cheap brand name and | | | | partially because I've used a lot of different types of |
| spend a few hundred dollars on it, and they think | | | | computers over the years, and really don't enjoy using |
| they're getting a good deal. But what they don't realize | | | | Windows much. But I also do this because Apple |
| is that it's common for a lot of the big brand | | | | doesn't deliberately put bad processors in their |
| companies to sell very out-of-date computers in their | | | | computers, or try to sell out-of-date computers as |
| lower price ranges, and from what I've heard, they also | | | | new. Some people complain that Apple's Macs are |
| often sell computers with parts they know are bad! | | | | overpriced, but that's actually not the case -- when |
| I'm not kidding about this -- most of the big computer | | | | compared apples to apples (excuse the pun) they |
| companies out there, when they sell their least | | | | tend to be in the same price range as a Dell or HP of |
| expensive computers, are trying to unload old | | | | the same general specs. |
| inventory that's been collecting dust on their shelves | | | | So bottom line is, here's how to chose when you're |
| for a long time. They sell it to you as if it's new, and | | | | buying a computer: if you want to stick with Windows, |
| maybe it is in the sense of never purchased before, | | | | then support a local business and go to a good store |
| but it's hardly new in terms of the technology. And the | | | | that puts your computer together for you from parts. |
| more disturbing part of this is that from what I've | | | | And make sure you ask them to put Windows XP on |
| heard, those computers often have parts in them that | | | | it, not Windows Vista (for reasons I've covered in a |
| are *known* to be bad parts! | | | | previous 3-part article about the problems with |
| You see, when a chip manufacturer like Intel makes a | | | | Windows Vista). Or finally get away from Windows |
| computer processor (the "brain" of the computer), they | | | | and switch to a Mac. |
| test it to make sure it works. Makes sense, right? But | | | | Either way, you're getting a better deal. Hope that |
| inevitably, many of them fail these tests. Now you'd | | | | makes sense and helps with your decisions on how to |
| think these bad parts would be thrown away, but no -- | | | | chose when buying a computer. |