Buying a home or small business computer - Admboard.org

Buying a home or small business computer
Stephen Schneider
©2003 1

This publication provides the Author's opinions and neither the Publisher (Mind
Architecture) nor the Author (Stephen Schneider) intends to render legal, accounting,
or other professional advice with this publication.
The Publisher and Author disclaim any personal liability, loss or risk incurred as a
consequence of the use and application, either directly or indirectly, of any advice,
information, or methods presented in this publication.
First Edition
Copyright 2003
by Mind Architecture, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this manuscript may be
reproduced (by any means) without the express written permission or Stephen
Schneider and/or Mind Architecture.
All copyrights trademarks are the property of their respective company.
©2003 2

Table of Contents:
Introduction 4
Determine the Why's 6
Software 8
Hardware 12
Laptops 21
Ads and Reviews 22
Upgrading 25
Brand Name VS. Local Store 26
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Introduction
So you are thinking of buying a computer. Maybe it’s your first computer. Maybe it’s
an upgrade or replacement for an older computer. Even, maybe, you are getting a
second computer. You feel a little overwhelmed and confused about all the choices
out there. How fast should it be, how much memory, what is memory? The amount
of choices and terminology can make you want to throw your hands up in frustration.
If this sounds like you, keep reading.
This book is designed to take some of the mystery and confusion out of buying a PC
in today's market. It is intended for the general consumer. As such, we have taken a
few liberties in explaining some items and tried to keep things as non-technical as
possible. When finished reading, you should have a better understanding of not only
the choices you have, but the questions you should ask and the important items to look
for. You should feel more comfortable talking with someone about buying a
computer with the knowledge contained within this book. Let's face it; no one likes to
spend what could be several thousand dollars if they don't know what they are truly
getting. With a little knowledge, you can make a wise choice in your next home
computer.
This book is divided into several sections. Each section will focus on one aspect of
buying a computer. When read as a whole they provide a complete understanding of
the many factors involved in buying a new computer.
For any updates to this book please visit: http://www.mindarch.com
If you have questions or comments on this book, please email:
Stephen@mindarch.com
These sections are:
1 - Determine the Why's - to purchase the system you need, figuring out why you are
getting a computer is the first crucial step.
2 - Software - thinking of your software needs and how they influence your purchase.
3 - OS - the operating system is one of the most crucial parts of your system and
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choosing the right one will affect everything else.
4 - The Hardware - each piece of hardware is looked at as to how it affects the
computer and why you need it.
5 - Laptops - how they differ from their desktop counterparts and whether it makes
sense to get one.
6 - Ads and Reviews - taking a look at current ads and how they can be interpreted
and reading reviews to help with the final decision.
7 - Upgrading - A look at how to upgrade and whether you should.
8 – Brand name VS. Local – which is better for you?
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Determine the Why's
The first step in purchasing a new computer is determining why you are purchasing it.
This may seem like obvious, but too many people think they need to get a computer
but have no idea exactly why. This will cause problems because you can quite easily
not get what would be good for you and this will lead to a lot of frustration when
trying to figure out your computer and use it.
Common reasons for getting a computer are:
Playing games
Running a business
Surfing the Internet and sending email
Schoolwork
Learning to program or repair computers
Everyone else has one/time to get on the bandwagon
Most people don't think about this but it can be crucial when it comes to whether the
system is the one you need. If the answer to this question is just to upgrade or to have
a computer, you may want to stop and think a bit more before spending your money.
There are a lot of choices to make and not even knowing what the end goal is will
make it harder to weigh the pros and cons of each choice. The system you get at the
end will be a much better system for you by defining what your needs are first.
To help determine why you are buying a new computer, first thing is, don't believe all
the media. Not everyone needs the latest and fastest computer. In fact, for some
people the very fastest computer may be more than they will ever need. Plus, as we'll
see shortly, there are other factors that affect the speed of your computer. Remember,
just because the newest machine is 3 Gigahertz (3000 Megahertz), there are people
using 500 Megahertz computers to surf the Internet, run businesses, write programs
and play games. In fact, by determining your needs you may find that you don't need
to spend the extra money on the newest processor. This could actually save you
several hundred dollars or allow you to purchase a better piece of hardware.
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If you are buying a computer to play games, look into some of the best top of line
equipment you can buy. Same thing if you are doing intensive video and graphic
manipulation. These items will really work a computer, so spending that extra money
will be extremely beneficial. Most other people won't need to necessarily get the most
top of the line components. This doesn't mean you shouldn't. If you can afford it,
buying the fastest and best hardware will allow that computer to be useful for longer
as things change. On the other hand, the power of some low end systems is greater
than the best computer of 2 years ago, so the value is usually good.
These are just a few of the things to think about and choices to make when purchasing
a computer. Determine how much you can spend and determine how soon you would
like to replace or upgrade a computer. If you can spend a lot and don't want to
upgrade soon, get the best of everything. If you only have a little to spend, get the
best you can knowing you may replace it sooner. This doesn't mean you definitely
will. Many people and businesses are quite happy using a computer system they
purchased 6 or 7 years ago. As long as it is still running what they need, why change?
Only you will be able to determine when and if you need to upgrade. If you aren’t
sure when you might upgrade or why, then getting something with a reasonable price
tag may make the most sense. Then when you feel more comfortable with the system,
you can look into upgrading to a system that may meet your needs better.
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Software
To help determine what you will want to get, figure out what software you need first.
Software is the actual part of the computer that is most important but is often
overlooked.
Software includes:
The Operating System like Windows©, Mac OS© etc
Accounting Packages like Quickbooks©
Web Browsers like Internet Explorer© and Netscape Navigator©
Word Processors like Microsoft Word©
Games
Computer hardware doesn't do much without software. If you get a computer that
can't run your software, you've just wasted a lot of money. Since running software is
what a computer does and what makes them useful, software is the first thing you
should be thinking of when purchasing a new computer. Why? If the software you
need only runs on a certain type of computer, requires a certain speed of computer or
certain amount of memory, or needs certain hardware, then your computer choices
will be limited by that software.
Will you be buying all new software, upgrading from older software, or using
software you already have? If using older software with a new system, make sure that
it will run with your newer operating system.
Software will list the minimum requirements it needs to run effectively. This
information is what you will need when determining the minimum computing power
to purchase. Look at all the software you will be buying and make note of the highest
requirements listed. That will be the minimum computer to buy. This isn't always
just the processor speed. Software needs a minimum amount of memory and other
factors too.
Once you know what your absolute minimums are, it is recommended to get a
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computer a few steps above that so you have room to grow. Quite often you can look
into what were last years newest models, and buy one of those. Like cars, stores try to
get out last years models and you may get a very good deal that will do everything you
need. This is a technique that many people use to upgrade frequently without paying
outrageous costs on the newest features.
Most consumer level computers on the market today will run most of the software
without problems. If you are unsure what software you will need, use games to
determine. Find the minimum requirements for the newest game releases. Since most
games need higher requirements than other software, you will have a good idea of a
minimum system to look for.
For example, as this is being written a game called Warcraft III© recently was
released. The minimum system requirements are (don't worry if you don't understand
what all of this means yet):
400 Megahertz (MHZ) processor
128 Megabytes (MB) ram
8 MB 3D video
700 MB hard drive space
4x CD-ROM Drive
The most base model system from one of the national chains has the following specs:
1800 MHZ processor
128 MB ram
64 MB 3d video
20 Gigabytes (GB) hard drive (20,000 (MB))
48x CD-ROM Drive
So you can see that even the most base model will more than handle playing one of
the newest games on the market.
The advertising we see on TV, in magazines, and on the radio leads us to believe that
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the newest processor is what we have to have and need. The truth is that if you can
identify what software you will need, you can get the system to fit. This years newest
processor may be 100% or higher in cost than a slightly slower processor. The
performance increase may only be 50% or so. This doesn’t always make sense to
spend that much extra money for minimal performance gains. On the other hand, if
you purchase the newest processor now, you will have a speedier computer for longer
and be able to run newer software as it comes out for a longer period before having to
upgrade. It can be a tough call and each situation is different.
You also need to determine how often you will upgrade that software or when you
will need new software. If you buy the newest version every time if comes out, within
a few upgrades your computer may not be able to handle running things as well as
you'd like. So you need to determine whether you'd rather spend more money now
and make the computer last longer or buy a cheaper system now and replace it sooner.
The advantage to the first is less hassle and a really nice system now. The advantage
to the second is quite often having newer hardware that is also under warranty. Both
are viable solutions and each person needs to determine which solution works best for
them.
You will also need to think that sometimes the newer software needs features of a
newer operating system or newer hardware. This can influence when you need to
upgrade. You can no longer buy a computer today and keep buying new software for
the next decade. Usually, after about 5 years at the most you will need to look at
getting a new computer if you want to keep running the newest software.
When it comes to software the absolute most important piece of software you will be
running is the Operating System. The operating system is the software that controls
the computer hardware and lets you run all of your other software. Your choice of
operating system will affect what hardware you need and other software you can run.
Most of the time this comes with your computer, but some vendors are giving more
choices. There are several operating systems to choose from. The ones we will be
talking about are:
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Windows© - probably the most prevalent operating system in the consumer market
today. When you talk about PC's, most of the time you are talking about a Windows©
class machine. Microsoft Windows© runs most of the software that people are
buying.
Macintosh© - the other system that is gaining more notice lately is the Apple
Macintosh©. You can't run Windows© version software, but most software has its
own Macintosh© version.
Linux - this is a free operating system that is starting to compete more with the other
two. No one particular company owns it, but the most prominent for the home market
are Red Hat© and Lindows©. (See my book – Linux for Windows Users)
The operating system you choose will be dependent on the software you need to run.
If you need a particular package you may be stuck with a particular operating system.
This is especially true if it is a niche software package that only has a version for one
of the OS'. For example: if you need to use Intuit Quickbooks© because that's what
your accountant uses, then you need a Windows PC©.
If you don't need a specific software package, but know the general type of software
you need, than you have more choice. All three operating systems mentioned have
games, word processors, spreadsheets, Internet software, checkbook programs, kids
software, etc. By finding the more specific software packages you want, you can
determine which OS you need. The other factor to keep in mind is that Windows©
and Linux run on one type of hardware and Macintosh© runs on a different type of
hardware. The one nice thing about Linux is that most of the software is free. All you
need to do is find it on the Internet and download it and you can legally use it for free.
Each of the other systems has free software you can download, though there might not
be as many. The free Linux software, though, isn't always a final version and may still
be in development.
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The other thing to keep in mind is that, at the moment, using Linux as your OS will
take more work than using either of the other two. Linux is just now trying to get into
the home market and the ease of use isn't as good as with Windows© and
Macintosh©.
Which version of OS should you get? Usually you want the latest version. That
means today that would be Windows XP, Mac OS 10.2, and Red Hat Linux 9.0. New
versions of the OS come out quite frequently. You will have to determine if the
newest version has features that you would like to upgrade to. You will also need to
make sure that your computer will handle the upgrade. This will be a bigger issue as
the computer gets older.
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Hardware
The computer is actually many different pieces working together. Each piece has a
different function. You can usually pick and choose pieces to get the ones you want.
This section will go through each part of the computer and explain what that part is
and what it does. This will allow you to choose which pieces are more important and
which pieces aren't. It also gives you more knowledge that can help you figure out
problems in the future.
1 - Case - the case is the box that holds everything and you connect items to. The case
is the box that is usually beige/gray or black. It's where the power button is that you
press. Unless you are putting a computer together piece by piece, you probably don't
have much choice as to what case you get or what it looks like. If you are buying the
pieces separate, most cases come with a fan. Some cases today are designed to be
eye-catching. Apple© started this trend and it has continued today with cases that
have a view port on the side and lighting inside with the components.
2 - Motherboard - the motherboard is one of the most important pieces of the
computer. Without the motherboard, nothing else works. The motherboard is a flat
circuit board inside the case. Everything in the case plugs into the motherboard, and
the motherboard has other plugs that you attach external hardware to. Some of the
items on the motherboard are the BIOS, CPU, and memory. Usually you have no
choice or very limited choice in a motherboard. If you upgrade your motherboard,
you normally have to upgrade your memory and CPU at the same time because newer
boards don't always use the same older items.
The BIOS is a chip with programming on it that helps your computer start, or boot.
The programming in the BIOS gets the computer booting up until the operating
system takes over. Usually you can change settings in the BIOS, but you have to hit a
certain key before your operating system starts loading. This key is usually F2 or F10
on your keyboard. Be careful changing settings in the BIOS, you can make your
computer unable to start. It's best to leave the BIOS alone unless you know what you
are changing.
Motherboards also have slots to plug in cards (more on cards later). These slots are
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normally AGP and PCI. AGP is for video and PCI is for just about anything else.
On the part of the motherboard that is near the back of the case, there are many places
to plug in other items. These are called ports. These ports include:
Ps/2 - this is where mice and keyboards plug in and are round holes
Serial - a 9 pin port that allows for external modems and certain other devices
Parallel - a 25 pin port for plugging in a printer or scanner
USB - a new flat port that allows many devices to be used
Mouse - the mouse is the device you use to move the pointer around on the screen.
There are usually two buttons, left and right, that you press or click to choose items on
the screen. Some newer mice have more buttons that you can program for vaious
functions. There can also be a wheel in between these that allows you to easily scroll
through a document on screen. Mice also have a roller ball underneath that translates
the movements, though newer mice use laser optics to do this. Given a choice, the
optical mice are recommended.
Keyboard - the keyboard is what looks like the old typewriters. This is what you type
on to do things on the computer, like type up this book. Most keyboards are very
similar, though some have special buttons that allow you to easily get your email or
start programs. Some keyboards even have a split look to make it easier to type.
These are called Natural Keyboards.
There are now integrated motherboards. An integrated motherboard has one or more
of the following pieces of hardware attached right to the motherboard: video, sound,
network card and/or modem. Purchasing an integrated motherboard or a computer
with an integrated motherboard usually saves money. It is cheaper to have a video
chip on the motherboard than to buy a whole video card. Buying computers with
integrated motherboards can make the cost of the computer go down. What can be a
problem is upgrading and parts going bad. If you have integrated video and the video
goes bad, you may need to buy a whole new motherboard to fix it. This may mean a
whole new processor and RAM. If you don't have an integrated motherboard and your
video goes bad all you need to do is buy a new video card. The cost difference can be
several hundred dollars. Integrated motherboards save money when the whole
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computer is purchased but may end up costing more for repairs later. If upgrading,
you may not be able to upgrade your integrated video at all unless you replace the
whole motherboard. Buying integrated motherboards make sense if you don't want
to upgrade individual pieces or you plan on buying a new computer within a few
years.
3 - CPU - Central Processing Unit. The CPU is the brains of the computer. This is
what you see Intel© advertising. Examples of CPU are Pentium III© and Pentium
IV© and AMD Athlon©. The CPU is measured in speed called Megahertz or MHZ.
The more MHZ, the faster the processor. A large part of the perceived speed of a
computer is due to the processor. At the time of this writing, you can buy a 3
Gigahertz (same as 2000 MHZ) computer. That is very fast. The computer this book
is being written on is a 700 MHZ processor. Faster processors will enable you to run
very intensive items better (video rendering, math functionality, audio conversion,
CAD, etc) better. A faster processor will also allow you to run more programs
without noticing your computer slowing down as much.
The perceived speed of a computer has to do with the whole computer and not just the
processor. The perceived speed is how fast the computer appears to be working
regardless of the processor speed. Even with the fastest processor, if you are editing
video then other programs will seem to run slower. If you have a fast processor and
your word processor is taking 5 seconds to open a document, but you have a second
computer where the word processor only takes 1 second to open a document, the
perceived speed of the second computer is faster. That doesn't mean the first
computer should be upgraded to a faster processor, there are other factors to look at.
As we work through this section, several other hardware items are mentioned that
have a dramatic effect on the perceived speed of a computer.
3 - Memory - memory is the temporary area that the computer uses while running. It
is often referred to as RAM. RAM is measured in Megabytes (MB). Most software
will say a minimum amount of RAM you need to have to run the software.
When a computer starts up, the parts of the operating system and other programs that
are needed to be running are loaded into memory. The more memory you have the
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more things you can run at once. The system does have a way of taking items out of
memory and storing them in a holding spot called a cache. That frees up some
memory for something else. If the information in the cache is needed, the computer
swaps what is in the cache with what is in memory. This does allow you to run more
programs than you normally could with the amount of memory you have, but cache is
slower than memory so it slows down the computer the more you need to use it. This
affects the perceived speed of a computer. As a simple upgrade, by adding more
memory the speed of your computer can seem to increase and you will spend less
upgrading RAM than you will upgrading the motherboard and CPU. You can usually
add more RAM onto a motherboard without changing anything else.
Typical computers come with 64MB of RAM, though there are more with 128MB and
up. It is recommended for Windows© to have no less than 128MB or RAM, though
256MB or more is recommended. For Macintosh©, you can run the computer with
256MB, but 512MB or more is recommended. For either system, more memory will
be helpful and make the system more responsive.
4 - Hard Drive - the hard drive is often misunderstood and provides confusion. Your
hard drive is not memory. The hard drive is permanent storage whereas memory is
temporary storage. When you install a new piece of software onto the computer, the
files that make up that software are put onto the hard drive. When you click a shortcut
to run that program, the operating system loads the files off of the hard drive into
memory so you can use them. When you write a document and save it, the document
is stored on the hard drive even if you turn off the computer. If the computer gets
turned off before you save, the document is no longer in memory (RAM) and is gone.
Typically, a larger hard drive is better. Hard drives are measured in Gigabytes (GB)
and the higher the number the more space you have to store programs and
information. This means the operating system files, and documents you create, music
files like MP3's, pictures, video, games, etc. Computers can also have more than one
hard drive, but typically come with one.
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Hard drives do have a speed measurement. This is in RPM's (revolutions per minute).
The higher the number the faster the hard drive and the better the perceived speed of
your computer. This is just an indicator to help with comparing hard drives. You
want to look for a hard drive that is 7200 rpm at least.
There are typically two types of hard drives you may run into, IDE and SCSI. For
most use, IDE drives are what you need and are what is typically sold with computers.
The size of a hard drive may make a difference depending on your motherboard.
Some older motherboards can't use the newer, larger hard drives. If you are upgrading
or adding a hard drive, make sure the motherboard can handle the size.
You should also get a floppy drive if you are buying a Windows© or Linux based
machine. The floppy drive allows you to use the 3 ½ inch disks called floppy's.
These can't store much information and are not used very much today, but it is helpful
to have a floppy drive if you need to reboot because of a bad hard drive or you are
reinstalling and can't use the cd. They still come in handy to copy small files to that
you can use elsewhere. Macintosh© does not even come with a floppy drive anymore.
There is a newer type of hard drive out, the SATA. These use a different type of wire
inside the computer, but are fast and large. These are still new and most systems
aren’t offering them yet.
5 - CD Rom Drive - the cd drive is what allows you to not only play music cd, but to
use and install software stored on computer data cd. This is as essential as the hard
drive today. The speed of a CD is measured as revolutions faster than a normal music
cd. So if you have a 52X drive, it spins 52 times faster than a normal music cd player.
You need a faster drive if you are going to use if for watching a video file. Faster
drives also install programs faster. Most CD drives sold today are fast enough for
most purposes.
There are now CD drives that let you actually write (or burn) and store files on CD
disks. These are referred to as CD burners and you see them advertised as CD-RW.
This means that you can buy CD-R disks that allow you to write information to the
CD. You can't use a CD-RW drive to write to normal CD's. Once a CD is written to
you can't write to it again. NOTE: there is a way to write to a CD-R more than once,
but that is beyond what most people will do.
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You can get other cd's called CD-RW's that can be used in your CD burner. These
disks will allow you to write to the CD-RW more than once and even erase files off it
to write more. The drawback is they are more expensive and some CD drives can't
read the information written on these disks. You should also be cautious about how
many times you use and write information to these disks as they have a tendency to
wear out fast.
An option is to get a DVD drive. These typically can read all CD's but can also read
DVD's. This allows you to run software that allows you to watch DVD movies.
There is some computer software that now comes on DVD. To install software off of
a DVD you will need a DVD drive. If you have a DVD drive you do not need to also
have a CD drive, but you may want a CD-RW drive and a DVD drive.
You can also buy a DVD burner. These, unfortunately, are having problems due to
competing standards and it is hard to talk about what to get or look for.
NOTE: some of the rest of the hardware items talked about are referred to as cards.
Cards are circuit board like hardware items that plug into slots on the motherboard.
By doing this you gain the ability to use the card and it is treated like part of the
computer. These are discussed as if the computer didn't have an integrated
motherboard.
6 - Video - the video card is what the monitor is hooked into. It sends the images and
pictures to the monitor for viewing. Without a video card you can't do much with
your computer. Most video cards can more than handle what most people do. There
are video cards that focus more on gaming. These cards typically have more memory.
There are also video cards to hook into cameras and TV's or have video out ports in
various ways. If you play games or want to do video editing or image editing, a video
card with 128MB or more of memory is recommended.
The monitor is one of the least thought of items when a computer is purchased. The
monitor is the part you look at all the time. If you are using the keyboard and not the
mouse, you are looking at the monitor. If you use the mouse and not the keyboard,
you are looking at the monitor. If you are typing, reading email, looking at pictures,
playing games, or anything, you are looking at the monitor. Yet, most people get the
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cheapest monitor they can. More money should be spent on the monitor from the
beginning. A good monitor may last you through several computer upgrades. With
the prices of monitors being fairly low, there is no reason to get a 15 inch monitor.
Most people will want at least a 17 inch, but the price of a good 19 inch isn't much
more. The standard measure for sharpness is the dot pitch and is portrayed like .
25mm. Typically, the lower this number is the sharper the image. This isn't a
completely true analysis, but helps with comparison. If you can look at and compare
several monitors side by side, look for the one that has the best picture all over the
screen.
7 - Sound - the sound card is where speakers are plugged in to get sound. Even if you
don't intend to play games, it is nice to hear the sounds coming from a computer.
There are beeps to warn you of problems, dings to alert you to a new email, and other
sounds to notify you of various occurrences. Most people won't notice a difference in
sound cards unless they are doing games or high end audio. Even the cheapest sound
card can play the basic sounds from the operating system well. A better sound card is
nice if you want to play music cd or mp3's from your computer. A sound card can
also let a microphone be plugged in for use. This can allow you to record items
through the microphone, but also to use certain programs over the Internet to actually
talk with someone else. Most sound cards also have a spot to plug in headphones and
some even allow another device like a tape deck. That is useful if you want to record
tapes into computer format or just listen to tapes through your computer speakers
while also hearing the other computer sounds.
Speakers range in quality. The cheap speakers that come with most systems are only
useful for the basic sounds a computer makes. It is advisable to purchase better
powered speakers if you want to listen to music or play games. You can also get
speakers with a sub woofer and 5.1 surround sound. If you are going to get the
surround sound speakers, make sure your sound card can use the full capabilities of
the speakers.
8 - Modem - the modem is the device you hooks up to your phone lines to allow
dialing out and connecting to the Internet. Most computers come with a modem
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standard. If you have a dial-up Internet account, you can't connect to the Internet
without a modem. The modems you find are 56k modems. This means that at the top
speed, they can transfer 56 Kilobits of information at one time. By contrast, a 'cable
modem' can transfer 400 Kilobytes of information. About 1000 Kilobits = 1 Kilobyte.
Modems are a pretty slow way of using the Internet. When being used, they also tie
up your phone line, causing you to miss calls or have a second phone line or some
other solution to compensate.
'Cable Modems' are boxes hooked into your cable line and allow you to connect to the
Internet that way. These are much faster than regular modems. A 'cable modem' isn't
really a modem at all; it is just named such to make it easier to know what it does.
DSL is the other common way to connect to the Internet. DSL actually works over
your phone lines, but doesn't tie them up like a regular modem.
The cost of connecting to the Internet is higher per month with cable or DSL, but
offers greater speeds and always on connections. This faster speed has spawned the
term Broadband for these faster connections. If you only will be connecting to the
Internet with one of these, you may not even need a modem. If you have a modem,
but haven't signed up with a dial-up company to connect to the Internet, your modem
may not help you as a backup. The problem with using a modem for a backup is that
you may have to pay for the monthly dial up service even if you aren't using it. There
are some companies out there that offer limited free dial up and some cable companies
will offer dial up when you sign up for cable modem service.
Another use for a modem is that some games allow you to directly dial a friend’s
computer to play against them. Most of these games also have Internet multi player
abilities and run better with a Broadband connection.
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9 - Network Card – The network card, or NIC, is used for 2 main purposes: 1)
connecting several or many computers in a network and 2) connecting a computer to a
Broadband connection like cable modem or DSL. You will need a NIC if you do
either of these. Network cards connect computers at 10 or 100 Megabits per second.
You can also get a device called a hub to go with your network. A hub will easily
allow several computers to be networked together and share files or play games. If
you have cable modem or DSL you can get a router that will work like a hub and also
allow multiple computers to connect to the internet with 1 connection.
10 – USB/Firewire – These are newer ports that are taking the place of serial and
parallel. Almost every device is available with a USB connection. The benefit with
USB is that it is 'hot'. This means, if using Windows© or Macintosh©, you can plug a
USB device in and the computer will usually automatically or easily set it up for use.
You can even do this while the computer is on and quite often you don't have to
reboot. These are things usually not able to be done with serial or parallel. Firewire is
faster than USB, though USB 2.0 is said to be as fast. USB seems to be more
common today. If using video or transferring many images, you may want to get a
firewire connection to your camera. Be careful, as some video cameras and digital
cameras only have one or the other type of connection.
If your computer doesn't have firewire you can add it. You can also add USB, even if
you already have USB.
Most of the devices talked about range in price and quality from cheap to expensive
and from good quality to terrible quality. For any particular piece of hardware, get a
couple opinions on what to get. For example, the cheap Wintel type modems seem to
have more problems than the slightly more expensive modems. If you saved $20 on a
modem but then spent most of a weekend to get it working, did you really save any
money? Find someone who is familiar with computers and ask their opinions. You
should also find a local computer store that you feel comfortable with and ask them
what types of hardware they recommend.
©2002 21

©2002 22

LAPTOPS
A big question today is whether to get a desktop or a laptop. Laptops offer many of
the same things you can get in a desktop. The same software runs on a laptop usually
that runs on a desktop. If you want a Macintosh©, you will need to get a Macintosh©
laptop.
Some advantages to laptops:
Easier to port around
Can contain everything you need – keyboard, mouse type device, modem/NIC,
sound, CD Drive, Floppy Drive and a screen in one portable case
Can usually plug in the same devices you would with a desktop via serial, parallel
and if your laptop has them – USB and Firewire
You can usually plug in a keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer and other devices to
use at a desk like a desktop
Some disadvantages to laptops:
Some laptops can be very heavy, 10 lbs or more
More expensive
Top of the line models slower than top of the line desktops
All parts are more expensive
Hard drives are slower
Much harder and more expensive to upgrade and fix than a desktop
If there is a good reason you want a laptop, like you travel for work a lot, then a laptop
makes sense. If you will use your computer in one spot and not move it around, you
would be better off with a desktop.
©2002 23

Ads and Reviews
With the knowledge from previous sections, the ads seen from stores should make
more sense. You will also notice that most of them are similar. When perusing ads, I
like to look at a couple things:
How much memory is with the computers
Is the video, NIC, sound, or modem integrated on the motherboard
Does the video have it's own memory or does it share system memory
Does the computer come with a monitor or any extras like a printer
Is the Hard drive a 7200 RPM drive or a 5400 RPM drive
Depending on needs, what you look for in a computer varies greatly. Make sure when
comparing computers in two different ads you are focusing on what's important. A
computer with 128MB memory is better than one with 64MB memory. A computer
with a 1.6 GHZ processor and 64MB of memory will probably seem to perform worse
than a computer with a 1.4 GHZ processor and 256MB memory. A 19” or 17”
monitor is better than a 15” monitor. Personally, I would rather have a 40GB 7200
RPM hard drive than a 60GB 5400 RPM hard drive. It's important that your main
drive be fast. A second drive can be added, and the second can be a slower without as
much performance difference as the first drive being slow.
Some current computer ads from major manufacturers:
The names of the manufacturers aren't given but all 3 are major manufacturers.
#1 - Intel© Celeron 1.8GHZ CPU
128 MB DDR RAM
60GB – 5400 RPM Drives
15X DVD-Rom
Integrated Video
Integrated Sound
Integrated NIC
15” Monitor
Windows© XP
$918
©2002 24

#2 – Intel© Pentium 4 1.8 GHZ CPU
128MB DDR RAM
40GB – 5400 RPM Drive
10x/12x/48x CD-RW
Integrated video
Integrated sound
Integrated NIC
15” Monitor
Windows XP
$799
#3 – Intel© Pentium 4 2.0 GHZ CPU
128MB DDR RAM
80GB – 7200 RPM Drive
10x/10x/40x CD-RW
32MB Graphics Card
Integrated Sound Card
Integrated NIC
17” monitor
Windows© XP
$749
These 3 ads were chosen as the featured system for 3 different manufacturers on the
same day. In my opinion, ad #3 offers the best product and also at the best price.
Dude, you gotta get one! Names weren't used, but all parts mentioned for all systems
were name brand and were the same in some cases! So it pays to compare before
purchasing. You also may want to shop online before going to a store. It might be
that your best deals can be had online. It also pays to shop with other companies and
local stores. There are a few main brands of any hardware used, and all manufacturers
use them. You can get good deals with great computers from local stores. The
benefit of working with someone locally will be noticed when you have problems. If
you use a large manufacturer that ships your computer to you or even purchased from
a chain store, if you have problems you may spend a lot of time on hold and then have
©2002 25

to ship the computer to them for repair. With many local stores, you talk right with
the person you purchased the computer from and any repair times are usually better.
The cost difference in name brand computer vs. one from a local store usually isn't
that great if any difference at all.
Reading reviews is a very subjective thing. You can read a review about the same
system and yet one can love it and one can hate it. If you find a place that has reviews
and you tend to agree with their assessments, then stick with that when purchasing
some new hardware.
Reviews typically have an overall rating to give you an idea if it's worth your time. I
like the reviews that give short pros and cons of the system or hardware. This helps
let me know if it will at least do what I want.
When reading the body of the message, pay attention to details. If they don't like the
computer because of the rounded edges on the case, that may not be a big deal to you.
If they like the computer because it comes with an extra wrist rest, that may or may
not be important to you. If they love it but it is an integrated motherboard, only has
32MB ram, doesn't come with a sound card, and costs twice as much as what you
want to spend, you shouldn't get that system even if they say it's the best out there.
Some places online allow you to compare specs for systems they've reviewed. They
sometimes allow users to vote and cast opinions. These can be more informative in
helping you decide what to buy than anything else.
The major computer magazines usually have reviews in the magazine and online.
Computer Shopper© not only has plenty of reviews but it is full of ads of places to
buy computers and hardware.
©2002 26

UPGRADING
At some point your computer will seem old and may not run as well. At this point it
may be time to start thinking about upgrading. The good news is that computers are
useful longer than they were several years ago.
Before you upgrade, figure out what you want to upgrade and why you want to
upgrade. If your computer is running slow, there are some things you can do that may
speed it up without buying new hardware. (See my book – Tuning Your Windows
PC).
If your computer is running slow or sluggish, the first thing to think of getting would
be more memory. You need to make sure you can still get the type of memory your
computer uses and it won't cost an arm and a leg. Memory for older computers quite
often costs more than memory for newer computers.
If your hard drive is getting full, a second drive can be added. The thing to remember
is you will need to move some files from the old to the new to actually free up space
on the old and you will want to start installing programs and saving files on the
second drive. Just adding a second drive doesn’t magically increase your storage
space. In this case, it may be a good idea to use the new drive as your primary drive
(drive C: on Windows©). The reason for this is that the new drive may be faster,
larger, have a warranty, and may be more reliable for your data. To do this, though,
you will need a program like Ghost© to transfer the whole old hard drive to the new,
you can't just copy it over.
©2002 27

Brand Name VS. Local Store
To close, let's look at whether it makes more sense to buy a brand name pc from the
manufacturer or chain store or whether to purchase a pc from a local vendor.
Each choice has advantages. Some people feel most comfortable only purchasing a
brand name product. Be aware that sometimes you are paying more for the brand than
anything else. The large companies that build computers use and buy the same parts
that the small companies do. Local companies use and buy the exact same parts, also.
Some large companies may actually use lower grade parts because they buy in such
bulk they get them extremely cheap. Again, you get what you pay for and sometimes
all you are really paying for is the brand name. The largest benefit to buying a brand
name is that you may get a slightly better price. Sometimes you can get a good deal
with some extra hardware or software thrown in. If you buy a name brand from a
chain store you can sometimes get last years models on clearance. The downside to
buying a brand name is exactly what the good things are about buying from a local
store. Most brand name warranty's have you send a broken computer to the company
to be fixed. This can mean several weeks of waiting. Local companies with
warranties usually fix it in the store and the turnaround can be faster. If you have a
question with a brand name computer, quite often you can't even call them without
paying for the call or you are on hold for a long time. Quite often your questions don't
get answered to your satisfaction. Brand name companies have so many people
buying their computers that they can't please everyone and don't even try. Local stores
depend more on their clientele and will try to be more helpful. You can usually walk
into a local store with a question and have someone give you the answer you need.
Quickly.
True, not all local stores are created equal, but if you find one where you like the
people and they seem to know what they are talking about and are helpful, you may be
better off in the long run to purchase your computer equipment from them than a
brand name from a chain store or online.
©2002 28

Used Systems
With so many new computers being sold, the question comes up as to where are the
old computers going? The good news is that a lot of people sell them out right or
trade them into a store that resells computers. This can be good if you want to save
money and aren't interested in the latest systems.
The biggest benefit of buying a used system is that you save money. You save money
on that system compared to what it was new. The price difference between a usable
used system and a new system is much smaller than it used to be. If you look back at
the 3 ads from earlier, you'll see the price of the lowest is in the mid-700's. That's for
a good computer with a fast processor and a good amount of memory. In contrast, a
used Pentium 3 of about 550 MHZ is selling for $250-$300. A considerable savings,
but most don’t have monitors or an operating system. That would add another $300 to
the cost. Since they are used, you don’t have a warranty and it’s definitely ‘buyer
beware’.
That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t get used, just be aware of the down side to buying
used. Used computers can save you money that could be spent on software. A used
computer makes great sense if you want it for a second computer or you just need it
for a short time. In today’s market, it doesn’t usually make sense to purchase a used
computer because of cost alone. If that used computer needs another $200 in
hardware to get it working correctly or it costs you $100 for technical support right
away, then it wasn’t worth the cost or effort.
The other danger of used systems is over pricing. Many people selling their old
computer rationalize this way – ‘I paid $2000 for this computer new, it is still in great
shape and works fine, I could probably get $800 for it’. What they fail to realize is
that a 3 year old computer has barely a fraction of its new value. This is another
reason to buy last years best model rather than this years model. When it comes time
to sell it, you won’t lose as much money in the end.
©2002 29

Bonus:
Below are some links to get you started on looking for computers and reviews. I'm
not endorsing any of these and it was unintentional to leave others out. This is just as
a starting place for your search. They are also not in any particular order.
www.pricewatch.com
www.ebay.com
www.zdnet.com
www.pcmage.com
www.winmag.com
www.microsoft.com
www.apple.com
www.redhat.com
www.lindows.com
www.techtv.com
www.refurbdepot.com
www.preowned.com
www.dell.com
www.toshiba.com
www.hp.com
www.sony.com
www.compaq.com
©2002 30

Conclusion
The goal of this book was to educate you so that you can make a better decision when
looking to purchase a new computer. I tried not to say one way or the other what to
look for or get. The reason for that is because each person’s situation is different. I
wanted to give all sides, pros and cons, to buying a computer and let you use that
information to decide what you needed to look for and get. Hopefully you gained a
better understanding of how computers work.
If you have any questions or to see about my other books, please visit my web site at
http://www.mindarch.com or email me at Stephen@mindarch.com.
©2002 31