As in most things, people are always looking for the best deal when buying a computer. Well, the problem with trying to get the best price on a computer is that most individuals are comparing prices on new desktop or notebook computers.
Although it's nice to have the latest and greatest in all that you purchase, a computer is probably the one item that I highly suggest not trying to keep up with the state-of-the-art.
At the time of this writing, the Quad Core computers have been released for some time and are impressive in speed. Does that mean that a P4 2.8ghz machine won't do exactly what you need a computer to do ? Probably not. Albeit the Quad Core is going to do it faster. However, often times the speed increase is negligible in many areas. For instance, if you do a lot of word processing, the only time you may notice 'any' speed increase, is when you're saving or opening files. This speed increase, if noticed, would still most likely be a few seconds on large files with graphics.
Obviously when you get into some of the other 'high-end' type applications where the fastest possible speeds are needed, such as in video or 3-d file rendering, then the cost of the highest speed machines may be offset by the increased time savings, especially if you do it commercially.
A point should be noted here. A few years ago I had a neighbor that told me he had just bought a new PC. He knew that I did computer work and ask me to stop by and do a minor task that he wasn't sure how to do. So I went to his house and saw his shiny new computer sitting beside another, what looked to be fairly late model machine. When I inquired about the specs of the machines, I learned that he had went to great financial expense to replace a PC that was much more than adequate for his needs, with a high-end desktop box.
When I asked why he bought a new computer when his other seemed to be like new, he said he 'wanted his Internet to be faster!!'.
He was on a dialup connection, not that it would really mattered if he was on a T1 line!!
My point here...know exactly how much computing power you really 'need'. My neighbor's upgrade obviously didn't help his Internet access time one bit, and since he really didn't use it for anything else, other than playing some games that were much less than 'graphic intensive', his purchase was a complete waste of money. He did have a backup machine, but he could have done it for a lot less money.
So, if you are upgrading your computer, I would, by all means check out some online auctions before parting with your hard earned money. I've seen some terrific deals to be had in auctions. Computers that are just down a little from the latest models in terms of processor speed, memory, hard drive capacity, etc.
If money is not really a consideration, then by all means, order that machine that has just been released (order me one too), but know that it will only be the fastest available for not much more than a month or two, and then you'll have a machine that is worth much, much less dollar wise, but obviously just as capable as when you bought it. Why not save the depreciation and keep that money in your pocket ?
Instead of buying the fastest machine available, I'd think about buying a little less machine and spending your savings on a second box, peripherals or accessories.
| Written by Jeffrey Norris, an Internet affiliate marketer and owner/Webmaster of several sites covering various niche topics. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Norris |
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