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http://www.MacKiDo.com/General/BuyingAComputer.html
Buying A Computer
What salesman don't tell you
By: David K. Every
�Copyright 1999
This are some hints as to how you should buy a computer. When should you
move up the line (higher
performance), or down the line (lower cost), and why? Where are the best
values? Where should you spend your money? These are all just my opinions
on what makes sense.
Remember, this is the advice on what we should do -- but most of us
shouldn't buy luxury cars
(economically), yet we do. I know the rules as to what I should buy -- then
when it is my turn, I
usually just run out and buy the fastest machine, with the most memory,
that I can (wisdom be
damned). I also own a sportscar, despite the fact I can only drive it
legally to 65 MPH. It's some sort
of male-testosterone-penis-extension thing. Many people buy designer
labeled clothing despite the fact
that some off brands offer equal (or superior) styling and quality. So my
pearls of wisdom are just
snippets of advice as to what we should do -- but don't confuse "should do"
with "what you are
going to do".
Remember, buying a computer is about cost tradeoffs. Most people put way to
much money in buying the fastest box, then have nothing left for the
peripherals that will make their computer really useful to them. But you
have to balance the SYSTEM costs -- not just the main box.
I'll write an article on how to choose peripherals some other time -- for
now, just start thinking about them and what you need. If you are going to
be doing a lot of large documents -- then think about how much laser
printer is going to cost. If you want to do real-estate flyers, then think
about buying that Digital Camera that will make your computer much more
valuable for you. If you like doing research or web-pages (and want to
bring in graphics or photos), then you want to think about a scanner. Think
about all these costs and the entire system (not just the main box) -- and
then balance all the components to fit in your budget.
Where should I look in a product line
------------------------------------------
At any given time there are low-end, high-end and mid-range computer
systems.
In general if you are going to be using your machine professionally (and
for many hours a day), then you should be starting near the top end
(fastest) computers. The machine costs, amoratized over the years of use,
will be nominal compared to the cost of your time -- so it is important to
make the Computer a fast and as painless an tool for getting your work done
as is possible. In other words -- buy up the product line.
In general if you are a newbie (just starting out), and you want to learn
computers -- but you are going to use it mainly for a bit of
word-processing, web-browsing and email, then you should start
thinking towards the bottom of the product lines -- all machines are
overpowered for most people's basic needs. If it takes you 2 or 3
years to outgrow the current machine (to where you really need
more), then by then you'll be able to buy a new machine that will be
far better (for far less cost) than you would have 2 or 3 years earlier
-- so just sell your machine and trade up (and take your depreciation
costs when know far better what you actually need).
(ada gambar di sini)
That means that most of us are somewhere in the middle. Mid-range machines
almost always offer the best value, ith a combination of flexibility and
performance.
As you buy towards "cutting edge" and fast, you are actually getting far
less extra performance per dollar. The cost curve would look similar to the
graph at right -- with diminishing returns on investment as you move up. So
there is a sweet spot in the middle. The extra performance can easily be
justified by professionals (or people that use their machines over 20 hours
a week) -- but most people can only justify buying the top end if they are
doing very specific things that demand all that performance (or they just
want to have the "very best" for ego reasons).
Many sales people will always try to start you at the top. Like that little
old lady from Pasadena who trades in her Dodge Viper -- one has to wonder
"who the hell sold her THAT car, and what did she think she needed it
for?". Most sales people are overselling you on the box.
Special needs
---------------
Some things you want to do with computers will force you up the product
line. If you are going to be doing Video Production, very high end Sound
Production, Graphics (Image editing, or very large illustration or CAD),
Programming (of large projects), 3D content creation, or VR (Virtual
Reality) -- then odds are you are going to need a lot of horsepower -- and
a faster box. Especially if you are serious about your hobby, or this is
going to be a career.
If you are going to use your machine as a high end server (and not just
basic text or file stuff -- but database, graphics, or some media server)
--then you need to be thinking up the line as well. But most people who are
doing server stuff know what they heck they are buying (and why). Most
first time server buyers are getting way more than they need with the entry
models.
Things like Word-Processing (and general office stuff), basic browsing,
email and so on, then you are doing little to push the computer. You
probably don't need too much machine (and can be thinking down the line).
Most games, like strategy, role playing, board games, 2D Games (scroll and
kill as I call them), aren't that processor intesive any more. The middle
of the line is just fine. But hard-core 3D Gamers or Flight-Simulator
(first person in a virtual world) type games require all the power that you
can give them. Yet, they all are as dependant on good Graphics/Video Cards
as they are on the machine (processor) itself -- so for gaming, I would
take a mid-end machine with an excellent video card, over a high end
machine with a lower quality graphics/video card. (Again the extras /
peripherals may matter more than just the box).
Lifespan goals
----------------
In general if you are the type that is likely to buy a machine every two to
four years, then you should really start thinking about moving down the
processor line -- you don't need the high end, and you will be replacing it
soon anyway, so why spend the extra money? If you are a person that is
unlikely to upgrade or replace your machine, then definitely consider
moving up the product line. Over the course of 5 or 6 or 7 years the added
cost will easily pay for itself in those features or added performance.
For most people, your peripherals will have a longer lifespan that your
computer. Many people will carry-over a monitor or printer from one system
to the next. So think about that when buying those peripherals. Consider
moving down in the main box costs, if it means spending more on quality
peripherals that are likely to be used longer anyway. Computer technology
is growing faster than peripheral technology, so your main box is more
likely to be obsoleted first.
People also tend to not put neough value in their monitors -- they buy nice
computers and crappy monitors that are blurry. Then they stare at that ugly
(cheap) discount monitor and slowly go blind for the next few years. The
monitor is really worth spending a little money on to get something you
like.
Storage
--------
Storage prices are always dropping in cost -- and dropping quickly. So you
want to watch "over-buying". In the 3 or 4 years when you outgrow what you
have, it will cost 1/2 as much money for twice as much storage. So don't go
crazy. But with that in mind, here is a bit more to think about.
Browsers are memory (RAM) hogs, and people are starting to do many things
at once, especially on the internet (like email, chatting, newsgroups,
browsing, and so on -- all at the same time). With people getting on the
Internet so much, I would recommend 64 - 96 MegaBytes of RAM. You can get
by with less -- but the time costs of an upgrade (and money costs if you
have someone else do it) makes it worth while to just get enough RAM to do
your job (for a while at least). People usually under-buy RAM. If you are
doing Graphics (Photos or 3D), Video, or professional (multi-channel high
quality) sound, then you certainly should consider even more RAM.
Hard drives (permanent storage) seem to be the exact opposite of RAM. Most
people I know could easily get by on a 1 Gigabyte HardDrive -- so they
spend extra money to upgrade from the 6 Gig to the 12 Gig model. This is
like buying a Motorhome for your morning commute (alone). A little house
cleaning can immediately double the efficiency of almost any drive (just
deleting things that you honestly aren't using). If you are doing a lot of
Audio or Video Production then you might need it -- but most don't. Some
Professionals (publishing or graphics editing) could use it -- but they
should really have removable storage (to do backups) as well. So most
professionals would do better to spend the difference on some sort of
archival system (like a JAZ or ORB drive) instead of just on more
primary storage. This applies to most users as well. So unless you know you
need the storage, you probably do not. If you want upgraded storage, then
you probably want to add some removable storage for archiving/backups.
I was not kidding about "most users would do good to have some sort of
backup system". This is an
understatement. There is a very slight chance you will lose you data in any
given year -- but over the
course of 5 or more years, that likelihood goes up (a lot).
I prefer removable drives to tapes. Tapes hold a lot more (for servers) --
but for users, you want the
convenience and simplicity of another drive. I try to teach people to make
a "files" or "documents"
folder, and save all of their files in their, and then back that folder up
regularly. Applications can be
resinstalled, but recreating (or losing) your data can be painful! In the
future I will push DVD-RAM
on many people for just this reason -- backups! It is a really good idea to
mail a copy of your data (or
hand carry it), every so often, for your family to store or to put in the
safe-deposit box. This is in
case of fire, flood or theft -- and how often you do it should be dependant
on how much work you
can afford to lose (that is on your computer). Take this seriously -- this
is medical insurance for your
computer!
Conclusion
------------
That should just about do it. Make a little check list of what is most
important to you, and what falls in these different categories. Which
peripherals do you want, which do you need, which can you delay. How much
memory and performance do you need (and want). Then go in and buy a
computer accordingly. Each option that you are "adding" (like more speed)
should make you think about whether that amount of upgrade could be better
spent on another aspect of computing (for you). It is all about balancing
the need in your individual system and for your individual requirements.
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