Decisions being made by computer owners or prospective owners are mainly being drive by price these days, for obvious reasons. Not everyone wants to spend a ton of money on a new PC, unless the return on investment is high enough. However, quality matters, too, as does the manner in which you will be using your machine.
So, here are the 4 choices which I see right now for most business or home computer users.
1) Netbooks (a new term which has arisen over the last several years to describe a sub-compact, notebook-type computer). Netbooks are small that notebooks and are ultra portable. The storage subsystem often has no hard drive. Instead it often uses flash memory, similar the the ultralight MacBook Air. Netbooks are good for surfing the web and email and still come with a regular operating system, so they can run Office applications, too. The best deals that I see on Netbooks are at RadioShack. The prices quoted online are actually higher than the in-store price. I saw a similar model to the ones displayed online selling for $100, provided that the buyer sign at 2-year contract for ATT wireless. The cost to get out of the wireless plan is $180 or $200, if desired.
Notebook computers can be a great deal these days. For an inexpensive, but useful notebook, check out the Dell Vostro line. Latitude and Precision laptops from Dell are also popular and are better for more demanding applications. I like HP, too, but Dell is what I buy for myself and my clients in most cases. When purchasing a notebook, ask yourself how much travelling you will do – how often will you be away from home. If the answer is ‘no’, choose a laptop with a docking station or port replicator or a desktop. This will enable you to attach a normal monitor, keyboard and mouse to your system and to easily pop in the laptop and remove it.
Desktops are the best choice if you are looking for a cheaper, fast PC and will not be moving around at all. Pay attention to the case size when buying, as some of the slim cases will limit how many extra goodies (hard drives, video cards, etc.) you can add to your desktop PC later on. For these types of add-on component, Grundig Consulting can help you choose or you may want to buy online from an excellent vendor, such as Newegg
The final option is to upgrade or repair your current PC or laptop. This can save money in some instances. Generally, upgrading the RAM (memory) will have the greatest effect on performance at the least cost. To find the right memory for your machine, use the tool at Memory Suppliers.
If you have any questions about the above or about any computing topic, do not hesitate to contact Grundig Consulting by phone: 925-528-9081 or email: tom@tomscomputerservice.com. You can also post a comment here and I will reply accordingly or someone else may respond, too, with a post of their own.
