Tech-Tims Blog

We all have heard the commercial and whether you know it or not, it makes a whole lot of sense whether you are buying a house or a computer to be sure you are covered. I have spent my whole career trying to stress to people how important it is to one, cover your assets, and to always backup your data.

If you are out looking for a new computer this holiday season, or any season for that matter, I suggest that you follow a few guidelines before making your final decision to buy. It seems that big shopping days like Black Friday, and tax season shopping tends to fool people into thinking that what they are getting is the best stuff for their value. So, the first thing to remember when out looking for a new computer is that cheaper is not always better.

So, to be clear, let’s look at a few reasons why buying cheap is not always the best for the value in the technical world. First of all, just people see an ad for a laptop that will be on sale for $199 dollars their eyes light up. Before they even consider any other factors like what they will use the computer for, or what are the features and benefits of buying this computer, they see a price tag and impulse buy.

The problem with this concept is that you may have bought a computer for $199 dollars, and when you turn it on for the first time, you find that it doesn’t have any of the features that you really wanted or needed. So in reality, your new $199 computer is more like a word processor or a typewriter than a computer.

You see, when it comes to computers, it’s pretty simple, if you want a computer that will do anything you ever dreamed of, buy a higher priced computer with more features, if you just want one for the basics and to surfing the internet buy lower. But I never suggest buying the cheapest because it’s just like anything else, cheaper always means less to work with.

So, ask someone or read up on its features, what it has to offer and make certain that it has everything you need. For instance, does it have a CD/DVD Player, enough USB ports, an external monitor port (for laptops, If you choose) a decent amount of memory (At least 2 GB, I suggest 4 GB), and most importantly a good sized hard drive (500 GB to 1 TB is good).

Another thing to consider when buying a computer is “Are you covered?” I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a good warranty with your computer. In this case however, you don’t necessarily have to buy the ultimate package, just a good warranty that will cover the hardware, and assure that a year later, you do not have to replace your new computer just because of a hardware failure.

Did you know that the #1 failed component in a computer, whether a laptop or desktop is the Hard Drive? The hard drive is the #1 failed component in a computer, because it has the most moving parts. Well since the hard drive is the component where all of your data and Operating System are stored, if it fails on you, you can lose all you data. This is why it’s very important to always back up your information to an alternate device (External Hard Drive Flash Drive, DVD) and it why it’s very important to purchase a good warranty for your computer.

Getting a good warranty is a very important factor in making your decision to buy a new computer, and should never be overlooked. I would highly suggest that you consider this over the price as to be covered by a good warranty means that you can have peace of mind that if anything happens to your computer, you are covered.

Now a little information on warranties you may not have known. People don’t realize when purchasing a warranty that the manufacturer of the computer is only going to cover hardware related issues, but some will cover software only to a certain extent. This is where people get confused when they purchase a warranty. It’s very important that you read the fine print, or ask questions when purchasing a warranty to see what’s covered, and what your options are.

Let me ask you this, if you purchased a toaster with a 1 year replacement warranty ,and one day your 2 year old decided to see if is GI Joe action figure would toast, do you think they would replace it? Of course they wouldn’t because toasting toys is not covered under warranty because it’s not what the toaster was designed to do right?

So, when you buy a computer, and it comes with Microsoft Word, the same applies. Just because you bought it with a Microsoft software like Office or even the Operating System (Windows 7, XP) , doesn’t mean that the manufacturer will cover or support it if something goes wrong.

I know what you are thinking, these warranty coverage’s are worse than a home insurance plan that don’t supply Tornado insurance when you live in Tornado alley. But the truth is, that Dell, HP, Toshiba, or Compaq is not in the business of supporting software, they are in the business of selling and supporting computers.
So now you see a computer you just can’t live without, the price is right, it comes with a great warranty, and it has everything you are looking for in a computer. So what’s next? Break out the checkbook and write the check right? Hold on a second, there is one more thing to consider.

Are you buying the right brand? There will most likely be a lot of opinions on this topic, and just like any other, I will state mine. I am not a spokesperson for any computer manufacturer, and I am not saying that there is one computer that beats out all of the competition, but take it from a guy that has worked on computers since he was just a kid, there are some that are notorious for failure, for bad service, and those are the ones you want to stay away from.

Make sure you do your research, and make sure to read reviews before you buy, it really helps to get an idea of what you are about to purchase, and if it will be right for you. Now, in my personal opinion, I believe that Dell offers the best warranty coverage hands down. You can have a technician at your house within days or even hours to replace any failed components with a good warranty, and it’s more than worth the extra money you spend.

Service is not everything you say; Good you are learning. I agree that all of the tips I provided today should all factor in when considering buying a new computer. However, getting good service and good warranty coverage on a computer means that you don’t have to worry if something goes south and therefore this should always be considered before purchasing a computer.

I hope that these simple to follow guidelines will help you when considering purchasing a new computer. I am not here to tell you where to buy, or what to buy, but simply to shop around, make sure what you are getting everything you need, and make sure it is covered under a good warranty.

Stay tuned for more to come, and as always thanks for reading Tech-Tim’s blog.