How to choose when buying a computer - is asking "what is the most popular computer" the right question?

How to choose when buying a computer - is asking "what is the most popular computer" the right question?

(Note: this article was written and sent out to subscribers to my free computer lessons email newsletter on December 12th, 2007)

Around this time of year, it's common for people to be looking into buying a new computer as a gift or to replace the aging one they're using.

I thought I'd write an article to give a few tips on how to chose when buying a computer.

First off, I've found that a lot of people start thinking about this by asking "what is the most popular computer?" and letting the answer to that decide the question for them. Well, this isn't necessarily the best idea.

Just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean it's the best -- for example, fast food restaurants are popular places to go, but I think we all know they don't serve the best food in the world.

Here's the thing to remember when thinking about how to chose when buying a computer -- you should generally avoid the big brand names.

Yes, this might surprise you, but in my opinion, it's usually not a good idea to buy from one of the big brand name companies (there's one exception that I'll get to in a minute).

Here's why: dollar for dollar, you're generally going to get a worse deal than if you go with a reputable "generic" or "white box" store.

A lot of people have low price as the first thing on their list when they're trying to figure out how to chose when buying a computer. So they go with a cheap brand name and spend a few hundred dollars on it, and they think they're getting a good deal.

But what they don't realize is that it's common for a lot of the big brand companies to sell very out-of-date computers in their lower price ranges, and from what I've heard, they also often sell computers with parts they know are bad!

I'm not kidding about this -- most of the big computer companies out there, when they sell their least expensive computers, are trying to unload old inventory that's been collecting dust on their shelves for a long time.

They sell it to you as if it's new, and maybe it is in the sense of never purchased before, but it's hardly new in terms of the technology.

And the more disturbing part of this is that from what I've heard, those computers often have parts in them that are *known* to be bad parts!

You see, when a chip manufacturer like Intel makes a computer processor (the "brain" of the computer), they test it to make sure it works.

Makes sense, right?

But inevitably, many of them fail these tests. Now you'd think these bad parts would be thrown away, but no -- from what I've heard, what happens is they still sell them to the big computer companies at a discount, and those companies put them into their computers anyway.

What you can do with a bad processor a lot of the time is set it to run slower, and while it may not be running at full speed, it works well enough to pass the tests.

But the parts are still bad! Sure, they may work OK for a while (maybe just long enough to make it through the warranty period) but they have more little "glitches" and end up breaking down sooner.

So if you can find a reputable local company that sells computers they assemble themselves, you'll get a well built computer for a lot less because you're not paying for the brand name.

I can't help you find a local store like that everywhere, but those of you reading this who live on the Big Island of Hawaii can go to Falcon Computers in Kona or Falcon Computers in Waimea, or the newer branch in Hilo.

These are two branches of a store that offers computer repairs in Kona and Waimea, as well as a good place to buy a computer in Kona or Waimea on the Big Island.

A family-owned store like that is the only place I'd buy a Windows PC, personally.

So earlier I mentioned there was an exception among the big brand names -- if you've been reading my newsletter for a while, or know me, you might have already guessed which one it is -- Apple.

Apple is the only big brand name computer I personally would buy (I'm writing this on a MacBook Pro). I do this partially because I've used a lot of different types of computers over the years, and really don't enjoy using Windows much.

But I also do this because Apple doesn't deliberately put bad processors in their computers, or try to sell out-of-date computers as new. Some people complain that Apple's Macs are overpriced, but that's actually not the case -- when compared apples to apples (excuse the pun) they tend to be in the same price range as a Dell or HP of the same general specs.

So bottom line is, here's how to chose when you're buying a computer: if you want to stick with Windows, then support a local business and go to a good store that puts your computer together for you from parts.

And make sure you ask them to put Windows XP on it, not Windows Vista (for reasons covered in this 3-part article about the problems with Windows Vista).

Or get away from Windows and switch to a Mac.

Either way, you're getting a better deal.

Hope that makes sense and helps with your decisions on how to chose when buying a computer.

Until next time, enjoy,

Worth Godwin

P.S. And if you're looking to learn to use your computer -- new or old -- you should take a look at my easy video computer lessons for Apple Mac or for Windows. They come both as instant online lessons and on CD, are quick and easy to use, and come with a full 1-year iron-clad money back guarantee.

More information is available by clicking one of the following links:

If you have an Apple Mac computer (iMac, iBook, MacBook, etc.) then click this link to get easy Mac computer lessons

or if you have a Windows PC, then click this link to get easy Windows computer lessons

The Hidden Dangers In Keeping Old Computers For Too Long

You know how they say dog years are like 7 people years?

Well, with computers it's more like 15 to 20 computer years for every real year, thanks to something called "Moore's Law."

I won't go into a lot of technical detail about what Moore's Law is, but to boil it down it means basically that stuff in computers roughly doubles every 18 months.

So in other words, about every 18 months, the average hard drive (storage space) size will approximately double.

About every 18 months processor (computer brain) speeds will roughly double.

About every 18 months RAM size (temporary working space like a tabletop or work bench) will roughly double.

And so on. peace of mind

What this means for you is that while your computer isn't obsolete in a year and a half, it's definitely not cutting edge anymore, even if you got a high end model.

But that doesn't mean you need to throw it away or anything.

BUT, the thing you should remember is that while 5 years doesn't seem like a long time to us, it's 75 to 100 years for your computer.

And just like a 100 year old person can't be expected to be as physically active as a 17 year old, we can't expect our 5 year old computers to be able to handle all the modern programs.

This is one reason I mentioned in a recent email that you shouldn't try to put the new Windows Vista on an older PC -- it just can't handle it!

But there's a different problem, too, that a lot of people don't think of.

Not only does the hardware (physical parts of the computer) change radically in a few years time in terms of "strength" and speed, companies come up with new *types* of hardware that the old computers may not be able to even understand or be able to talk to.

This doesn't happen as quickly as the "every 18 months" Moore's Law that I mentioned earlier, but the bottom line is that if you keep your computer for too long, you can run into problems when the inevitable time comes to upgrade to a new machine.

Here's why.

I had a client named Dorothy several years ago who had an old Mac (what I'm talking about applies to both Windows PCs and Macs). This was around 2003 or so, and her Mac dated from the mid 1990s.

I don't remember the problem I fixed, but I told her at the time that she should replace the computer immediately because she was playing with fire trying to keep an old computer like that running.

She ignored my advice, and lived to regret it.

A year or two later, she called me asking me for my help because her old Mac had died and she had all her files on it and she wanted me to move everything over to a newer computer.

When it turned out that the computer didn't even turn on, I had to tell her that there was nothing I could do, at least not without it costing her several hundred dollars in parts and my time, and it wasn't a guarantee.

The problem was, the type of hard drive (remember, that's where all the files that she wanted are stored) wasn't being made any more, and I'd long ago had all of my old equipment that could read the old drive type break down and I'd had no reason to replace it.

Now if she'd been backing up her files, she would have been better off -- you know this if you've gotten my "5 Common & Costly Computer Mistakes" CD which comes for free with the amazing deal I'm offering on my website right now -- but she didn't.

Now we might have been able to do something if we'd hunted around on eBay for a really old computer, and shelled out a few hundred for it, plus a lot of my billable time.

Or if she'd just listened to me in the first place.

Hopefully you'll heed my advice: don't keep your computer for more than six years or so, and *please* back up your files, or one day you will be sorry, just like Dorothy was.

So keep reading my articles so you can keep up to speed yourself. And if you haven't already, rush over to my website and take advantage of the amazing opportunity I'm offering. One of the first disks you'll get will show you exactly how to back up your important files to protect yourself.

And the price will be going up sharply in a few days!

until next time,

Worth Godwin

P.S. Remember, when it comes to computers, what you don't know *can* hurt you, so keep reading my emails. Also, if you haven't tried out my easy video computer lessons for Mac or Windows you really should take a look. You get plain English lessons that are easy to follow, and each lesson is short enough to fit into even a busy schedule, and they all come with a full guarantee. The video lessons let you see every step, every click of the mouse, while you hear me explaining every step in plain English.

I've got a pretty incredible deal going on right now, which you better take a look at before I change my mind. Find out more on my website.
Just go to: www.WorthGodwin.com