Need to buy a new computer - Any deals???

[lucyleo]

TIA

[autumn96]

I am also looking for a new PC bundle for my sister at a good price. What is a good place to look on line or B&M? I am in Pa., but she is in NJ. She's clueless and my knowledge is limited. Also, maybe some has an idea of a good search engine to do this?? My system suits me fine but it's almost 2 years old now. I know there are some big upgrades.... any advice?
Thank You !!!

[cata5]

Try [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] You can narrow your choices and then find the site that has the best price. It may be a start for your search...

You might consider emachines. There are some good prices on those.

[millervt]

Some thoughts on making the best possible PC purchase:

1. What do you need the PC to do? 90% of adults use it for word processing and surfing the net, which will work just fine on 5 year old PCs that you can pick up for a song. If you need to play the latest and greatest 3D games, be prepared to take out a second mortgage. PC companies make all their profits on the latter customer, practically giving away machines to the former.

2. If you have a PC already, can you re-use any of the components (monitor, printer, scanner)?

3. Do you need some specific software to run that might be bundled with the machine? Bundled software is always cheaper than going out and buying new retail copies.

4. How much support (hand holding) will you need to set up and run the PC?

5. How convenient are the local stores and post office/UPS?


Once you have answers to those, you can narrow down your choices. Note that profit margins have shrunk dramatically on PCs, especially older/less powerful models, so the price differences between sellers is getting smaller and smaller.

Most people who are clueless I tell to go visit the web site of the main PC makers - compaq, dell, gateway, HP, and IBM. Check out their models (make sure to look for a "factory warehouse" sales outlet, most of them have it to sell off reburbished & discontinued machines). Then, if you live close to a store like compusa or staples, go there and check things out (especially if you are buying a monitor!).

When in doubt, pick a model in the "middle" of the pack in terms of features, as you will pay a lot for the latest and greatest, but older ones don't save that much and get obsolete a lot more quickly.

[jmanullang]

millervt has excellent advice. I would emphasize the importance of going with a reputable computer manufacturer, preferably purchased directly from them instead of an office supply or electronics store. Your customer service and follow-up support will be much better.

If you've ever tried to install software that asked you questions about the guts of your PC, you know how important it is to know exactly what is in there. Manufacturers like Gateway, Micron, Dell, etc. will give you a precise outline of exactly what brand/model/version is inside the PC you buy. If you hear about a US Robotics modem having consistent problems, for instance, then you know to get yours checked out.

NEVER purchase long-term service warranties from an office supply or electronics store. Generally speaking, most employees know very little about computers, and cannot fix problems immediately. You'll end up having to surrender your computer for many days or weeks while they ship it to someone who can.

Look around to see what's available, and then decide how much you want to spend. Once you've set a budget, look for the best configuration for your $$. It's easy to go overboard, and like millervt said, a lot of the fancy stuff isn't needed for the average user.

[millervt]

While still basking in the flow of the compliments from jmanullang, let me perhaps clarify why I mentioned visiting your local compusa, staples, etc. Sometimes it makes sense to do so, othertimes not.

For instance, if you are buying a monitor, and you tend to be sensitive to them, by all means go there and spend some time staring at the screen. Some people can use any old monitor, others will get headaches from the wrong one. If this is a problem, you can pick out the exact monitor you want and make sure you get it.

Second, if mail order is a hassle for you, buying from a physical store means that a defective product can be swapped immediately, rather than boxing up the item, sending it back, waiting for a replacement, etc. But do ask about their replacement policy, since, as was suggested, some stores will indeed send it out for weeks. No matter WHERE you buy it from, understand their DOA/Warranty return/exchange/repair policy and make sure you can live with it.

Third, sometimes there are "open box" specials that can be purchased, with full warranty, at great deals at stores.

I agree completely about service contracts, employees with no knowledge, etc, at the stores. They push the items they are told to push. If you do venture to a store, do your research FIRST on the web and then you can be an informed consumer.

The good news: the quality of most computers is pretty good these days, so chances are good you won't be stuck with a lemon, no matter what (name brand) company/model you buy.

what would I buy right now, if I were the average person? Hmmm...how about:

- 600mhz-ish celeron or athlon processor
- 64Meg of memory (make sure you can add more later)
- 15-20Gig harddrive (add a 40Gig one in a year after prices fall)
- 17" monitor (15" will do if you are on a tight budget)
- a DVD or CD-RW drive might be an option, depending on whether you'd use it or not right away. These are still coming down in price, so if you can hold off and don't mind the idea of installing one yourself (a pretty easy do-it-yourself task), you might do better just to get a plain CDROM drive now and upgrade later.

One more thing: think long and hard before being seduced by the $400 internet rebates. They lock you into paying a total of $700+ over the next 3 years to a specific internet supplier. If you want to migrate to cable or DSL later, for example, it will cost you. Depending on your internet uses, there are no/low cost options available for many people in the US. I pay $5/month for unlimited Juno use, and also recently got free access via american express card, for example.

[Edited by millervt on 02-07-2001 at 01:30 PM]

[autumn96]

Thank you for your help!!

I asked my sister what she wanted to do with the computer.... she didn't understand the question. I tried again, more slowly, different ways, it didn't help. I suggested some things she could do, did she think she would want to shop? Does she want it just to email people? Keep in touch with the family with video cam type stuff, etc..... I got silence on the other end of the phone. I told you, clueless. I suggested she go out, with no money or credit cards on her, to a retail store where the sales person seems to have some time to give her, and sit in front of a computer and ask the salesperson to show her what it can do for her. I told her to try a couple of different places because she could learn something different from each place. Then to call me back with some idea of what she wants, possibly even the model numbers of ones that looked good to her, and I would try to get the best price I can find.
I suggested Sears because most times thier salespeople take time with you, and if she found one she liked, I can get a better price I'm sure... and Sears will price match it. Their cs is usually very good too.

I really appreciate the helpful suggestions here, and the search engine, I'm sure I'll be using it whenever my sister figures herself out!!

Millervt - I'm glad to see that you suggested almost all of the same minimum features that I did to my sister (all except the processor. My last pc was a pentiumII, this one is a cereron. I can't tell the difference so I'm SURE she couldn't). Of course she didn't understand what I was telling her, but she did write it down...eeeesh. At least I feel like I'm on the right track.
Hmmm. Now there's that comment about the cd-rw being simple to install later on. Ahh, did I mention I got one for Christmas?? I recently installed it, and yeah it was easy to slide and plug, but er, my computer now doesn't recognize either drive. It some how seemed to switch around the drive letters and neither will work My floppy and zip are still working fine.... but my daughter is bugging me because she can't play any of her games on the computer.
Hate to be a pest, but do any of you guys know what I did wrong. I followed the directions exactly, and even tried some common sense things after it wouldn't work, but it didn't change anything. I'd really like to have the rw.
Any suggestions??
Thanks Again, In Advance.

[Edited by autumn96 on 02-07-2001 at 01:44 PM]

[millervt]

In my experience, totally clueless people rarely become unclueless from going to a store like that. I hope it works out for her. You may need to be a little more directive unless it is clear that true enlightenment has settled upon her.

Lacking that, a middle of the road bundle (pc, monitor, printer, maybe a scanner) from a name-brand company will proably work just fine for her. I emphasize name-brand because I guarantee she is going to need hand holding, and unless you plan on making a weekly trip on the PA turnpike to visit her, best to have a some good resources to back up the machine.

Most people really need to just plain own a computer for a year before they really figure out what it can, and can't, do for them. My wife was a good example...when we first got a scanner, her reaction was "why?". Now, when we need a quick copy of a document late at night...scanner to the rescue. We just had a birthday party for one of the kids, and we had personalized thank you notes with pictures of the invitee done in a day, thanks to one-hour film developing and the scanner. And so on for other features of the computer.

[wall0304]

Everyone's advice have been great. I just have one thing to add--buying an open box unit can be a substantial savings. But, just be careful that you know what you are getting yourself into. When you buy an open box, you usually are buying something that someone else has taken home and used. If the retailer hasn't reloaded the software, you will get the other person's customizations to the computer and the operating system. This can be a huge pain if you don't know how to fix it and put it back to "normal". When I bought my last desktop, I bought an open box and found that the people who had returned it had changed a lot of the features. I ended up reloading the operating system and all of pre-installed programs. This wasn't a big deal for me, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, make sure the store already has done it for you. By the same token, if you buy a computer and decide to return it, be sure to delete all personal info that you don't want other people to see--including passwords for your email accounts that you may have automatically saved.