I didn't tell him at the time (tho he'll know now) that I bristled at the thought of buying a new computer. What I mean is, buying a machine already pre built by a company like Dell, Acer, HP, Fujitsu, etc. I'm not saying that they don't work but I am saying this about prebuilt machines:
- You are forced to choose the parts that they provide to you and the boxes are tough to upgrade. Don't need that 6GB of RAM for an additional $120, or that 2nd Disc drive for an extra $30? Too bad, it's part of the package. If there's a cheaper 3D card out there that you'd rather have, you gotta stick to whatever they give you. Also, that tiny box might not fit that new 3d card you want to upgrade, or that motherboard might not support a faster processor when it comes out, leaving you in the lurch.
- They build in the cost of labor and services and warranties that you might not need. Sure, it might seem nice that they threw in the 1 year service warranty, but they take it out by adding the cost of that warranty and the labor to put your machine together in the total price of the machine. Generally, and I do mean this generally, 20-30% of the cost of a pre built machine is labor alone (wholesale prices for parts aside).
- Their tech support sucks. You know something is fishy when Leonard from Missouri speaks like he just spent all of five minutes learning English. And I'm not criticizing or being prejudice about this either. A lot of those call centers do not have the abilty to really help customers out by expediting the process, or giving actual tech help over the phone. They're just there to process the warranties if they are deemed worth it. (Funny story: in college I worked at a helpdesk and whenever we called in machines, oftentimes they tech supports would ask our Indian ITs for scores of the cricket match of the day, as they were not able to do that at their call centers)
Bottom line is, you're often paying extra for what "they" think you need. There are some benefits to this though.
- They *think* they know what you need, and for the most part, are pretty close. Most of you (and some of my friends) are not hardcore computer gamers, so you don't need the fastest 3d card out there, or the fastest memory and cpu chip to burn through your game. Your dual core machine will do just fine chatting on Gtalk, checking email, opening Word documents, and watching Youtube clips all at the same time without any problems. So these companies will aim for system specifications that will satisfy the customer without breaking the bank: solid systems that will do what most people need it to do.
- I (and others like me) are not your personal IT (Jean I am looking at you). Because you paid for their services, they will help you fix your problems, even if it means sending you new computer parts to replace the broken ones. You've already paid for it after all in the initial cost. Furthermore:
- You do not care how computers work, you do not want to know, and for the most part, you don't need to know. I compare this to a car: most people do not want to know how a car works, they just want it to work. But others like me are curious and we take a much more hands on approach. This takes the worry off of your hands. Pick what you like, and they'll put it together for you so all you need to do is plug it in and turn it on.
That's all and good, you say, so what or where should I look for my next pc?
I must admit, I have trouble at this myself. Partially because I build all my computers by hand, so I pick the components up for cheap from the internet and put the thing together myself. However, I had to find a pre built one for my girlfriend, as I did not have the time to put one together for her. Luckily we found a sweet deal for a Dell machine, one that had everything she needed, except for a 3d card which I bought and jammed in their to make it an even sweeter machine. There's no shame if you buy a mostly prebuilt machine for dirt cheap and just change a few things to make it even better ^_^.
If you are looking for decent packaged machines, I have very limited experience, but I can make my recommendations.
- If you want a Mac, stop reading this article and go get one from Apple. You'll be overpaying of course, but we can't stop you there if you're hell bent on conformity.
- If you want just the cheapest system possible with limited support when the parts fry, go Dell. Really? Dell you say? Yes. If you shop Buxr.com or Dealhack.com, there are discounts and specials run by Dell all the time for a decently spec'd system. You can read reviews on their systems frequently on cnet.com and other sites to make sure you're getting good value and reliability. However, I'd like to point out that they recently recieved the lowest score out of all the major computer companies for tech support, so your mileage may vary.
- I like Gateway. REALLY?! WTF? Gateway?!?! Yes, and calm the hell down. We all know Gateway was awful back in the day. They were so awful they were actually put out of their misery by Acer, who bought the brand and basically made everything a hellua lot better. Their systems are pretty good, due to the fact that Acer has been around for a very long time in the background before they started to take over companies like Packard Bell. Acer is actually now the 3rd largest in computer desktop sales after Dell and HP. AND their tech support isn't half bad.
- I don't know how I feel about HP. They make printers, yes, but PCs? I unno, my Uncle works for them, and he owned a Sony Vaio, so...... O_o
- Oh and on that same topic, Sony can kiss my ass. I got screwed over a while back trying to buy an lcd when this girl sold me a Sony Vaio one that had a proprietary video cable....WTF.
Dual Core vs. Quad Core: Is four better than two? Not always. Would you really want four ears?
This topic made me want to slap someone in the face until I could see my prints on their skin. For those of you of the less technical world, you might remember the dark days when most computers had one CPU where all of the computer's thinking was handled. Then came dual core, where your machine thinking was handled by two brains. Then quad core. Now there are FOUR brains running your system. That's good right? Not necessarily. With two cores, it meant the two brains could share work easily. I get one piece, you get the other. Things get more complicated with four cores. Coordinating between four different brains requires applications to be developed with four cores in mind. Most applications aren't being programmed to take advantage of four cores yet. In addition, most people would not be taxing the system enough to merit four cores. Does your computer really run THAT slowly? Odds are, you probably have a virus hogging up most of the resources.
But what about buying a quad core now to prepare for the future?
This is about when I resume my slapping. Why would I get a quad core now for something to happen in the future? Why should I bother paying a premium for my quad core now only to really take advantage of it in a year or two? By then, even faster quad cores would be out, and my quad core would be even cheaper! So no, those of you who are thinking like this, someone needs to rub your face into your monitor and go "NO."
If you bought your quad core for $200 now and in two years show me an app that takes advantage of quad core, I will go out and buy an even faster quad core than yours for half the price you paid. In the mean time, I would be sitting pretty with a cheaper and just as fast dual core, possibly even faster per core than your four.
So there you have it. I got some steam off my chest, and you just got smarter and an entertaining read. For those of you who are reading this for my traveling advice, I am planning on trying to take a plane back and forth a weekend from DC to NYC and back for $130 round trip. Will I make it? We'll find out soon! In the mean time, stay smart and stay cheap.
Posts
