How to buy a computer, bargain hunting
Attention technologically
challenged shoppers, bring your brains to the front desk so I can download
delicious high-tech advice into them.
As a poor student
who just bought a computer, I know the difficulty of shopping for the right
machine. And I know salesmen and techies toss high-tech lingo and information
at those without a computer.
Matthew L. Green
Often the advice
is confusing and ends up sounding as intelligible as the buzzing of telephone-pole
wires.
So as a former cave
dweller in the modern era, I think I can give you the right advice to help
select a computer you and your wallet can both understand.
If you donít have
a burning interest in computers, donít run to the library or bookstore.
Reading books is boring and torturous if you donít love these machines
to begin with.
First, find a gigabyte
guru who can explain to you what you need to look for in a computer. Then
boot up a conversation with him or her about computers.
Play extra dumb,
so they think you cannot tell the different between a computer mouse and
the ones squeeking in the sewers.
By doing this, youíll
get the more practical advice and less techie mumblings.
After your guru informs
you of the basic uses and terminology of computers, walk upright to the
nearest newsstand and grab a paper.
Look for ads every
week on new deals. Study the prices and features of each computer. Each
week the deals seem to get sweeter, so remain calm and donít rush to the
first sale you see.
Make sure you have
this guruís phone number so you can ask him or her questions whenever you
need to, but donít annoy your guru by calling him or her every hour, unless
your guru is absolutely OK with it.
Know what features
you need. For instance, only get a lot of memory if you need it for a certain
activity, such as graphic design. But donít get anything with less than
4.3 GB of memory or a speed lower than 366 mhz.
As more advanced
computer chips come out, the prices of more primitive computers drop to
the price of rocks. But some are even cheaper. Some computers are free
? or so it seems.
Some companies offer
a CPU, or the brain of the computer, with all the trimming (monitor, printer,
mouse, speakers and so on) for free if you send in the rebates and sign
up and pay for an Internet provider for three years.
A free computer is
sweet, but tossing out about $250 a year for a provider you may not like
is sour. So skip those deals.
And about those trimming,
be sure you savor one of them in particular ? the printer. Test the color
quality and the printing speed.
If the printerís
box says eight pages a minute, bust out a stopwatch and time the gaget.
If it fails, go on to the next deal.
After looking at
deals for a few weeks, chose the most tasty deal you think you can get.
Donít buy out of fear the deals wonít last, but donít pass up great deals
? they wonít be around forever.
Matthew
L. Green is a print journalism major. |
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