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What to ask when buying a computer?
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26th Nov 2009 by Tobias John Sterling
When buying a computer, the most important thing to ask is something like: "exactly what real-world performance differences will I see if I buy this (more expensive) computer instead of this (less expensive) one?" The reason to ask this question in this way is to avoid being blinded by a bunch of numbers from the salesperson. A lot of salespeople, in an effort to make a sale, will say things like: "this computer is better than that one, because it has a faster processor, more RAM, and a bigger hard drive," without telling you what real-world difference that will make to your experience of using it. You must always ask the salesperson to translate technical specifications into real-world performance differences -- things like how fast a Word document will open, how many programs you can run at once, or how many photos you'll be able to store on it. You might wonder whether it's also necessary to ask "will this computer do what I want it to?" Generally, it's not necessary to ask that question, because even a very old computer (say 5 years old) with a now out-of-date operating system will run almost any program you want. Certainly any new computer will run almost any program very well. The exception to this rule is programs such as: 1) the latest games, as these tend to be graphics-intensive, and to stretch system specifications, and 2) video- and image-editing programs. If you're going to use either of those types of programs though, you probably already know what you need, and if not -- tell the salesperson exactly what programs you need to be able to run well. One more thing: for many if not most people, the experience of using a computer will be enhanced much more by the specifications of the peripherals, particularly the size and quality of the monitor, rather than by things such as how fast the processor is or how much RAM it has. So don't neglect these elements.
When buying a computer, the most important thing to ask is something like: "exactly what real-world performance differences will I see if I buy this (more expensive) computer instead of this (less expensive) one?" The reason to ask this question in this way is to avoid being blinded by a bunch of numbers from the salesperson. A lot of salespeople, in an effort to make a sale, will say things like: "this computer is better than that one, because it has a faster processor, more RAM, and a bigger hard drive," without telling you what real-world difference that will make to your experience of using it. You must always ask the salesperson to translate technical specifications into real-world performance differences -- things like how fast a Word document will open, how many programs you can run at once, or how many photos you'll be able to store on it. You might wonder whether it's also necessary to ask "will this computer do what I want it to?" Generally, it's not necessary to ask that question, because even a very old computer (say 5 years old) with a now out-of-date operating system will run almost any program you want. Certainly any new computer will run almost any program very well. The exception to this rule is programs such as: 1) the latest games, as these tend to be graphics-intensive, and to stretch system specifications, and 2) video- and image-editing programs. If you're going to use either of those types of programs though, you probably already know what you need, and if not -- tell the salesperson exactly what programs you need to be able to run well. One more thing: for many if not most people, the experience of using a computer will be enhanced much more by the specifications of the peripherals, particularly the size and quality of the monitor, rather than by things such as how fast the processor is or how much RAM it has. So don't neglect these elements.
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10th Nov 2009 In Buying
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Subjects: buying a computer,