Simply put, if you can afford a good-quality new computer, that is the way to go.  However, be sure that you are getting what you pay for and that you are paying for what you need.  There are a lot of low-end computers that are not reliable in the long term and are more trouble than they are worth.  Some companies also have very poor customer support, which makes them a less-than-desirable choice.  There is one good reason to buy used however.  It is very hard to get a Windows XP computer new unless you know a consultant.  Most new computers come with Vista.

My rule of thumb is: (1) I never buy something that has just come on the market, (2) I never buy the cheapest thing out there, and (3) I always look for specials on items with a good track record and good customer support.  What you save up front may cost you in a shortened computer life span and in the many problems you have over the course of that time.

Some examples of top-tier computers are Dell, Gateway and HP.  Lower tiers are E-Machines and Compaq.  Custom-built (no-name) computers can be anything from very low quality to super, high-powered machines.  If you buy from a custom computer store, check out their reputation in the community and talk to customers that have been with them for more than a couple of years.  It is very common for stores of this type to come into an area, sell junk for a couple of years (often with a life-time warranty) and then disappear, leaving all those computers they sold cheap for someone else to try to fix.  Those that stick around for 3 or more years and have happy customers are usually a good choice.

Used computers can be a real money-saver or they can be a real pain-in-the-neck.  Occasionally, you can find real “steals” in the local shopper or on-line classifieds.  This occurs when someone has purchased a new computer and just wants to get rid of their old one.  You can also get very good used computers from someone who refurbishes and tests them before sale (like me).  Many years ago, there were only a few types of computers made up of a few types of motherboards, matching chips (memory and processors) and peripherals/controllers (video cards, modems, network, etc.).  Repairing and upgrading computers was a fairly simple task if you knew how to find the parts you needed.  

Now, you need quite a bit of experience to refurbish and upgrade computers.  There are literally dozens if not hundreds of different components and most of them only work with other components they are specifically designed for.  As an example, I recently worked on a computer that was barely running.  I found that the owner had purchased memory upgrades which were not matched correctly with his existing memory.  The memory fit in his computer but the computer didn’t work well until I took the new chips out.

Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 27 years (locally with Muicomp & Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions, you can reach him at 668-7118.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 pm and is filed under Shaun McCausland. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.