Spending hundreds of dollars on a new computer is no small event in today's economy but many buyers make some serious mistakes when shopping for family or personal computers. In some cases they spend too much, in some cases they spend too little and wind up with a machine that is not capable of doing what they need. By following some fairly simple tips you can make sure that the computer you buy is the computer you really need.
Mistake #1- Going Cheap
This holiday season you are going to see some really cheap computer deals out there. There problem is that the majority of low cost computer deals are for stripped down netbook computers with no CD drive, very little memory, and often running on Linux instead of Windows. Unless you are ONLY going to use this kind of machine for surfing the web and doing email you will likely be disappointed. For another $100 or so you can dramatically improve your computing experience.
Mistake #2- Going For The Bling
Some manufacturers are now selling skinned computers. These computers come with fancy graphics and color schemes and in turn jack up the price to premium levels. For as little as $15 you can purchase graphical skins that will fit on almost any laptop computer so if style is important buy an aftermarket skin and save a few bucks on the initial purchase of the computer.
Mistake #3- Going Old School
Now that Windows 7 has come out you will find many discontinued laptops being sold that still have the older Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems on them. Whenever possible go for the newest version (Windows 7) simply for the improved user experience and forward compatibility. Most users report that Windows 7 runs faster than XP anyway.
Mistake #4- Cutting Corners
In an effort to sell computers for lower prices some vendors cut back the amount of installed memory to the bare minimum required by the operating system. For the newest Windows 7 machines this means as little as 1 gigbyte of memory. While the computer will run with 1gb of memory the overall experience will be more sluggish than if the memory was upgraded to at least 3 or 4 gigabytes. Installing memory is a fairly easy and cheap affair, so if money is the issue buy the cheap laptop and then invest in additional memory and install it yourself.
Mistake #5- Buying The Extended Warranty
Before buying an extended warranty of any kind think VERY carefully about what you are buying it for and what it really covers. Most warranties do not cover accidental damage caused by dropping the computer. Most do not cover battery failure. The honest truth is that there is no reason to buy an extended warranty unless it covers those two conditions as the vast majority of users will never have a reason to use the warranty coverage. With extended warranties costing as much as $80 to $200, buying one is a huge waste of money.
