Mouse
Clix
By:
Hobie Lunin
Dreaming
about a new computer?
Last
time I wrote about upgrading your computer.
I guess that some of you may have been bitten by the “ who wants to
upgrade, let’s buy a new computer” bug.
For those of you out there who feel that way, this article is about what
is available in the way of a new machine.
First,
a look at what you may want. It is
understood that the speed of the chip is where to start and with numbers
exceeding 1 MHz in clock speed, you may want to buy something in that
range. If you will have XP preloaded,
you will want a minimum of 128 MB RAM or 256MB depending upon what is being
offered at the store of your choice. My
own feeling is that CD-ROM speeds are mostly irrelevant these days, but you
will certainly want a CD-RW. If you
plan to copy disks you may want to have a regular CD-ROM as well but that is
not necessary as most software accompanying a new CD-RW makes it easy to copy
the disk to your hard drive and then onto the new disk. This will allow you to spend your hard
earned bucks on something other than a duplicate CD.
Hard
Drives are available up to 30-40GB on most new computers but if you have not
been filling up the drive you now have, do you really need anything more? Even though you have dial-up now, if the
unit comes with a network (Ethernet) card, go for it as you never know when the
urge will strike for you to go broadband.
If your present monitor is just right for you, do not get another one. As I said previously, a 15” is really too
small and a 19” is what I call comfortable.
Whether you go for the LCD display to impress yourself and friends, it
is up to you and your wallet. Whether
you go for a super sound system strictly depends on whether or not you use your
computer as a music stereo. If you
don’t, just take what they include and if they do not include it, just use what
you have.
As
for a printer, if you are happy with the one you have, forget a new one for the
time being. The lower the cost for your
new rig the happier you will be with it.
I
am not certain what to recommend for a warranty. I sure have had bad luck with monitors in the past and would
probably pay for an extended plan on one as long as I thought I could afford
it. A standard one-year on the “box” is
par for the course and you probably will not ever need to bring it in unless it
is defective when you first set it up.
If
you already have an ISP, there is no reason to pay for a plan that includes a
one-year contract with MSN or AOL unless you are comfortable canceling the plan
you have for a year. The fact that you
may have to change your e-mail address may keep you from doing that. See if you can negotiate a lower price by
eliminating the ISP inclusion.
OK,
with the above in mind let me look at the ads.
First thing I notice is “no interest” financing is back again. What a great way to buy a new computer. Pay one 12th the cost each month
for a year and no interest. I bought my
first computer that way and I was sure happy with that arrangement. Next thing to notice is all the
rebates. I have to say that I only have
fair luck with these attention getters.
Mostly they pay, but other times they have given me a hard time for one
thing or another including not having sent an original of the receipt or
missing the closing date by an hour.
The
lowest price I see is for a system at just under $400 including 17” monitor,
1GHx Celeron Chip, 128 MB RAM 20GB HD upgradeable to 256 MBRAM 40GB HD 1.2GHz Chip and CD-RW for another $100. Sounds good to me. It is an E-machine and as I have had experience with 2 of them, I
really cannot put them down. The noisy
fan you may get is easily changed when the time comes. This price from Best Buy includes a
printer. An HP unit with more HD and a
smaller screen is $200 more (all prices after rebates). The hottest computer I see is a 1.8 GHz, 100
GB, 512 MB RAM unit at just under $1200.
It is for a vpr Matrix, a brand I am unfamiliar with. It promises free shipping, which may be
saying that some of these other units may cost you something on shipping if
they are not stocking them.
At
Circuit City, there are similar packages.
An HP with similar specs and including an Ethernet card is almost
$1100. A Compaq with all the trimmings
is a little higher but offers some increase in the numbers.
And
for those of you who may want to have your computer built to order by a local
technician at substantially lower prices than most of the above, visit PCL
computers, opposite the Pathmark in Fairless Hills and see what it will cost to
build a computer that is just exactly what you want. The prices will surprise you and they offer a 1-year
warranty. You can just bring the unit
back to the shop. Tell them “Hobie”
sent you.
Good
luck on your pursuit of a new computer.
I can be encouraging because I see now what a great improvement Windows
XP is and how it makes the computing experience even better than any of the
previous Windows operating systems.
Hobie
Lunin is a Computer Instructor and Consultant.
He can be reached at mouseclix2@yahoo.com. Previous
articles can be seen at http://mouseclix.tripod.com