Which computer would you recommend?
“Which computer would you recommend?”
I hear this question over and over from colleagues and even strangers who find out my line of work. The long and short of the answer really comes down to “You get what you pay for”.
As we browse the advertisements and commercials, we see great deals from Dell, Gateway, HP, Sony, etc and we all tend to look at the “sale” priced computers–reason being, we all want to get a good price and feel that we got something for nothing. We compare all the numbers in the ad with another “sale” priced computer to see which one seems to be the best deal (then sometimes we even ask a friend what those numbers mean).
You will find computers at any price range imaginable just as you find cars in every price range imaginable. How does that $699 Dell notebook differ from a $2000 Sony or should I say how does a $12,000 Ford Escort differ from a $45,000 BMW? I mean, both are computers and comparatively, both are cars, correct?
You can probably see where I am going with this. Once you decide on a brand, you find that the price ranges within the same company will vary just as much. You can find an HP laptop for $700 and you can also find one for over $3000. This same analogy could be used as earlier by comparing the Dodge Neon to a Dodge Viper. Both are made by the same companies so what’s the difference?
A while back, I found myself defending the price of an IBM Thinkpad when compared to one of these “sale-priced” units. I had to ask “Big Bill” why he purchased the truck that he was using. After he gave his answer, I immediately asked why he chose an 8-cylinder engine and not a smaller engine. Again, see where I am going with this? Not all trucks are the same and some cannot do the duties of how Big Bill wanted to use his truck.
This is the same reason why we have different laptops with different prices. Some of us need more power, better graphics cards, more memory, or faster hard drives because we are needing these “luxuries” to get what we want out of our computer. Similarly, you would not try to have a 4-cylinder Ford Ranger pull a 30 foot fishing vessel from the inlet.
One thing that does often get overlooked when comparison shopping is customer/technical service and warranties. These two components even though not tangible, are equally important when deciding on your computer. Back in the mid-90’s when Dell became a household name, it was because of their customer support. Dell computers were not any cheaper or less expensive than the competition but they did have great customer service at that time. Fast forward to present day, you see that Dell’s name has taken a turn as the one thing that set them apart from the rest has diminished to the point that they have had to take measures recently to ban the abundant amount of profanity being posted to their bulletin boards–postings from disgruntled customers over the lack of support. You may want to reconsider that $600 Dell because most likely there will be limited (if any) support.
In closing, it comes down to the old adage that “you get what you pay for”. Computer for the most part all include the same things just as cars do. It is the little things that set them apart such as service and warranties. So when I am asked “What computer do you recommend?,” My first response is usually what do you plan to do with the computer and how much can you afford to spend on the computer.
Most computer companies do not actually make the computer components. Most companies like Sony, IBM, HP, Compaq, Lenovo, Acer, etc simply put the components together in case and put their name on the outside. The components are basically the same; only the names on the outside change. I have no brand preference.
So what kind of computer do I use? Over the years, I have never paid for a “name brand” computer. Because of my background, I only call for support if it is warranty related. I use the “extra money” that I would have spent on this “hidden” cost to put more into the system. I feel confident that I can provide the same level of support as the person who is picking up the toll free number offered by the big names. Although this is my preference, this is most likely not your case (or you wouldn’t be reading an article based on what kind of computer should I buy). Because you have questions, I would lean on the company that provides the best warranty and service.