What Brand PC Should I Buy? Tips To Help You Make Your Next Computer Purchase

If you are in the market for buying a new desktop or laptop computer, then this guide will help save you some hard earned money. When we start looking for a computer whether it is new or used we start to think about which brand is going to give you the least amount of issues and compare that to the price we are about to spend on it. The last thing we want to do is buy a laptop and have to replace the motherboard a year later because the model we just purchased is notorious for heat issues.  So how can you know if you are getting a reliable computer for the money your about to shell out?

I have noticed that when it comes to purchasing a computer from a retail store (or anywhere for that matter) a lot of people don’t really understand what they are buying. So to start off I want to briefly explain what the hardware inside the computer does.

• Hard Drive – There is a huge misconception that is ‘the larger, the better’. In most cases this is not true. If all you are doing is surfing the web, playing farmville and reading emails then this is definitely not how you want to think about hard drives. A hard drive is used for storage. If you are not saving movies, downloading music or putting thousands on top of thousands of pictures and home movies on your computer and do not plan to, then you will not need a 500GB hard drive so dont spend the extra money for it if you dont need to.
• RAM (Memory) – RAM is something that you dont really want to skimp on but you also dont have to over do it either. RAM, in the basic sense is just something that helps you do more multi-tasking and also helps with better video playback also including your flash games. A good amount of RAM for this is anywhere between 2 and 4 gb.
• CPU (Processor) – Sure, the higher the ghz the faster, but unless you are doing video or any type of multimedia editing or gaming this really almost does not even matter to you. Computers have become so fast nowadays and the speed will most likely not be an issue. So dont think that you need the fastest processor if you are just browsing the web or watching movies and online videos.

So now you have an understanding of the hardware inside the computer, how do you know what brand PC is going to be reliable? This is always a little more tricky to answer considering that almost all the computers that you are comparing are actual made buy the same company. The Original Design Manufacturer (such as Foxconn and others) are the ones that actually make the computers for Dell, HP and the like, which are the Original Equipment Manufacturer that sells the computers for the ODM’s.

So basically brand does not really matter much. It pretty much just boils down to the features and what you require of the PC. Now sometimes you hear about one particular brand or model that has the same issues but like any other inexpensive electronic there will be issues because in order to be competitive in a flooded market of PC’s and laptops, they have to cut a few corners. So the old saying holds true; “you get what you pay for”.

So initially that purchase for a $350 or $400 desktop may have felt like a bargain, when in the long run you might have to spend about the same price you paid for it in replacing parts and having it serviced. Now having a computer serviced is something that will almost always be needed for one reason or another, whether it be for faulty hardware or viruses. One guarantee is that no one brand PC is more susceptible to viruses than another.  So with having 2 main reasons to have your computer serviced you have a slightly better chance of minimizing the need for one of those reasons. If at all possible stay away from the cheaper more budget friendly computers, you’ll save more money in the long run.

*Also as a bonus tip, dont forget to stop by retailmenot.com for online and printable coupons before you make your next purchase whether its technology related or not.