3 Steps to Buying the Right Computer for You

This computer buying guide will give you the timeless principles you will need to purchase the right computer for you, be it your first, second or twenty-second. After 12 years of selling computers, I've managed to distill the computer buying process to just three questions. These three simple questions, along with some thought, will be all you need to buy the right computer for you.

Take a minute and write down the answer to this question:

1) I want to have a computer so that I can __________

This one is the hardest to answer honestly, because you will either overestimate what you need to do by thinking of all the things you've ever heard can be done on a computer or underestimate what you need to do by thinking you "should only be doing" certain things and "shouldn't be doing" things that you'll end up doing anyway. Take a deep breath and remember what first led you to consider buying a computer.
Did you want to start a business or did you just want to get onto the Internet and read your email?

Be brutally honest with yourself answering this next question:

Did you want to be able to play computer games?

More people trip themselves up on this one question than any other question. Denying that you want to play games leads to more people being dissatisfied with the computer they wind up buying, as that leads them to not purchase the software or hardware necessary for gaming.

Now that you have a list of things you want to do with your computer, the next question is...

2) What applications do you need to allow you do the things you want?

We'll now move our focus towards finding the software you'll need to get the things done. Some of the things, like surfing the web and sending email, are easily done by applications which are included in the computer's operating system. Other things, like small business bookkeeping, photo editing, and desktop publishing, are best done with software like QuickBooks (for small business), Adobe Photoshop (for photo editing), and Quark Xpress (for magazine/newsletter publishing).

Don't forget to look for shareware (inexpensively priced software) or freeware that will do what you want, especially if the things you want to do are in highly specified niche areas. You'll find things by going to websites like Versiontracker.com for shareware or Sourceforge.net for free open source software that will fulfill your needs (If this is your first computer, you can use a friend's computer, or one at the library).

Now that you've found the software that will do what you want, it's time to look at the hardware requirements for each piece of software. The requirements will usually specify, at most, six things:

Operating System (Windows or Mac),

Processor (type and speed), Memory/RAM (Amount needed),

Hard Drive (space needed), Optical Drive (CD or DVD), and Video Card (Type, Amount of memory).

One thing you do want to do when examining these requirements is to focus on the recommended requirements - not the basic requirements (which could lead to much frustration later on). Once you have collected this information, you can now begin to ask the third question of this computer buying guide, which is...

3) What hardware will run the applications that you need?

Since you've answered the previous questions and established your goals and needs, you'll be miles ahead of those who start by purchasing hardware.
Another advantage to following the advice in this buying guide is that you are less likely to buy too much computer (and pay too much money). You now have a concrete guide to buying the hardware (computer/monitor) that best matches your requirements that you can bring to a salesperson or use when ordering your system over the phone. This gives you the greatest chance of knowing that you've bought the right computer for you and your needs.

But what about service plans, etc?

You probably have more questions, which I'll try to answer here. What about service plans? The plans that are worth buying are more expensive than the ones you'll usually be offered in a retail store - look for few things: 1) the plan should be from the computer's manufacturer, not from the store selling the computer. 2) the plan should be for on-site repair, not carry-in. If you are buying a laptop, either get accidental damage coverage from the manufacturer or check with your insurance agent to see if you can get coverage. While you're at the insurance agent's office, check on getting your laptop insured against theft - no computer manufacturer's warranty protects against theft.

Speaking of laptop theft, I suggest buying two things: 1) getting (and consistently using) a laptop lock and 2) getting a laptop sleeve, which can then be put in a book bag or backpack. Most laptop thefts are opportunity thefts, so these two items keep a grab and go thief from stealing your laptop.

I hope this computer buying guide has given you the information you need to buy the right computer for you. Good luck and good computing!