Top 5 tips for buying a new computer

Buying a new or used computer can be a daunting task with megabytes, RAM and gigahertz flying all over the place, but what do you need to know when making that leap!

1. Shop around, get at least three quotes (at least one online) with every component listed so that you are sure you are purchasing everything you need and can compare prices between stores. Always enquire about the after sales service, support and warranties, as it may be worth paying 5% more for a product if the company offers better after sales service, support and longer warranties.

2. These days when you purchase a new computer, the main thing that will be missing will be a significant amount of RAM. The CPU speed and hard drive space generally are overly compensated for, but to get the most out of your computer, ensure you a minimum of 2GB of RAM for a new computer, or 1GB for a used computer.

3. New or Used? There are significant differences between buying new or used. Generally if you buy used, you won’t get any warranties on your products but obviously get a far cheaper product than buying New and it is more likely to break down or stop working, than a new computer because of previous usage. If you do plan to buy new, buying a pre-made system unit and upgrading to higher specs if needed is the way to go, as mixing and matching can work if you know what your doing, but generally, computer companies match components together that work extremely well with each other.

4. Never buy top of the line. You can spend over $1500 for a computer, which if your not made of money, which we are all not, is overly expensive and chances are you do not need even half of the power provided by the machine. Computers depreciate faster than cars, with a $3000 computer bought today, selling second hand, three years down the track for a maximum of $500, quite a significant loss.

5. Buy what you need, not what the computer salesmen needs. You don’t really need all of those extras that computer salesmen, is talking you into buying. Stick to the basics, set out what you want and buy only that.