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Buying a Computer
Buying a computer in today’s fast paced market can be very confusing. Computer usage has become one of the world’s most popular pastimes, and its popularity is growing every day. To supply the needs of their customers, the computer industry is growing by leaps and bounds.
Computers become obsolete quickly and the industry continues to add hot new features. Here are some reasons provided by Consumer Reports that may help you decide whether or not you might need to upgrade to a new computer:
- It can only run Windows Vista, or even an older operating system. This often does not allow you to use such devices as newer printers, scanners, and digital cameras.
- It uses older types of RAM (random access memory). Older RAM chips are very hard to find and quite spendy.
- The hard drive is getting full, and it won’t support a larger drive.
- New software won’t run on your current system.
- Older, slower processors and graphic cards bog down at highly graphical websites.
TIPS FOR BUYING A NEW COMPUTER
According to Consumer Reports, the average consumer considers the price of a computer more important than its speed. Fortunately, computers are becoming more efficient by becoming faster, better, and cheaper! You can expect to pay between $600 and $3,000 for a new computer. Buy the BEST computer you can afford. This will reduce your need to upgrade and extend the overall life of the computer. The Federal Consumer Information Center says when purchasing a new computer, look for things like a good warranty, a DVD drive, and CD-RW unit. A scanner and/or a printer added to the package can boost your computer's capacity and help you do many additional tasks.
WHERE TO BUY YOUR NEW COMPUTER
Another problem for today’s consumer is that there are so many places to buy computer ware. Most consumers in a Consumer Reports study thought that it was better to buy directly from the manufacturers. However, many stores provide good service and equally good prices. The computers that retail stores carry tend to be configured for the average user, which means the ability to customize your computer could be limited.
Buying a new computer is an investment, and there are many factors that come into play when choosing the one that's right for you. Most of all, you want to buy a machine that suits you personally and financially.