What To Look For While Buying A Computer Or Laptop in 2021?
Buying a computer can be a tricky business if you are not familiar with how a computer works and what type of hardware devices are appropriate for a computer that can fulfill your requirements.
Branded Computer Vs. Assembled Computer
A branded computer is a computer made by a large computer manufacturer such as IBM, Dell or HP. Branded computers contain components that are thoroughly tested and approved by the manufacturer. A Branded computer comparatively more expensive than on disassembled computer. On the other hand, an assembled computer is not manufactured by a company, but they are made by assembling all the required hardware components of suitable brands.
Following are some of the key factors that you should consider before buying a branded or an assembled computer:
• Compatibility
It is very important that your computer has a scope for upgradation. If you want to add some more components later on, will your computer support those components!
• Cost
Branded computers are usually more expensive than the assembled ones because big computer manufacturers spend a lot to have quality control. Although assembled computers are less expensive, they are not necessarily of a lower quality.
• Reliability
Branded computers tend to be more reliable than the assembled computers because of the strict quality control measures followed by big manufacturers.
• After-Sale Service
Service is an important consideration to look at when purchasing a computer. Given below is a listing of what type of service to look for:
1. Is the service onsite, meaning-will a technician come to your location to replace or fix a defective component?
2. If the computer is to be taken to a local service center, where is the closest authorized service center?
3. What Are the warranty options and conditions?
4. What is the time frame the service takes to be provided? If the time frame is not followed, how will the company compensate for the loss?
• Software
Software is also an important consideration when purchasing a computer. You can ask for software that you may require. Make sure that the software that you get is full version and not a demo or a shareware program.
• Support
Things to consider when looking at the support options of a computer are:
1. Is support open 24 hours, 7 days a week? If not, what are the hours?
2. Is support open on holidays? If not, what days is it closed?
3. What support options are available? E-mail? Web?Chat? Telephone?
• Hardware
If you are buying a branded computer, you can usually be sure of the quality of hardware. But in case of branded computers, ensure that you are getting the hardware that you believe you will need. For example, if you are a game player, is the computer hardware going to be capable of playing the games you would like to play?
Let us now list some advantages and disadvantages of buying branded or assembled computers:
Advantages of branded computers
- Come with preloaded operating system.
- Quality assured We can expect good performance.
- Good service support.
Disadvantages of branded computers
- 20 to 30% more expensive as compared to an assembled computer.
- Difficult to upgrade.
- Not possible to select a configuration of your choice.
Advantages of assembled computers
- You can select the configuration of your choice.
- Easy to upgrade.
- Cheaper than the branded computers.
- Most of the parts come with 3 to 5 years warranty.
Disadvantages of assembled computers
- Service support is poor.
- Uncertainty about quality.
- Need to purchase operating system separately.
Hardware Components You Should Look For :
Case
- Do you want a desktop or tower case?
- Does the case support the standards of motherboard?
- Will the case fit on top of or below your desk?
CD media
- Is it a standard drive? If so what speed?
- Or is it a DVD/ CD-R/ CD-RW drive?
Hard disk
- Is memory size of the hard disk enough to solve your purpose?
- Always get the maximum capacity hard drive.
- The capacity of the hard disk may vary from 150GB to 500+ GB.
- Check for the buffer (Cache) size. A larger buffer can enhance drive performance.
- The speed of the hard disk is measured in RPM.
- The hard disk can be of two types - SATA or IDE
RAM
- More is the RAM size; faster will be the speed of the computer.
- Check for the speed of the RAM. Look for the scope of expansion in future.
Processor
- The speed of the processor (measured in Hz) represents how many times in a second the processor can perform a basic function.
- The two main manufacturers are - Intel and AMD.
- Multi-core processors are better if you are running plenty of applications at the same time.
Modem
- With the upcoming spread of broadband internet connections, modem should not be an important consideration unless broad band is not available in your area.
- 3 MBps (kilo bytes per second) is enough speed for a modem.
Sound card
- Standard sound cards are enough to meet the general sound requirements.
- For very good sound quality, you may go for advanced sound card.
Graphics card
- Usually supplied by one of two companies- NVIDIA or ATI.
- Graphics Cards have their own memory ranging from 256 MB to 8 GB.
USB ports
- Look for maximum number of USB ports, so that you are able to connect maximum number of external devices with USB connectors.
Buying a laptop
Many people are now choosing to buy a laptop computer in preference to a desktop due to the huge advantage they have of being portable.
The following points should be kept in mind when buying a laptop:
1. Battery Life:
Laptop batteries can be drained very fast as they are portable. So it becomes very important to check on this point before buying a laptop.
2. Performance:
As power consumption is an important issue in Laptops, manufacturers like AMD and Intel have started making good components for laptops that use the power efficiently and still offer good performance.
3. Weight:
Weight of the Laptop matters if you are using the Laptop on the move.
4. Installed Software and Hardware:
You should also check what else a laptop comes with, for example, wireless capability, DVD writer, USB ports, memory card slot, etc.
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