Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Guidelines for buying assembled PCs
If you are a technology greenhorn, angling for a dirt-cheap, never-before bargain while buying your first Personal Computer, you could go to the moon. There are enough unscrupulous PC sellers around to take you there. And when shortly afterwards your PC conks out or gets agonisingly slow and your service calls go unattended, you are brought back to earth with a painful thud. So, if you want to buy a PC and yet have your feet firmly planted on earth, here are a few guidelines:
First, be sure what you need a computer for. Most first-timers are vague about it. If all you need a PC is to type your letters, browse the net, send e-mail and occasionally play a movie CD, do not go for the latest gizmo, even if the scientist next door recommends the latest processor, SCSI hard disks, hot swappable bays and the works. The golden rule is, "Buy only, and only, what you need."
Second, forget obsolescence. Obsolescence is the very essence of computing. As long as Microsoft and Intel stay together, it will remain an unchangeable fact. And, as economist Keynes said, "In the long run, we are all dead". So never see your PC as an asset. Squeeze it, wring it, use it to its full potential. But do not consider its value at a resale. It hasn't any.
Third, never trust an assembler of PCs implicitly. The largest seller of assembled PCs in the city, S. K. Harikumar, agrees. "The distrust of assemblers is justified." Trust him only after verifying his credentials from other customers. Go by what you receive as word-of-mouth from not one, but at least a dozen sources. Make sure he has been in the business long enough. There are enough operators who make a fast buck and run. Some others devise `innovative' selling techniques and pricing, and end up insolvent. Also, make sure that he has enough knowledgeable service personnel. Last, take up what you might have left back at school -- study. Many computer magazines give you advice on buying a PC. On the Internet, www.css.msu.edu/pc-guide.html would be a good place to start. Hardware reviews also are available in computer magazines and at websites such as tomshardware.com, cnet.com and reviewbooth.com. If you are well-heeled and do not mind paying a few thousands more, go for a branded PC. But you could still find yourself on the moon later when it's time to upgrade or to pay the Annual Maintenance fee. After you buy a PC and realise that the Internet contains stuff you would not like you children to see, use any Internet filtering agent that can be bought or obtained free. But remember the cardinal rule, "Never under-estimate your children. They are more intelligent and innovative than you are". So go by this advice from Harikumar. "Never keep the PC in the children's study room. One may never know what the children are up to. They would find ways to get around the filtering agents."
You may pride yourself in being tech-savvy and keep abreast of the latest hardware reviews. But, with a crafty seller, you may still find yourself moon-bound. Borrowing a leaf from engineer M. J. Babu's book might help. Babu enquires prices for a few selected components with different sellers and shortlists those who quote not wide off the mark. Then with each of them, Babu, who is used to taking computers apart and putting them together, acts dumb. He lets his school-going son do all the talking. He silently evaluates the seller's honesty based on his responses to his son's questions. Smart, isn't it?
P.K.U
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
|
