Digital upgrades
So, you want a better computer, eh? Don't worry; this week's column is just what you're looking for. Whether you're looking for your first computer, an upgrade or just want the current hunk of metal to perform better, you're in for some (hopefully) helpful advice.
Just like anything else, the best way to find a solution to your technological gripes is to figure out exactly what's bugging you. Above everything else, think about price—that is, unless you're a millionaire surgeon who doesn't know what a ten dollar bill looks like. Assuming that isn't the case for the majority of my readers, though, let's plan for the smallest budget we can. With price foremost in our minds, an upgrade should always be favored over a new machine, and buying nothing should be favored above everything else.
Digging into the archives of week one, the first step is to sweep your system of spyware and other malicious crap. Once that's taken care of, we're left with a pretty good idea of what your machine's optimal speed and performance is. If things improve and you're happy, then my work is done; if not, there must be something else wrong. About now is where the age disclaimer should appear: If your computer is older than three or four years and you're running anything other than Windows 2000, XP or Mac OS X, it's time for a serious upgrade. If not now or in the near and upcoming future, sooner or later things will keep getting slower and more annoying.
On the other hand, any computer within the three-year window is a plausible candidate for an upgrade. In the computer world, an "upgrade" consists of adding or replacing some sort of actual hardware to your computer. In most situations, there is one element to your computer that will greatly increase your computer's performance: memory. Don't mistake memory (referred to in the technical jargon as RAM, or random access memory) for storage area, however. The later is what stores permanent information—such as your documents, music and other pertinent data—while the former is more of a capacity limit. The more memory your computer has, the more it can do at one time. In that regard, doubling your memory will, in theory, allow you to do twice as much without slowing down.
To the issue of a complete overhaul... don't forget that price thing. I see too many people go out and drop $1,200 on a completely over-priced Dell. Not to say that all Dells are over-priced, which they mostly are, but I tend to think of computers as I do cars: A good car should last you a couple of years, with a bit of tweaking and fixing-up here and there, but there's no use in buying the top of the line hot rod every year. Just as a car depreciates in value by month, so does a computer—in fact, the computer being used to write this column, at purchase date, cost 40% less than the same-performance machine at Best Buy. Unfortunately, my car analogy fails when you consider the speed, storage and memory of computers—that is, a year old computer is going to have slightly less speed and memory than a brand new machine. The decision you need to make is whether or not the slight drop in performance is worth the significant difference in price.
Before I wrap up this week's rant, a few more details on your computer purchase of choice. Despite your possible first impression, a "used" computer is actually much more than that. In this case, your best bet is to look at the refurbished and open-box items from the online stores at for HP, Compaq or Dell. Being students, you'll also want to look into the educational discounts that most retailers offer—even Apple offers a student discount on most of their products—especially the discounts from Compaq and HP. If you're not content with a refurbished product, which will save you a pretty penny, the student and open-box or returned deals might catch your fancy. Above all, though, remember the first rule of computer upgrades: Do not talk about... wait, no, it's price.