Buying a new computer

Some things to consider when getting a new computer.

Computers are old as soon as you open the box, and they are considered outdated after only 18 months. Technology advances too quickly, but even here in the U.S. we are four years behind other countries. Most people end up buying a new computer every 2 years, but some wait 10 years. 10 years is the life expectancy of Hard Drives.
Windows XP came out in 2001, and most applications are designed for it. However, Windows Vista is what they put on new computers, and all the new applications are being designed for it. If the past is any indication, in 5 years, most people will have Vista on their home computers.

The pros and cons must be weighed when considering a new computer. There are countless things to keep in mind. I know from experience that a slow computer inhibits the learning process. A fast computer contributes to being able to access information and thus the learning process is improved. New technology works with relatively new technology, so most things will work with Windows XP. Older technology doesn't fair as well. This is especially true for Windows Vista, as Microsoft has decided that their new operating system need not be compatible with previous versions.

So, when you make the switch, your older stuff my not work with the new computer, which will have Windows Vista. Also, software that you are used to using may not be available on the new system, or it might be available but have a different feel. Different as in moving from a old Ford to a new Isuzu, where the wipers and the light switches swap places, the seat adjusts from the side not the front, and other differences that take some getting used to. If you have not seen Vista, I would suggest going to Fry's and check out their computers on display.

With this in mind, many people like to stick with name brand computers, but my experience has been that name brands are not any better than off brands. In fact, Dell computers have the most problems and end up costing more for upgrades. Sony's fall apart and have lots of physical components that break. Compaqs / HPs are pretty durable and lasting, but they load a lot of proprietary drivers that slow your system down and are hard to get rid of. If you work with photos or any kind of graphics, you'll want to have at least 2GB of memory. Anything less, and you'll be sitting at your computer all day waiting for your pictures to come up (I'm exaggerating... but not much).

You can keep your current monitor, but your printer and scanner might not work with Vista.

Warranties are a bit of a mixed nightmare. I have had clients that got warranties and have a hard time getting any benefit because of the fine print. The only good warranty that I've seen is a premium package that cost half as much as the PC. When the sales guy is talking to you about it, he/she'll try to sell you on how great the warranty is, but in practice is a real pain and only applies in specific situations. If you have data on your computer that you don't want them to erase or even have access to, then an extended warranty might not do you any good.

eMachines are much better than they used to be, but they don't fair so well with Windows Vista. eMachines, along with a other brands, use what is called Shared Memory. Shared memory is a method of sharing the computers memory with the graphics card that is built into the machine. This means that any graphics, background, cursor, menu, or any that shows up on the screen at all, is taking up valuable memory that the computer needs to do its job. Windows Vista requires a lot of memory. Once you start loading programs on your computer, you'll watch as your computer starts to slow down, dramatically.

The Presario's are generally good machines, but you do have to watch the speed and memory. You picked up on that oddity, and you're right. It's those little things that will jack up the price for no obvious reason. Vista Basic is extremely basic, and a lot of people are saying too basic. Microsoft left some things out of Basic, but that may be just the tech guys complaining.

I'm not sure how much hard drive space you're going to need, and it depends on how long you plan on keeping this PC and if the children will be using it. Games, graphics, and music take up a lot of space. 120GB is fine, but anything more is better. Something to consider is the hard drive speed, which will affect your computers speed, but might not really be an issue for you.

Getting a cheap machines might work for the short term, but you'll most likely have problems early on and end up spending more money to fix those problem fairly quickly. You know, $30 here, $80 there, and pretty soon you've spent $1000 without even realizing it.