Or, how to buy something you don’t understand how to buy.
It’s a fact of my very Geeky life that I get asked by a lot of non-technical people for help purchasing a computer. Usually they begin by saying something complimentary like; “You’re a Geek so I bet you can help me get a good computer for cheap.” Or “I heard computers can make my life better, which one do you think will make me a supermodel?” Or “My brother says I need a new computer but I just bought this one 5 years ago! Can’t I just upgrade?” Sometimes they even say things like; “Keeping in mind that if the computer you tell me to buy breaks I will kill you, what should I get?”
See how nice people are to me when they want something?
Anywaste, in the interest of saving myself some time and trouble the next time someone asks me to help them buy a computer, and also to help educate those of you out there who might be looking yourselves, I thought I’d write a series of articles on what I do when I’m helping people buy a computer. I’m going to start by telling you what steps I make people go through, and then I’ll go through each step in detail to help you better understand what you’ll really need to know. Finally, I’ll give you a few examples of computer systems for different budgets and uses, including the companies and resellers I currently recommend.
First up, The Steps.
- The Budget – What can you afford?
- The Form – What form factor do you want?
- The Function – What do you want it to do for you?
- The Inside – What does it need to have to do what you want?
- The Process – What are your emotional needs? (risk tolerance)
These are The 5 Steps that everyone must go through if they want me to help them purchase a computer. The order in which they complete the steps isn’t really that important because each person approaches the buying process differently. However, each step is important enough that skipping even one of them is not an option. If you’re unable to complete any of these 5 Steps then you’ll probably find yourself spinning in circles, unable to find the right computer to buy and not understanding why. Taking the time to follow The Steps will make your computer purchasing experience far more pleasant and gloriously simpler than you might have suspected it ever could be.
In fact, you might even enjoy it.
The 5 Steps might sound simple to understand, and in fact they are, but I truly believe that most computer shoppers don’t know that without them they’ll never be sure they really got what they wanted. That’s because most people believe that computers are complicated devices best bought from large chain stores or well known manufacturers with as long a warranty as you can possibly afford because any other way just isn’t “safe”. In fact, I believe that the majority of computer purchasers simply walk into a store, cash in hand, and buy whatever the “knowledgeable sales staff” tells them they need. Or else they go online to one of the big manufacturers web sites and buy whatever fits their budget. And then they wonder why they hate their “crappy” computer so much, never realizing that the computer they bought isn’t bad, it’s just wrong for their needs.
This is where The 5 Steps can help.
Truth be told, The 5 Steps can be applied to almost anything you’d ever think about buying, from computers to cars to washing machines to baby strollers, and when this series is done I hope that you’ll find yourself using these Steps whenever you’re thinking of buying something. But for now, let’s stick to the matter at hand and help an imaginary friend buy her very first computer.
Let’s call her Sarah.
Sarah is in need of a computer but doesn’t know the first thing about them. After looking through computer magazines and asking her friends and family what she should buy, she’s done nothing but become more and more confused by all the options presented to her. Is she better off with a PC or a Mac? What is RAM and how much does she really need? Does she need a Pentium or AMD? Who should she buy from? How much is too much to spend? Why is it all so complicated? Finally, after weeks of going in circles she’s decided to come to me for help. After calming her down with a nice cup of hot chocolate I get out a pen and a pad of paper and begin walking her through The Steps.
Next time; Step 1 – The Budget
This is particularly timely since I am in the market for a new computer, or at least a serious upgrade to the computer I have. (Mine is only 4 years old, why do I have to buy a new one already?!) Could you right about how to get the Mac Pro that I want for under $1000? I’m OK with stealing it if that’s what you recommend.