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Five Things to Consider When Buying a Computer
Software
Software
When it comes to purchasing pre-loaded software with your computer, our advice is to avoid it at all costs. Most companies, like Dell and HP, will allow you to decline at least some of the crapware that comes loaded on a PC, but only Sony offers the option of getting an unmolested Windows 7 install. While it's tempting to have Microsoft Office and security software (a necessity on a Windows machine) preloaded on a new PC, you can often save yourself time and money by buying exactly what you want elsewhere and installing it yourself. In fact, you can save hundreds of dollars by skipping over Microsoft Office when ordering a PC. For one, it can be had for steep discounts through schools and employers, and, unless you absolutely need all of the advanced features of Excel, can be replaced by other tools like Open Office, Google Docs, AbiWord, or iWork.
Microsoft offers free downloads of video editing software, photo management tools, and security software. When combined with Windows Media Player, those programs comprise a suite comparable to Apple's iLife in terms of functionality, if not quality. Most Linux distributions also come with similar collections of software installed. For example, the popular (and Switched recommended) Ubuntu ships with Open Office, Rhythmbox Music Player, and F-Spot Photo Manager. There are, of course, plenty of other free and commercial software options that don't come with your OS.
The volume of options out there might make shopping for a new computer seem intimidating, especially when you're looking for a Windows PC. But don't freak out; it's just a matter of identifying what's important and how you'll use it. Once you've got that figured out (with a little help from us of course), picking out a PC isn't any tougher than buying any other gadget. All it takes is a little patience and some common sense.
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Comments
10
Subscribe to commentsplagge48Feb 17th 2010 10:39AM
The secret to a free desktop printer is that the companies make thier money off of the ink they keep selling you at outragous prices, over and over and over.......
When I worked at Dell, we were forced to include a printer with every PC sold, even if we had to give them away.
Some sales people would actually just "roll" the printers into the sale, telling the customer they were throwing in the unit for free when they were actually built into the profit margin.
teimaFeb 17th 2010 10:53AM
Well the cartriges is the money making it is similar to buying vacum bags for
example Miele, 5 paperbags incl. 1 filter cost ca. $ 16, the other ones made of
fiber are about $ 20. But there are many companies that refill ink for less, I
believe Walgreens does it too, although I have not tried it yet.
PaulFeb 17th 2010 11:23AM
No only the price of an Apple high up front, it'll be more expensive during it's use. Hardware and software, being proprietary, is expensive. I've been coveting an Apple for years, but just simply cannot afford the hefty pricetag of the one I want. You can get two or three Win PCs for the price of one Apple! That being said, there are some proprietary PCs as well. I found that I have to have a Dell video card to replace a bad one in my old Inspiron and Dell won't sell me just a video card, so now I have a Dell doorstop. Caveat Emptor
redconvoyFeb 17th 2010 1:01PM
To the author-Sony started doing the basic versions with Vista. I had the HD unit that they sold back a couple of years ago with only Vista loaded and their Sony software, but nothing else. It was great to put in the software I always used and worked out of the box like every other unit I bought from them.
Roxy LoveFeb 19th 2010 4:14AM
Thank you for writing this article. It seems that there are simply too many choices out there these days and not enough time to do the research you need to make a good decision.However, I had some extra time to read this article & now I will spend less time on making a quality purchase that will be of VALUE! (...hopefully.) Also,in reference to "ink"... I think it's highway robbery!! If you know of a cheaper way to buy ink for my new printer please let me know.
sincerely, your "NTT" (not too technical) friend
winning1Feb 17th 2010 10:31PM
One note about saving money on Office software - as Microsoft Office is the worldwide standard, and most all colleges and universities, one should seriously consider how they will use another software program. I have found that, though somewhat compatible with Office, most do NOT format correctly when crossing over to Office, or vice versa. Office has the most caracters available in use today. And, I have not found anything as easy to design a PowerPoint presentation as the Office version. Sometimes, when one communicates a lot, and uses many of the features that Microsoft Office has, it is well worth the extra money. I speak from experience (and lessons learned)!
SweatshirtFeb 17th 2010 10:50PM
I have my ink cartridges refilled at a local computer repair and supply shop. They charge a flat $10 for black and $14 for color. These run $15 and $29 at nearby big box stores. I have also refilled many cartridges myself at a cost of less than a dollar per fill, using a kit bought at the same repair shop, with perfect results, although that can be messy.
DollysawFeb 19th 2010 1:53PM
This article is helpful to those doing media or playing games, but doesn't help me decide which computer I need to up-to-the minute streaming stock quotes. What do I need?
applefanboy101Feb 19th 2010 1:01AM
I am really annoyed with Apple. I used to have my house filled with Macs, macs that cost 1.5k up and have less than a third of what a sony laptop has at 1k less. I just bought a sony vaio F series with a core i7, 1GB dedicated NVIDIA graphics card memory, 500GB internal hard drive, 3 USB ports, full 1080p display, 1.6 GHZ with easy turboboost to 2.9 GHZ, and a backlit keyboard and much more for only $1349 at bestbuy. It's amazing. and then right next to it is a 2.5K Macbook Pro that doesn't have ANYTHING that the Vaio had. It's not even amazing. It's ASTONISHING.
OH, and by the way, I HAVE gotten viruses on Macs. In these coming years(months probably), Macs are going to become just as vulnerable to viruses/malware as windows is now, seeing as Apple is just becoming lazy with updating their products.
navyoneFeb 19th 2010 6:02AM
Very good.