How To Shop For Your New PC

[Updated 11/25/08]

I recently purchased a Dell Studio Slim Desktop for only $749 after $195 instant savings for my internet business adventure, and thought it may be worth it to share some ideas with you. After all, a PC is an important asset that you would likely own for at least a couple of years. Hopefully, these ideas will help you choose the PC that fits your needs and save some serious dollars.

1. Understand what you need. You should start this process by asking yourself: What will you do with this PC? What kind of software will you run? Is the software CPU intensive? For example, I plan to use my new PC to work on my art projects that tend to be image and graphics intensive. So, a system with high power for computation and graphics would be desirable. Specifically, Adobe Illustrator runs the best with the graphic card that supports OpenGL 2.0. If you plan to play 3D video games on this PC, you need even more powerful CPUs and a better graphics card. In contrast, if you simply use it for Internet-surfing and writing emails, you may be fine with an entry-level system.
   
2. Desktop or laptop? For the same price, you typically get a more powerful desktop than a laptop. So, do you need to trade power for portability? Also, the desktop tends to have more room for expansion than the laptop, if you ever want to add another disk for storage or even more memory.
   
3. Survey the market. Once you know what you need, you may start looking to see what's available in the current market. I typically start with CNet.com for this exercise, thanks to its well designed filtering capability. You can easily filter down all the PCs to a small number of systems based on price, manufacturer, model, CPU type, and so on. Best of all, you can read comments or recommendations from those who have already used the system.
   
4. Consider a local store. There are pros and cons, when you make your purchase at a local store or on the Internet. Purchasing the PC at a local store allow you to put your hands on the new PC without waiting for the shipment. If possible, I encourage you to go to a nearby store or a discount warehouse and personally try out the system available at the store. You also have the opportunity to ask the staff any questions you have in mind before settling down on a specific model. Lastly, this option helps the local economy.
5. Purchase over the Internet. There are many comparison shopping sites that show you the products of various price offerings from different stores. They do not appear to work well, when it comes to purchasing a PC. I prefer to go to sites such as Deals2Buy or DealUnion and look for best available deals. You may want to follow these sites for a few days to get familiar with those deals, before you decide to jump in. Consider Dell and HP, if you prefer to customize your new PC for specific needs. In fact, I found my PC under the Desktop Deals at Dell's site. Warning: Avoid adding services, software, or hardware to your package, unless you truly need them. Lastly, do not forget to check out what is available on eBay. You may be able to get a great deal, if the specific model of your PC is right on the auction block.
   
6. Timing matters. There tends to be more and better deals as it approaches the holiday season. Black Friday is an excellent opportunity for extra discounts, if you can wait.
   

I hope these ideas are useful. I would not be surprised if there are some new ideas that I am not aware of. Feel free to leave any comments and also, happy shopping to you all.

P.S. For your reference, here is the configuration of my new Dell Studio Slim Desktop for only $749 after $195 instant savings. Note: The basic configuration starts only at $699.

• Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor Q6600 (8MB L2, 2.4GHz, 1066FSB)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
• 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
• 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel – Now Save $50
• 6GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4DIMMs
• 640GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
• 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
• Integrated Intel® GMA X4500HD Graphics
• Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Dell Multimedia Keyboard and Premium Optical USB Mouse
• No Modem Option
• My Software & Accessories
• WildTangent Games
• No Speaker Option
• McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30-Days
• Microsoft Works 9.0
• My Service - Receive an E-mail for your Dell Remote Access
• Mouse included with Keyboard purchase
• Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet
• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language

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