Tips for Buying a New Windows PC

Lisa Hendrickson | November 12, 2019 | 0 Comments

Hi again! This week as promised…I will discuss tips on buying a new computer. Remember Windows 7 end of life is Jan 14, 2020. You have some time to still get your new computer before then. Black Friday is coming up and that will be a great time to get a new computer as well as last good write off for your business in 2019!

I’ll make it super simple and tell you the guidelines I use when I buy a computer. I won’t go into technical details here and if you want to know more, you can book an appointment with me to help understand what you need (I can remote in) and help purchase your computer.

Before you buy!

Have a budget in place for the hardware. Desktops are usually less expensive because you have your equipment already for a desktop unit (monitors, keyboard, mouse, dock, speakers, etc.). Laptops are usually more expensive, and the better-quality ones are definitely more spendy.
Have your software budget in place. You might need to upgrade Office, QuickBooks, etc. Figure out all the software you will need for a new computer.
Have your installation and configuration budget ready. You might need a few hours for this if you need help. You might need someone to come to your home or office to setup scanners, printers, networking, etc. I can help with setting up Outlook, Office 365, SharePoint, Dropbox, etc.
Finally, as you all know, I sell my support tickets. 2 or 4 hours for helping your purchase your computer, transfer data, setup the new computer and configure Outlook the right way. You should have time left over to use in the future too. Googling issues can take you down a wrong path especially with Outlook!

Hardware purchase tips

Desktop recommendations

500 Gig to 1 Terabyte Solid State drive
12-32 gigs of RAM
i5 or i7 Processor
Don’t over buy if you don’t need it.
Be sure your monitor plugs work in the new computer, you might need to buy extenders!

Laptop (same as above)

Be sure you get the keyboard you love. Some laptops have keyboards on the side, and some don’t. You should buy similar to what you have now.
Be sure to check the glare on the screen as that is bothersome to many folks with overhead light issues.
Check the weight and be sure it’s not too heavy

Shopping tips

Buying online from Dell or HP can be a long process. You might see that Windows is an upgrade option. Be sure to check that off as you will need to purchase it as well. Ubuntu is maybe the “Free operating system” option and unless you understand that operating system, you will be sending it back if you don’t!
Black Friday will be full of deals, just check my specifications I listed above, and you should be able to find some good deals!

If you need the warranty for business, I recommend buying it.

Questions

If you have a decent computer and just want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can do that. I recommend that you take your computer to a local shop and get it done. They will do everything for you, back up your data, install the new drive, clone best they can and install it all fresh and finally test the drivers you need.

6.) Call me to help before you get stuck or start Googling issues with Outlook. I can assist with all email or Outlook related issues, including helping you transfer your Outlook PST files.