With all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads, it’s definitely the season to buy a new computer!
In the past few days I received no less than 4 separate requests for help or information on how to purchase a computer. I think several of the requestors actually wanted me to go to the store with them! While that might have been fun, it sure isn’t practical.
A lot of people assume that I would automatically know what the right computer for them to buy would be. Some wanted me to offer an opinion on Computer A vs Computer B. That isn’t practical either as in order to do so, I would have had to have been on top of the ever changing computer market place. (I am not)
So, what I thought I’d do to help those who made the requests and to also help those of you considering a similar purchase, was to teach you how to buy a computer.
I hope to make this general enough so that it withstands the test of time, and yet detailed enough so that you will feel empowered to make good choices when faced with the question of how to buy a new computer.
Given that there are desktops and laptops, PCs and Macs, iOS and Android tablets to choose from, starting with what you want is a good beginning.
If you Google “what Computer should I buy” you’ll get a number of websites that purport to help you make the decision. But most of those have an “axe to grind” in other words they are review sites loaded with ads!
A better solution is to go to this site: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/computers/buying-guide/index.htm which is posted by trusted site Consumers reports!
Were you surprised at the number of possibilities that were presented? That is why I couldn’t possibly make specific a recommendation to you. Let’s narrow the field a little by tackling the minimum installed hardware that I do think should be in any REALTOR’s® computer.
To start with, when you are looking at a Windows PC, Desktop, or Laptop, stick with Intel brand processors. You could save a few dollars on an AMD equipped machine, but the Intel chips are faster and therefore the better bet.
Next, you will be much happier with a machine that has 16 Gigs of Random Access Memory (RAM) as it will allow the computer to do more and do it faster than a machine with less RAM. In the case of RAM, more is always better. Don’t attempt to save money by accepting less RAM.
You will want a large hard drive, as this is where all of your pictures, videos, music, programs and other data are stored. A good minimum size is 1 TB. Two TB is much better.
Hard drives are also rated in rotational speed. The current fastest drive generally available is 7,200 RPM (Although 10,000 RPM drives are available, they are hard to locate). An acceptable drive would be one that operates at 5,400 RPM, but hold out for the largest drive that runs at 7,200 RPM that you can find.
The latest trend in “hard drives” is what is known as SSD or solid state drives. These are “drives’ that use chips instead of rotating disks. The are blazingly fast! And astonishingly expensive!
Planning on working remotely? Then you will want WiFi installed. Having Bluetooth installed is nice too so that you can connect your phone wirelessly to the computer.
There’s more, but the info above is what I consider to be a baseline of hardware.
Now comes the sticky part…Mac or PC. I have both. Which machine do I absolutely love and take with me as often as possible? The MacBook Pro. It not only is a Mac, but it is also a Windows 10 machine. More on that in another post.
So, now you have hardware and software suggestions…where do you go to compare machines? Without a doubt, BestBuy is the place to go. They have both Macs and PCs, Desktops and Laptops and they have tablets and phones as well.
When you go to the store, try logging on to your email, your website, the MLS and any other website that you regularly use. You’ll find that any machine will do the job. The final decision on what to buy is going to come down to budget and what you feel comfortable with using!
I hope that this is helpful to you in your quest to purchase a new computer.
