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With rare exceptions, however, and despite what you probably think, the price for a computer hasn't really changed much over the years. Now, before you start calling my boss demanding that I be given a drug and sanity test, let me explain my theory on buying computers.
As computers have grown more powerful, applications --- everything from word processing programs to games --- have gotten fatter and more complex. Years ago, back when the operating system for most PCs was DOS, I used a text-based word processor called Xywrite. It was so compact that the entire program fit on a floppy disk. And it was faster than the word processor I use today. Surprisingly, perhaps, it had all the features of the high-flying word processor I use at home now --- spell checking, multiple windows, search and replace, almost any feature you could want. And --- as is still true today --- the word processor contributed little to the writing process. (There have been several times when I wished I could blame my prose or thoughts on a word processor, but that part of the writing equation is my problem.)
The newspapers are full of ads for computers that seem to be priced impossibly low. I've seen new computers for $400 or so, and prices around the $600 mark are common. Even fairly powerful PCs are advertised right at the $1,000 mark.
With rare exceptions, however, and despite what you probably think, the price for a computer hasn't really changed much over the years. Now, before you start calling my boss demanding that I be given a drug and sanity test, let me explain my theory on buying computers.
It makes the most sense to me to buy a PC that is nearly at the top of the pecking order when it comes to power and memory. You tend to pay too much of a premium for the very fastest, state-of-the-art computer. And computers at the other end of the spectrum get outdated too quickly and also are unable to run all the applications and games that you might choose.
If you price this computer --- the one that is just one step below the hottest machine out there --- my guess is that you'll pay somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000 if you get it and an excellent monitor. That's the same price range that you'd have found five years ago, or even 10 years ago.
Now the computer itself will be much more powerful than what you would have gotten for the same amount of money even four months ago. But that's always been true too. If microwave ovens improved in performance as fast as computers, your oven would not only cook the food but it would tie a bib around your neck.
But while the increase in performance is impressive, there are other factors at work that tend to pull down the speed with which you can perform any given task. So, it's also my contention that the actual speed of computing --- if you measure it by how long it takes you to perform a given task --- hasn't changed as drastically as you think.
As computers have grown more powerful, applications --- everything from word processing programs to games --- have gotten fatter and more complex. Years ago, back when the operating system for most PCs was DOS, I used a text-based word processor called Xywrite. It was so compact that the entire program fit on a floppy disk. And it was faster than the word processor I use today. Surprisingly, perhaps, it had all the features of the high-flying word processor I use at home now --- spell checking, multiple windows, search and replace, almost any feature you could want. And --- as is still true today --- the word processor contributed little to the writing process. (There have been several times when I wished I could blame my prose or thoughts on a word processor, but that part of the writing equation is my problem.)
While I can't blame bad prose on a computer, I can tell you how to weed through all the choices available today when it comes time to buy a computer.
First, decide what you need to do with the computer and buy one powerful enough to accomplish that with a little reserve power left over. If you design graphics or work with desktop publishing in a serious way, you really may need a state-of-the-art computer. And if you truly just want a computer to log on to the Internet and write an occasional letter, an el cheapo computer may be enough.
Second, if you are relatively inexperienced and would rate yourself low on the knowledge scale when it comes to evaluating the various components that make up a computer --- motherboard, hard disk, video card, sound card and RAM chips --- stick with brand-name machines and retailers whom you already know and trust. If, on the other hand, you are competent to make a judgment on the type of components used, feel free to investigate the small "screwdriver" shops that sell no-name computers.
Third, make sure you buy slightly more computer than you need today. It's a certainty that your computer will be outdated soon enough, but there's no sense helping out by buying a marginal computer.
Fourth, if it's the Web that intrigues you, keep in mind that the speed there is dictated by the speed of your connection, much more than the computer. So save pennies on the computer if you must, but pop for the fastest connection you can get if your main use is surfing the Web.
Here's my guess: If you follow my advice and shop wisely, you'll end up spending between $1,500 and $2,000.
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Credit: STAFF
(Copyright, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution - 1999)