College of EducationEducation IT

Tech Talk Series

Purchasing a New Computer

Major Questions

• When is it time to purchase a new computer?• Desktop or Laptop?• What do I need/should I get?• Monitors?• Warranty?• Internet--Dial-up/DSL/Cable• Where do I get one?• What about my old one?

It Is Time• Average Life Cycle

– 4-5 Years

• What Dies First– Moving Parts

• Hard Drive ($30-$150)• Optical Drive ($40-$150)

– Hot Parts• Memory ($60-$300)• Processor ($100-$700)• Motherboard ($50-$500)

Desktop VS Laptop

• Desktop– Advantages

• Faster/More Powerful• More Storage• Cheaper• Easier to Fix/Upgrade

– Disadvantages• Big• Loud• Not Portable

Desktop VS Laptop

• Laptop– Advantages

• Portable

• Quiet

• “Cool” Factor

• Small

– Disadvantages• Hard to Repair/Upgrade

• Easier to Break

• More Expensive with Fewer Options

• Slower/Less Powerful

What Do I Need?

• Major Components– Processor

• Speed• FSB (Front Side Bus)

– Memory• Speed• Amount

– Hard Drive• Speed• Size

• Min/Recommended– Processor

• 2 GHz/3 GHz

– Memory• 1 GB/2 GB

– Hard Drive• 80 GB/100-250 GB

What Do I Need?

• Major Components– Video Card

• Memory

– Removable Media• DVD/CD• R/RW• Floppy

– User Input• Keyboard• Mouse

• Min/Recommended-Video Card

• Built in/256 MB

– Media• CD/DVD-RW

• Floppy

– Input• USB/Multimedia

• Optical

What Do I Not Need?

• Watch Out For– Bluetooth– USB Storage– Wireless– Peripherals– Installation

Useful Items• Warranty

– 90 Warranty Standard– 3-Year Warranty Recommended

• Monitors– LCD– 17”-19”– DVI vs. VGA

• Internet– Dial-Up– DSL– Cable

Where Do I Shop?• ITaP (STEW G65)

– Dell– HP– Apple

• Online– Provantage– TigerDirect– Vendor Site

• Offline– Best Buy– Circuit City– Wal-Mart

What About Old One?

• Donate

• Keep For Parts

• Set Up For Kids

• Recycle– Staples– Dell

Questions?