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4 Computer Money-saving
Tips
by: Sharron Senter |
| Here
are four tips that’ll save you money
when buying your next computer. Tip #1 --
Rebates: A rebate is not always a
bargain. Computers with rebates are often
close to being discontinued. You may pick
up a good deal or purchase technology
that's about to become yesterday’s
news. What's more, stores will often
package computers with a bunch of free
items to make it look like you're getting
more value. Chances are the extras are
either poor quality or items you're
unlikely to use. Also, they’re
counting on you to not redeem your
rebate, a very common occurrence.
Tip #2
-- Extended Service Warrantees: Buyer
Beware! They're a gamble, but not always
a bad idea. If you're purchasing a laptop
and you plan to travel a lot, an extended
warranty that covers replacement of the
monitor/display can be a good gamble.
Replacing a display can cost $400-$600,
making the warranty worthwhile. On the
other hand, if you plan on buying the
warranty for routine maintenance; save
your money. Oftentimes it can take weeks
for the store to send your PC out for
service. Also, remember the store where
you purchased your computer does not
always do warranty work during the first
year, instead you may have to ship it
directly to the manufacturer. In general,
extended warranties cover electronics
[things you can't see]. They don't
usually cover physical damage. Most
extended warranties have large gray
areas, leaving the warranty provider a
lot of room to reject claims.
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| Tip #3
-- Monitors: Don’t throw away your
monitor if it's still working properly.
Instead, keep it and save a chunk of
money by just replacing your old CPU
[computer tower]. Monitors last much
longer than CPUs and the technology is
usually compatible between your old
monitor and the new CPU. However, if
you’re dissatisfied, then monitors,
keyboards and mouses are the three tools
to spend extra money on, since you use
them every day! Tip #4 -- Networking: How
are you connecting to the Internet? If
you're using a high speed Internet
connection, such as cable broadband or
DSL, you'll want to make sure you have a
network card built into your system. If
you have a wireless network at home or at
the office, save money and installation
time by buying the wireless card built
right into the computer.
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| About The Author Sharron Senter is
co-founder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com - an on site
computer repair, security and networking
company serving north of Boston, Southern
NH and Maine. Visiting Geeks’
technicians are crackerjacks at squashing
viruses, popups and securing and making
computers perform faster. Learn more
about Sharron at http://www.SharronSenter.com
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