Fairfield-Echo.com

All we want for Christmas is our gigabytes

By BILL HUSTED

Cox News Service

October 28, 2008

This could be the best Christmas ever — at least when it comes to buying a new computer.

The holiday season is the fattest quarter of the year for retail computer sales. But with the economy sagging more than Santa's belly, retailers will try to lure you in with low prices and machines stacked with extras.

Keep in mind that buying a computer or other high-tech gizmo is no bargain if your money is needed for essentials such as house payments and food.

But for those with the cash, let's go through a few buying tips.

Start by calculating your computing needs. Do you need one at all? Even if your computer is a few years old, it may be doing its job efficiently. If so, avert your eyes as you walk past fancy machines in the store and wait until your wish becomes a true need.

Less can be more

Even if you do need a computer, it's important not to buy more power than you need. For instance, if you're buying a second computer to take care of work at home, or to handle a family member's school work, you can safely buy almost any bottom-of-the-line PC in the $400 to $500 range.

Any brand name computer in that price range will come with all the RAM and processor power you need for that chore.

Santa's laptop

If you are adding a second or third computer, consider a laptop. Desktops offer the most processing power for your dollar, but families without a laptop may want to add the ability to compute on the go. You can plug in a standard keyboard and a mouse when at home, solving the biggest downside of laptops — cramped keyboards and awkward pointing devices.

Polish an Apple

This may be the year for PC loyalists to sample what Apple has to offer. Apple has made price cuts designed to turn a PC user's head. You'll find its white 13-inch MacBook for about $1,000, with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a gigabyte of RAM and a 120 gigabyte hard disk.

You can still buy a better equipped PC for less, but this price point is aimed to draw people who want to see why Apple fanatics so love their machines. Two reasons off the top: Apples are less likely to be infected by a virus and honestly earn the reputation as user- friendly machines.

Good as new

Refurbished machines can be great deals. The notion of buying a computer that has been returned and fixed can be frightening. But many are returned for reasons other than a malfunction. Best yet, even those that were lemons out of the box get close attention at the factory. Once the problem has been repaired, your new/old PC is likely to be trouble free.

Look for refurbished categories at the Web sites of computer sellers such as Dell, Apple, Tigerdirect and Amazon, among others.

Remember the memory

Windows Vista is a Christmas turkey when it comes to memory. Get at least 2 gigabytes of RAM; 4 is better. And now that most of us are storing photos and music on the hard disk, you'll need at least a 300 gigabyte drive. I recommend one of the Intel Core 2 processors, or for extreme gamers, a Core 2 Quad. This Web page lets you compare the various processors side-by-side: http://compare.intel.com/pcc/default.aspx?familyID=1.

Bargain for a bargain

You wouldn't think of buying a house or a car without trying to bargain. But almost no one tries at a consumer electronics store. Ask for a price cut, or ask that the store throw in a few extras. You can't successfully do this with online merchants, but in person it can work. Worst case? You try and fail.

Pass up the extended warranty unless you're sending a laptop off to school. The rough treatment there may make that warranty worthwhile.

Follow my tips and that jingling sound you hear on Christmas Eve won't be Santa's reindeer. It'll be the extra change you saved on that new computer.