PC Hardware

Today I want to talk a bit about computer hardware, as a preface to the next topic I want to write about. After buying my college desktop back in 2003 (still my best and most thought out purchase), I have made every mistake in the book when it comes to buying computer parts, accessories, and everything in between. I have been suckered into buying "deals" that were actually rebate hells. I have bought on impulse rather than shopping around, causing me to overpay or get a lower quality product. I have bought on impulse without looking at what I needed, leaving me with hardware that was incompatible.

Most of this stems from the fact that I don't keep up to date with the latest and greatest tech when I am not in the market for it, and when I am, it typically means that something has broken, and I need a fix immediately. So of course I do not do any research - I cannot, or sometimes do not want to wait, and since I haven't had any time to save up money, my only requirement is that what I buy is cheap. The pricetag is the most misleading labels on a product, and burned me time and again.

The other problem is that no one makes buying hardware easy. Taking your time to do some research and comparisons will always help, not simply because you spend the time, but because spending that time forces you to spend even more in order to cross reference and check everything you read. Because that glowing review you read for a video card is guaranteed to be contradicted by a few others. Meanwihle hardware focused sites and message boards will have their own opinions, most of which are of little use for people who don't upgrade their hardware on a yearly basis.

Once you find the "one", that one answer to all of your troubles, your excitement will immediately diminish once you find out that it is either too expensive, too crappy, outdated, or that the true best product is out of your price range. The best video card I ever bought was the Radeon 9800 Pro. It took me almost a year, and a genuine price drop, to determine that it would meet my needs. My younger brother spent two months trying to research his own college PC, asking me questions almost nightly.

I am not trying to say we should not spend time looking into major purchases, but I do think that it is possible to overthink them. That is because the Internet can be a a hindrance as much as it is a help to shopping. For example, 'net denizens are often suspicious of premium, name brand products, which they fear (or simply know) are ripoffs . This is great when dealing with companies like Bose or Monster Cable. But there are other situations in which the reverse is true. PC enthusiasts will always recommend the highest quality RAM for your computer upgrades, and there are specific brands they chose for this purpose. If you stick with the former mentality, you will be screwed over by the multitude of cheap Chinese wares that flood even good sites like Newegg. If you go with the former, you will most certainly be swindled one time or another, and you will always have that doubt in your mind that you could have spent your money more wisely.

My solution to this dilemma is evolving, but it currently involves two major steps. First, never run out and buy non a new piece gear right away. Wait a while - a year if you have to - in order for the technology to get better and for the market to grow. Doing this successfully requires being happy with what you have, or if you have none, then being able to live without for a little while longer. Thankfully this isn't hard to do - any tech junkie that tells you otherwise is acting like a brat. The second step is to try and take good care of your hardware, including learning how it works and how to troubleshoot it. I almost trashed my (now six year old) college PC because of malfunctions, until I found out that a cooling fan was unplugged and that it was dusty as hell inside. I used the same tiny Flash drive for five years thanks to painter's tape and a sharp eye (so it doesn't get lost). A little bit of DIY can go a long way.

I have a third step that I am not quite prepared to believe in - sometimes it is worth going with the name brand for the sake of convenience and security. Can you find an MP3 player that is better and cheaper than an iPod? Of course. But I can finally see why people clamour for them. They just want to listen to their tunes, and with millions of iPod users out there, they can be confident that it will allow them to do just that.

I guess this can all be distilled into saying "when in doubt, play it safe." Now all I have to is follow through with future purchases.