Basement bargains a double-edged sword

Computer Life column for October 24, 1998
by
Richard Gordon

Industry analysts often remind us how much computing power is packed into today's computers. Indeed, today's computers are "Better, yet cheaper!"

About two years ago, the hype was about "sub-$1,000" PCs. That hoopla has died down as many of the big name computer manufacturers have discovered a secret about most of us. When in the market for a new computer, most of us are willing to spend at least $1,500 for a good system.

And if you look at the entry-level offerings from the big guys, those systems always seems to be $1,500 - $1,800 once you get what you really need.

Of course, the numbers get bigger, better, and faster. Two summers ago, $1,500 would buy you a 133 MHz Pentium system; by the end of this summer, it was a 233 MHz Pentium II or a 266 MHz Pentium-like system; and now, it's a system with speeds in excess of 300 MHz.

But the price keeps hovering around $1,500. Of course, manufacturers and retailers hope that your techno-lust will lead you to spend closer to $3,000 by the time you've been enticed into upgrading the processor, monitor, memory (Actually, memory upgrades are generally a good deal right now.), software, graphics card, sound card, printer, speakers, and so on.

If you scan the pages of Computer Shopper, visit it on line (computershopper.zdnet.com), or haunt the tables at a computer show looking for last year's entry-level computers, you can find some stripped down systems that are a good value for basic word processing and Web browsing.

A search for a 200-233 MHz computer with 16-32M of memory and a price under $1000 yielded over 60 hits at the Computer Shopper Web site. Some were inexpensive enough that you could get a complete system--monitor, software, printer, modem, too--for under $1000.

Two cautions: some of the systems were missing components most of us want. And some of the vendors and manufacturers were companies of which I'd never heard. Always check the warranty and return procedures on such a bargain.

Unless there's someone you trust standing behind a bargain computer--perhaps your daughter's band teacher builds computers on the side--you can sometimes find you've bought a box full of problems instead of a bargain.

If I were sending my kid off to college, I'd try to get whatever I could for under $2,000 from one of the "name" vendors. I'd recognize that part of what I was paying for was peace of mind. Plus I'd be expecting the system to let my student do relatively sophisticated school work.

If I were trying to get something for a middle-school kid to use for homework and Web-surfing, and if I were prepared to tolerate his whining about buying a system that's "lame for gaming," I might grab the neighborhood expert (to help me make sure a bargain really is a bargain) and shop for a sub-$1,000 dinosaur with last winter's technology.

Tip of the week

When you first install them, the latest "new, improved, and wholly compatible" versions of your favorite software can sometimes give you fits. Sometimes you see true malfunctions--bugs; other times, you trip over new features that you think are bugs.

When you install many software packages, the new version often replaces the old version in that software package's "standard" folder. Two strategies will let you keep both old and new around for a while.

Some people make a backup copy of the standard folder before installing the new version.

Others go ahead and install the new software, adding the version number to the folder's name as part of the installation process--for example, telling the Windows 95 Installer to put the newest version of Netscape in a folder named "Communicator4.5" instead of in the standard "Communicator" folder.

Once you are sure the new program is working to your satisfaction, then you can ditch the old version to save disk space.

Copyright © 1998, The News Journal Company

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