You may or may not know this but we sell computers…and tablets…and monitors…and printers…and other computing-related devices. We are one member of a group which the industry calls “channel partners.” All major computer companies make models that only channel partners can buy. Likewise, they make models that only big box stores have. The two variations may have the exact same components but the model numbers are different. In other words, a model number doesn’t really mean much.

What does matter is what’s inside. For instance, I just had a customer who purchased a new computer from someone else. That in itself is fine – I don’t expect to sell everyone a computer. Anyway, she logged into Remote Technical Support because the computer is running very slowly. Turns out, the computer came with only 4GB of RAM (memory). With Windows 10, that’s really a no-no. You just can’t run Windows 10 well without 8GB of RAM. We are ordering in more memory to get this woman’s new computer up to speed. (Pun intended!)

This lady’s story is an example of two of my “rules” when it comes to computer buying: 1) Never, ever buy a computer based solely on price. You need to look at way more than the price tag. (Example to follow.) 2) Many sales people, especially in big box stores, really don’t know their product’s specifications and they will tell you misleading or false information. Usually, they do this because of a lack of education regarding their products not because they are trying to cheat you.

Let me give you an example of something most computer buyers wouldn’t know. Processors come in “generations.” As an example, the Intel processor I normally recommend is the i5 processor. However, that same processor model – i5 – comes in different generations. Generations refer to changes made in the processor that still rely on the same i5 architecture. The higher the generation number, the more improvements. One day, a customer called me from one of the major box stores and they told me there was a laptop for sale with an i5 processor at a really cheap price. The customer asked if I could compete. There was no way I could even come close to the price. However, when I looked the model up (we can look the big box store models up, we just can’t buy them) the computer came with an i5 processor with a generation that was three years old. If you’re purchasing electronic equipment – where changes happen so rapidly – would you want to buy a new computer with a three-year old processor? I don’t think so! The person at the box store didn’t buy it but did purchase one from us as gratitude for informing them of why the price was so low.

For most people, I think it’s safe to say that they wouldn’t purchase a car based solely on the price tag. The same should be true of computing devices. The challenge is that people usually know what features they want in a car but rarely know what they want/need in a computer. That’s why you call us!