FREE ESSAY ON COMPUTER PURCHASE

COMPUTER PURCHASE

PROF. MARTINEZ COMPUTER PURCHASE 
Recently, I decided to purchase a new computer. Buying a computer can be a complicated
procedure. A number of decisions must be made before making this purchase. I must decide
what type of software and hardware I need for my everyday use. Another decision that must
be made is how much money do I want to spend.
There is no real budget for this purchase. I am not really concerned with the price of
the computer. I am not looking to cut corners. My main concern is that I purchase a
reliable computer that can support all the necessary functions for my day-to-day business
and personal affairs for an extended period of time.
The basic need for this computer is for writing documents and reports for college.
In addition, I need the computer for my financial accounts. The Internet is essential for
research and for that occasional surf. I would also like to purchase a number of games to
keep myself busy while I download files.
I am not in favor of proprietary computer systems. It is not fair to consumers for a
manufacturer to produce hardware and software that has built-in obsolescence. It is not
very realistic for a consumer to have to purchase totally new software when he wants to
switch computer models or manufacturers. The only people who could ever be in favor of
this type of manufacturing are the manufacturers themselves. Technology keeps changing
and a lot of newer software is being developed which requires more powerful machines.
Machines should be upgradable and not have this forced turnover feature.
I must first determine what software I will need and then find hardware to match that
software. I have a lot of experience with the Microsoft Office 97 software package and it
supports all my word processing and spreadsheet needs. Although Office 2000 far surpasses
Office 97, there is no real need to go for the upgrade at this particular time. Office 97
covers all my needs and it is takes time to learn to use the upgrade. Parenthetically, if
I so require, I can always upgrade at a later time.
This package requires a Windows operating system. I am familiar with Windows 95 and I am
very satisfied with it. However, there are a number of improvements that were made by
Windows 98, which would make my life easier. The improved startup, the faster startup
speed, and the faster shutdown are features that I really appreciate. It is very annoying
sitting there waiting to start work while your computer has to get its act together. It
is even more annoying during the shutdown phase. Although this is only a matter of a
number of minutes, I am a very big advocate of this feature.
For my personal finances, Quicken would be the best. The new Quicken 2000 seems to be the
best program to deal with my financial accounts. Quicken is easier, faster, and more
accurate than taking care of my finances by hand. It gives me the ability to have a clear
picture of what my financial standing is and therefore, worth the money.
To cover my Internet needs, I would like to install the AOL software package. It is easy
to use and I am already familiar with the way it works. It is a great investment and well
worth the money. When the upgrades come out it is easy to implement them into your
computer. This is a plus because they are always finding ways to better their software.
Another positive note is that installation does not take too long.
The games that I would like on my computer come with the software that I already decided
to purchase. Solitaire and FreeCell are all that I need being that I will not being
spending much time playing games on the new computer. Therefore, no special game software
must be purchased.
A digital camera allows you to take pictures and store the photographed images digitally
instead of on film. Once the pictures are on your computer, they can be edited with
photo-editing software. At this point I am going to remain old fashioned and not purchase
any digital camera software. Although it may be very useful to have a digital camera, I
do not take pictures that often and my traditional zoom camera works just fine.
Therefore, the purchase of a digital camera is not needed at this point either. I am sure
that if the need arises, I can purchase the software and have it installed at that time.
Multimedia combines text, graphics, sound, video, and other media elements into one
application. Much of the software that is produced today is considered multimedia.
Therefore it is important to make sure that a new computer includes multimedia software.

For my personal needs programming, graphics, or educational software are not required.
Now that I have decided what software is needed I must turn my attention to hardware. In
regard to a microprocessor, it is apparent that the Intel Pentium III is the best buy on
the market today. I do not have a lot of extra time on my hands. With the 500 MHz speed,
I will be able to maximize the productivity of my time in front of the computer. Time
that ordinarily would have been wasted can now be saved. Many of the new animation and
graphics software packages require this amount of speed.
RAM is an important feature of the computer. The more RAM a computer has, the faster it
can work. I am constantly using more than one program at a time, which can only be done
if there is sufficient amount of RAM. Therefore, I find it necessary to have 128 MB on my
computer. 
In terms of disk drives I am interested in a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a Zip
drive, and a CD/DVD-ROM drive. Because in the future I may require additional drives I
will make sure to purchase my computer with extra bays.
A floppy disk drive is used for the standard floppy disk. A Zip disk is a higher capacity
floppy disk that can store the equivalent of about 70 standard floppy disks. Because of
their storage capacity a Zip disk is a very practical way to backup the many files one
may have on their computer. The Zip drive should be 100 MB. 
The hard drive is another important feature of a computer. Before you can use any new
software, it must be installed on the hard drive. The more space that you have the more
software that can be installed. It has been said, " Like closets in a home, you can never
get too much storage space". With this in mind I would prefer over 12 GB of hard drive
space. 
Although CD-ROMs have huge storage capacities, even a CD-ROM is not large enough for many
of today's complex programs. Some software, for example, is sold on five or more CD-ROMs.
To meet these tremendous storage requirements, some software moved from CD-ROMs to the
larger DVD-ROM format. A DVD-ROM is an extremely high capacity compact disc capable of
storing from 4.7 GB to 17 GB. In order to read a DVD-ROM you must have a DVD-ROM drive.
These drives can also read CD-ROMs. I am extremely interested in including a DVD-ROM
drive in my computer purchase. 
A modem is a communications device that enables computers to communicate via telephone
lines or other means. Although modems are available as both internal and external, most
modems are internal. Just about every desktop system ships with a 56Kbps modem that meets
the V.90 standard supported by all the major ISPs and online services. This speed is fine
for my Internet and e-mail needs. I will also opt for the type of modem that relies on
the PC's CPU for processing rather than the dedicated controllers option. 
A monitor is a display device that consists of a screen housed in a plastic or metal
case. I am interested in a color monitor. The screen size varies from 15 to 21 inches
generally. A 19-inch monitor is what I am looking for. 19 inches gets you more screen
real estate for very little extra cost, size, or weight over a 17-inch monitor. The
quality of a monitor depends on its resolution, or sharpness and clarity. A higher
resolution provides a smother image. Resolution is expressed as two separate numbers: the
number of columns of pixels and the number of rows of pixels a monitor can display. You
can view images comfortably at 1600 x 1200 resolution, although many monitors do a better
job on image quality at 1280 x 1024. Another factor that determines monitor quality is
dot pitch, which is a measure of image clarity. The dot pitch is the vertical distance
between each pixel on a monitor. The smaller the distance between the pixels, the sharper
the displayed image. To minimize eye fatigue, one should use a monitor with a dot pitch
of .27 millimeters or smaller, which I will. I will also make sure the monitor emits low
amounts of radiation.
A printer is an output device that is required by most users. An ink-jet printer more
than covers my printing needs. It has reasonably good output for both text and graphics
and can handle color. An important factor that determines the quality of an ink-jet
printer is its resolution. This is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Most ink-jet printers
have a dpi that ranges from 300-to1440 dpi. An ink-jet with a dpi of 600 should be
sufficient for my needs. The speed of a printer is measured in pages per minute (ppm). An
ink-jet printer that prints 8 pages per minute will be sufficient.
I have no need for a plotter at the present time. If in the future I make any changes in
my career choice, I may consider buying one.
I have no particular preferences in regards to a keyboard. The standard QWERTY keyboard
will suffice. 
A scanner is similar to a copy machine except that it creates a file of the document
instead of a paper copy. When a document is scanned, the results are stored in rows and
columns of dots called a bitmap. Today's scanners range from 24 bit to 45 bit, with the
latter being a higher quality, but more expensive. The density of the dots, known as the
resolution, determines the sharpness of the resulting image. Resolution is measured in
dots per inch (dpi). Most of today's affordable color desktop scanners have an optical
resolution ranging from 300 to 200 dpi. Today you can get a descent scanner for a
relatively low price. Therefore, I feel it is worth investing a little more to have this
piece of equipment.
Of all the different pointing devices out there I am most comfortable with a mouse. I
feel more in control of the pointer on the screen with this device. I have used
trackballs in the past. Unfortunately, I am not coordinated enough to use this device.
The speakers that come standard with computers today are perfect for my audio needs.
There is no reason for me to spend extra money on a fancy set of speakers.
All things being equal, a three-year warranty is more attractive than a one-year
warranty. If however, the one-year plan is solid and covers parts and labor on all
components and includes onsite service at my discretion rather than at the discretion of
the vendor, I would take that over three years of haggling and headaches.
The best way to purchase a computer is with a credit card. Under the Fair Credit Billing
Act, you have 60 days from the occurrence of the problem in which to report the details
in writing. With checks or money orders by the time you have a complaint the money is out
of you account. With Credit cards you have the best security. 
With all the different variations of software and hardware, it is extremely important to
know what you need before making a purchase. If you do not get the proper information
beforehand, there is a great chance of getting conned into a bad deal. Hopefully, this
research will help me in my purchase.