Back to school computer

What computer should you buy your son to be college freshmen?

First, How much money can you spend? Unfortunately when buying computer you usually do get what you pay for. So if you are spending $400 on a computer expect it to deteriorate faster than a $2000 machine (as in it might last a year vs the $2000 machine that will last for 4 easily). Also, expect that the $400 computer components are probably already 3-4 years old and will have trouble running current software. A minimum I usually tell people is to spend $700 and look at sites like https://www.hotrate.com to find the reviews of the best systems and compare their reviews to choose the best. Less than that and you are asking for trouble. $1000-$1200 is even better and what the majority of students need. And $1200-2000+ is what you need for a high end machine for gaming, computer programmer, graphic artist, movie editor, sound editor. Once you have decided your price point, then decide… Also if you are coming back to school. There are sites online that can absolutely help you throughout the year. You can finally look up advanced chemistry or advanced algebra with ease, or even the specific things such as the difference between then vs than for English.

Do you need a Mac or PC? Well maybe Macs are already out of your price range. So you can skip to the next paragraph. If you are not sure which you should get ask yourself the following: Are you good with computers (tech geek) or going into computer science, engineering, business or a science field? Then I would get a PC and if you come across any issues with your PC, this highly rated repair service can help you out. So much software only runs on a PC so you dont want to get into a class where something you are using wont run on your computer. If you are not good with computers and just need something that will last for your 4 years to write papers, browse the web, and be used in courses, then definitely get a Mac. They are great for those that are not tech people and usually will last 4+ years. I had one that lasted 8 years.

Next you need to decide what brand, upgrades, and where to buy…First, shop around. Look online and at stores. Take a sales associates words with a grain of salt. First they are trying to make a sale and they are NOT usually computer experts. If they were computer experts they wouldn’t be a sales associate at Best Buy or Walmart they would be working at a company making 60-90k a year. Secondly, they are NOT in your program and do not know what you really need. So do your own research. There are tons of back to school sales and all of the computer companies offer discounts for students. So look and compare. But what brand? If you are getting a Mac then you know you are getting a Mac. If PC however, there are tons of options out there. I would personally rather look components and price rather than brand per se but I do like Dell and Alienware (a dell brand) but there are many others out there too.

So what components should you be looking at? Disk space. How much do you currently use? I would recommend at least 250-500GB. Also remember there are free options for space such as dropbox so space might not be too much of an issue anymore unless you have tons of pictures, songs, movies (which all college kids have). Remember that if you run out of space you can buy a 1TB (1oooGB) hard drive for under a $100 at any time so don’t worry too much about the space issue. Next you have Ram. Get a minimum of 8GB but I would probably not get under 12GB if I wanted this to last for 4 yrs. My current computer has 32GB (and its 3 yrs old) just to put what you are buying into comparison of what is out there. Ram is one area where you need to upgrade. If you are a gamer or in a major where you need a fast computer get as much ram as you can afford. Then of course you need to consider the video card and processor. I usually try to get the best I can here as well. The least important thing for me is disk space as I can always upgrade that and buy more. As far as screen size, it doesn’t really matter – that is your preference. Get what you are comfortable with.

Should you buy a warranty? Yes. Please get it. I watch computers fail all the time. Please get it for at least 3 yrs if possible. Computers, especially laptops will wear out as they are carried from class to class and stuffed in a backpack. Keep in mind your school will fix computers as well so make sure you check with your school to see what they offer.

Should you buy Office and other software as an add on? NOOOOO. Wait until you get to college. Colleges will offer huge discounts on this stuff. For example you can buy the full office package at my university for $30. They have tons of software too so make sure you check before putting out big bucks on software.

Oh, and if you are wondering the answer is NO, a tablet cannot replace a computer. A tablet is a great compliment to a computer but you need a computer. You cannot get by with just a tablet.

What kind of computer should I buy?

Updated 8/2018

I get asked this question quite often, so here is the response I give to people…

Who I tell to buy a Mac

– You and your family will use this computer. Macs tend to have less problems and viruses. Any Mac can easily last you several years without any issues.
– You are asking this question. If you do not know enough about computers and you are asking me for advice I tell you to buy a Mac because they are significantly more user friendly and designed for the average computer user.
– In general if you fall into the 95% (made up stat) that uses the computer for email, social media, internet browsing, and work (Assuming you are not using proprietary software), I also tell you to buy the Mac.
– If you have money to buy a good machine – like at least $1500 – get the Mac.
– Quick start up time – computer takes about 10 secs to boot up (so does a good PC)
– Closed system – Apple closes their system making it harder for you to install malicious software and mess with the registry
– Very compatible with iPhone/iPad/Apple TV – however the PC is pretty compatible too
– No need for anti virus software – but this may change in the future as Macs are not virus proof, people just tend to only develop them for PCs
– You can install Windows on the Mac if you would like and have two operating systems
– You want a solid computer that will easily last 3-4 years. I know Mac users that still have a quality computer after 5-6 years and its still not outdated by much.

Who I tell to buy a PC

– All the tech people. PCs are meant for the tech person who can customize it. This is what I love about PCs. This is also the BIG problem for most home users, they are allowed to break the machine and they do it, which is why it takes 15 minutes to boot up after a year of use and they cannot figure out why. On the Mac, you are limited so you cannot break it. This is both an advantage and disadvantage for each machine, Mac and PC, depending on who you are.
– People who need certain software that might only work on the PC. However, most software, like Word, PPT, and such all work on both the Mac and PC.
– People who only have $500 to spend on a computer. Unfortunately Macs cost more because there is no such thing as a low end Mac. There are low end PC however. You do get what you pay for though so dont expect that low end PC to last very long. Most tech people will buy a custom built PC that costs at least $1000-$2000 dollars. My PC was $4500.
– Gamer – certain games may take longer to get to Mac, such as SWTOR and GW2. WoW is on Mac.
– You want to customize – this includes the computer such as the registry or the hardware. Its nearly impossible for the average user to upgrade a Mac once they have it.
– You want to take the battery out of the laptop. Yep, you cannot do that on Macs.

And thats it. Where do you fit?