6 Steps To Buy A Computer For As Cheap As Possible

trust a free program to. If you are not an advanced computer user, then just let the computer store put whatever anti-virus program (usually Norton) they like on the computers they sell. Norton will usually give you up to 30 days to purchase it for the next year until it stops working. Don’t wait the 30 days, just purchase the Norton protection for the next year as soon as you get your computer home. If you are a more advanced computer user and want to install an anti-virus program from another company such as Zone Alarm that you can buy cheaper on your own, then go for it. But for most people, it’s better to just activate the Norton anti-virus that comes installed on your computer.

4) When you buy a computer, don’t buy the extended warranty. Computer companies will try and scare you into buying the warranty. A Dell representative even went as far to ask me what I would do if I spilled a drink on my computer? This is called “fear marketing”. Emphasizing the bad things that will happen if someone fails to purchase an extended warranty is always stronger than emphasizing the good things that will happen. Sales people know this and will try to sell you the warranty. Just say no.

5) Do not buy a computer thinking you need it all. The biggest costly mistake that people make when buying a computer is that they think they need to have it all. They have taught themselves a little about GHZ, RAM, and hard drive size- just enough to be dangerously stupid. These people compare numbers and say dumb things like, “For only $30 more I can get double

the RAM!” So what? If the computer comes with 1 GB RAM and for $30 more you can get 2 GB RAM is it worth it? No way! Don’t fall into that trap. Computer stores will make everything “just a little more” to try and get you to buy it. Think of it like this. You plan on buying one can of soup. If you see a coupon that says, “Buy one can of soup and get the second can for just $0.50″, does the coupon save you money? No. You were only planning on buying one can of soup, now the coupon convinced you to buy two cans of soup and spend $0.50 more. Never buy something just because it’s only a little bit more. You need to analyze what you want to do with your computer, what is going to be your computer’s primary function in your home? If you need a computer to access the Internet, download pictures from your camera, and for word processing, then you should buy the cheapest computer you can find without all the added “extras”. Did you know that 1 GB RAM is at least triple the RAM you need for a computer whose primary function is to access the Internet, download pictures from your digital camera, and for word processing? Do you see how dumb it is to spend an extra $30 for 2 GB RAM when you will never even use the 1 GB RAM in your computer? You can save yourself hundreds, even thousands of dollars by not buying the newest, biggest, computer out there. The longer a computer has been on the market, the cheaper its price. I have found the best deals are on computers that have been out on the market for about 1 year. Computer power doubles about every 18 months and so computer stores have to sell off their inventory of older computers to make room for newer ones, this is when you will find the best deals.

6) Buy a computer at the right time of year. The two best times during the year to buy a computer are August and December. The reason is that in August you get lots of back to school specials and computers are hot for all the students out there and so you will find some excellent deals on computers in August. For example, this August, Dell has a special on a business computer for $249! It’s a 3 days only special. The same goes for December when you will see all sorts of computer specials.