On Desktops and Vista

A few months have passed since I was forced to get a new computer because of the laptop death.  I wondered then if it was the right decision to ditch the name brands and build my own system a la PC Laptops – without the ridiculous mark-up of course.  I also made the decision at that time to upgrade to Vista, a logical conclusion since it comes with most new systems anyway.

The last few months have been filled with price remorse-free bliss and a good share of satisfaction with the new operating system.  I bought all my parts at Newegg.com, a website whose experience is second to none.  I was able to do all my research for every single part on that site as a result of the huge number of experienced builders who contribute their recommendations and warnings to the comment section of each product.  Newegg had all my stuff here and in fine condition within a few days.

Vista, so far, has not disappointed me at all.  I have come across a few obstacles that took a little searching on the internet for answers, but I have always found what I needed.  I am used to the interface, and it’s much better than XP, in my opinion.  Maybe someday I’ll run across some big bad problem like Apple warns of, but that day has not come yet.  I’m a happy user.

So my conclusion is that building a desktop didn’t take a ton of research and time, so I’m glad I did it and came out with a high quality machine at a mid-quality price.  It truly is not that complicated if you put in a little research beforehand.  You’ll have the advantage of knowing exactly what is inside your case and being able to better troubleshoot any problems.  It’s also just nice to know things like this work.  Maybe that’s just a thing of mine, I don’t know.  Also, I don’t believe Vista is the monster it has been made out to be.  I think it just has a bad rap.

So you can count me as a satisfied Newegg customer and Vista user.  Next come the complexities of the laptop, but that may take a while longer.

Tags: Windows Vista, Newegg.com, PC Laptops, Computers

PC Laptops

Up until a few weeks ago, I was a raving fan of PC Laptops.  Not laptops in general – the store called PC Laptops that sells computers.  Then I became disenchanted.

I bought a laptop from them in 2004 before I started school at the University of Utah.  I told them I needed something basic.  Decent storage space for all those history papers, pictures, music, and whatever else I might add in the future.  Reasonably fast, but not gamer fast.  You know, a laptop for a student.  Their base model came in at about two grand, but who was I to doubt the credibility of a company that had entertained me so many times at the movie theaters with clever commercials?

I told myself it was a worthy investment, for the computer would probably last me AT LEAST ten years.  Who cares if it would be obsolete by that time – at least it would still function.

I was wrong.

What they didn’t tell me was that my two grand would buy, among other parts, a motherboard with a four year lifespan.  Four miserable years.  Maybe I wasn’t listening four years ago when the tech told me that motherboards can go out like light bulbs.  Or maybe they just didn’t tell me…

The good news was that PC Laptops would buy my defunct laptop back for – wait for it – two hundred dollars.  Yes, I know that’s probably generous, but the flames still burn.  I don’t fault them for that.  In fact, I don’ t fault them for the motherboard going out, or the ridiculous amount of money it would cost me to buy a new machine.  But just becasue I don’t fault them, doesn’t mean I will still endorse them.

My thinking has changed.  I will never again cut off my right arm and give it to the cashier for a computer.  I don’t care what it does.  Technology dates too fast to spend a small fortune on “today’s greatest machine”.  I just heard that we’re now dealing in petabytes, for crying out loud.  When did that happen??  Maybe tomorrow will see the introduction of wankabytes, trilobites, or even…OVERBITES!!

So consider this before you step into your friendly neighborhood PC Laptops – is the lifetime service guarantee worth the cost?  Could you get somebody to build a computer for you for cheaper?  Could you teach yourself how to build one on your own?  Could you even settle for a name brand?

My conclusion is that the service guarantee is not worth it.  Because when that motherboard blows out, you are out of luck.  Personally, I’m building my own machines from now on.  There are a million sites on the net to teach you how, and then I’ll know my machine in and out.  And it won’t cost me nearly as much.

So long PC Laptops.

Tags: PC Laptops, laptop computers, desktop computers, super computers