Choosing a personal computer for your business may not be as simple as it seems. Here is a guide to choosing the right system for your business.
Branded or Clone?
Vendors will generally offer branded (Acer, Dell, HP, IBM, Toshiba, etc.) or locally-assembled (also called "clone") personal computers. You will want to go branded if a packaged system that works out of the box is important to you. If low price is important to you, you will want to go clone (although, note that most branded PCs include software, which sometimes account for the price difference from clones). Either way, what is important is that you keep your computers as similar as possible in configuration, so you will have less problems maintaining them in the future.
Desktop or Mobile?
If you plan on working on the road, or have a lot of different offices, you may want to get a notebook computer instead of having a computer at every location. If you decide to go mobile, you will find you still have a lot of choices to make, as you can opt for notebook computers as small as a paperback book, or computers as large as your morning daily (not as light though). Main differences between notebooks are the screen size, battery life, connectivity, and weight. The larger the screen, the heavier the computer, and the shorter the battery life. Smaller notebooks may not have as much storage and connectivity options like CD/DVD drives, 120GB hard disks, etc.
Software
Aside from the operating system (or "OS") you choose for your computer, you will need to get software applications like Microsoft Office or Adobe Studio to make your computer useful. If you want to stay legal, make sure your software is licensed and not pirated or counterfeit. Check with your vendor to make sure you get all the documents showing proof that you legally licensed the software.
Vendor Support
Make sure you are comfortable with the vendor you are buying your computer from, as you will be seeing them the moment your computer starts having problems (if you are getting a branded PC, you may have more options for repair). Most computers have six months to one year warranty, although you have to make sure whether it is on parts or labor, or both. You can purchase a 3 to 5 year extended warranty contract from other manufacturers. If you are getting a notebook computer and travel to other countries, check if your warranty is accepted in other countries.
Configuration
Your computer's configuration includes the processor and motherboard, memory and storage, graphics card and display, and connectivity, among other things. Details on these will be discussed on part 2 of this article next week.
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