Computer Comparison Essay, Research Paper

I am researching desktop computers. There are several reasons I am interested in

buying a new computer. First of all, the one I currently own is sorely outdated. I need a

faster computer to keep up with my continuing education in computer sciences. It will be

very tedious and hard to further my education in computers with one that is not up to date

with current technology. I also use my computer for various entertainment purposes such

as music, games, and socializing. It is very hard and arduous waiting for my computer to

keep up with me.

Some traits I am looking for are the computer s speed, memory, space capacity,

CD-RW and included software. Each one should be up to date and functioning well. The

speed I am looking for is around a 800 MHz to a 1000 MHz processor, preferably a

Pentium III. Currently, this is the best speed available to the public. A computer with

128MB of RAM would be adequate memory for me. I don t use too much space on my

computer, so anything past 10GB worth of space is more than enough for me. Most

computers now come with a CD-RW, a cd burner. Ocassionally they also come with a

DVD drive for multimedia applications, which is a big plus. The included software

should have the most up to date operating system, which currently is Windows ME. Any

other extras that appeal to my personal interests, such as music or games, would also be a

plus. Some packages also come with monitors. I don t particularly need another monitor,

but mine is smaller in comparison to the new ones. It would be nice to have a larger

monitor, but not really necissary. Of course, the final outcome all depends on the price. I

am looking for a computer between the range for $800 to $1200.

Since the technology market is changing rapidly, most magazines are out of date

by the time they get out on the shelves. The best way to get information on the newest

technology and their rates is through the internet. I have talked to several people online

that have recently purchased new computers and are having problems with them. Most of

these problems are based off of the new Pentium 4 computers. That is why I am not

choosing to buy Pentium 4 computers. Most of the people I talked to claimed that

Gateway computers were the most reliable with the least amount of Hardware problems.

The only problem about buying Gateway, according to these other computer consumers,

is that Gateway cannot be bought at most stores. Gateway computers can only be sold at

authorized Gateway stores. There is usually no way to compare prices if it can only be

bought at one store. The Emachines computer seems very tempting with the offer it is

proposing. Emachines says that anytime within a year you find another computer that

costs just as much as what you payed for but with better technology, Emachines will

upgrade your computer for free to match the technology. The most widely used

computer though is the Compaq Presario. According to Epinions.com, The Dell 4100

series is the highest rated computer that I m looking for. 85% of consumers reccomend

buying the dell 4100 computer because of it s reasonable price, good technical support,

and ease of use. The only downside according to consumers was that the fan is pretty

loud

After much deliberation, I have decided that the Dell 4100 series computer is the

best computer to fit my needs and my budget. The Dell 4100 series computer is a

Pentium 3 computer with 128 MB of RAM, 40GB of space, a CD-RW drive, a free

printer, and lots of free programs such as Turbo Tax, Norton Antivirus, Music Match

Jukebox, and Windows ME. After comparing this computer with the rest of the

computers I have looked at, I believe that this is the one that I am likely to buy.

The only downfall to buying this type of computer is that I can only buy it off of

Dell itself. The great thing about being able to buy the computer straight from the

manufacturer is that you can completely customize the computer. Since it s factory

direct, there is no middle man either. This eliminates a lot of the costs. Dell also offers

special promo packages along with their product. While checking out Dell4me.com, I

was able to knock down the price by over $200 just buy customizing it. I was able to

eliminate the unnecissaries from the computer and bring it down just to the things I need.

Dell offers one year parts and labor and offers many packages to help learn about your

new computer. Dell ships it straight to the house via Fed-Ex. You can choose overnight

delivery or standard delivery.

I bevlieve that this was very worthwhile. Usually what I would do is I would first

just go to the nearest store like Best Buy, look for the computer that fits closest to my

budget, and buy it. I never would have tried to look other places for a computer and go

through the hassle of comparing prices and features. I believe that I have found the

perfect computer for me that fits my budget. I think the time spent working on this was

very valuable.