Computer Shopping On the Cheap

A guest post by Patricia Shuler a BBGeeks.com staff writer from Oakland, California. She’s an admitted tech-junkie who’s quick to share her honest opinion on all things consumer electronic—including up-to-date news, user reviews, and “no holds barred” opinions on a variety of social media, tech, computer, and mobile accessories topics.

How to get exactly what you need and nothing you don’t in a computer...

Upgrading your computer can be a huge headache—do you want a notebook, netbook, ultrabook, desktop, laptop, tablet? How much should you pay? There are hundreds of options, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can save a lot of time and money. Here are a few questions you can keep in mind while you shop, so you get exactly what you need, and don’t pay a dime more than you need to.

Desktop or Laptop?

While the mobility of a laptop is attractive, they’re harder to fix, harder to upgrade, and quite a bit more expensive.

You should buy a desktop if your current computer stays plugged into the wall most of the time. If you want more control over your kids’ usage, a stationary desktop makes that easier. If you’re looking for the maximum performance for the money, desktops are far more cost-effective. Installing upgrades is also much easier in a desktop.

You should buy a laptop if the ability to get work done outside the home is important to you; for example, if you take the subway or train to work. If you use your computer for basic tasks like web browsing, writing, and checking email, a laptop will easily meet your performance needs.

Notebook, Netbook, or Ultrabook?

Notebooks are your standard laptops—they’re larger, pricier, and perform better than netbooks or ultrabooks. A netbook is a low-cost, low-performance, lightweight laptop designed primarily for web browsing. Most of these have been discontinued with the advent of tablets, so you’d buy them used. An ultrabook is the new “no-compromise” line of laptops that strikes a balance between the low price and mobility of a netbook, and the performance of a larger notebook.

You should by a notebook if you need to do video editing, , web design, 3D graphics, or any other high-performance activities, but you need more mobility than a desktop. Notebooks are also a good choice if you ever watch DVDs or use CDs (most netbooks and ultrabooks save space by eliminating the DVD player). If power is more important to you than the look, get a notebook.

You should buy a netbook if price is your number-one concern, and you don’t need it for anything heavier than standard browsing, email, or streaming video. The only reason a netbook would be a better option versus an ultrabook is if you’re really strapped for cash.

You should buy an ultrabook if a slim, lightweight look really appeals to you, and you can afford to buy new. Ultrabooks are a great compromise option for the majority of laptop users; their batteries last much longer, they start up faster, and they can do everyday office tasks just as well as a full-size laptop or desktop.

To sum up:

The very best computer for the money is still a desktop, but if you’re looking for mobility, check out a high-rated ultrabook. The leader for ultrabook PC ratings is currently Lenovo, so we’d start looking there. You can save some money by buying used, but since laptops are expensive to repair, we wouldn’t recommend it.

A guest post by Patricia Shuler a BBGeeks.com staff writer from Oakland, California. She’s an admitted tech-junkie who’s quick to share her honest opinion on all things consumer electronic—including up-to-date news, user reviews, and “no holds barred” opinions on a variety of social media, tech, computer, and mobile accessories topics.