February 1, 2011

This month we are going to discuss new technology and how you purchasing decisions should parallel the latest and greatest innovations.

Unless you are really into video editing and those types of tasks, the high end processors, solid state memory, and latest and upcoming technology for USB, etc. should have a minimal effect on your purchasing decisions.  Why, you ask, well, for those of us who are just doing email, Internet, simple word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications, the newest technology won't help us to any noticeable extent.  For the increase in price, the end result will be less satisfying than you are anticipating.

When you look at the engineering statistics, tables, etc., it appears the increase in speed and performance is noticeable, when in fact, the day to day things we normally do with a computer, these things will only amount to a few seconds, at best, so is that slight increase worth the money.  If you have money "to burn", then go ahead and take the leap, but for the rest of us, don't waste your money.  When shopping for a new computer, when you find something you like, just go ahead and purchase it and take it with the normal set of features and don't waste your money on upgrades.  You are much better off putting your extra money in software and upgrading Windows, rather than upgrading your hardware.

While the newest gadgets are intimidating, the end results in performance should be your primary concern.  For Internet browsing, the speed of your Internet connection is far more important than the hardware in your computer.  So, if you want to increase performance, subscribe to a faster connection.

The newest solid state memory looks good in the charts and graphs, but in the computer, the increase in speed is only slightly noticeable, far less increase than the increased cost.

As time goes on, the increase in the speed of USB devices is going to help, but it's too soon to get on the bandwagon.

Faster video cards do help with videos, etc, if that's what you are doing, but if you are only watching videos someone sent you a link to in an email, again, the speed increase will hardly be noticeable.

The best guide to use is how much can you comfortably afford.  If you have a large budget, go for it, if you don't, don't waste your money.  The newest technology probably won't benefit you much until your next computer purchase.

The best advice I can give you is to look at what you are attempting to use your computer for, then buy a new computer to match your needs, rather than what the salesman recommends.