Buying a Computer: The buying process - Part 4

Just knowing and understanding what the important parts of a computer are is not enough. A good consumer is an informed consumer. I suggest going to some retail stores and actually get your hands on what we are talking about. Bring a Notebook and jot things the salesperson is speaking about. Tell them what you are going to use the computer and see what they recommend and why. Also reading everything you can get your hands on is a good idea as well. Buy a couple of magazines to see what they are praising and rejecting out there. One that I can recommend is the Consumer reports (December issue, 05). Talk to friends or coworkers and ask what they bought and are they happy with choice they made? All of this is a lot of work but you will feel more comfortable with your decision when you are done.

Where to buy or How to buy?
Now that you have decided what to buy, it is time to decide where to buy it. Do you buy it at a place that you have bought other electronics like Best Buy, Circuit City or a department store like Kmart? Should you buy online where you might get a better price but you cannot lay your hands on the machine? The two ways of buying a computer are below along with the reason for and against.

Online Store vs. Retail Store

Where to buy the computer
The list is in order of best to worst according to Consumer Reports December 2005 issue. If any store or site received a “worst” mark in any category it is not listed here.

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