Get the computer you need, not the one you want.
Several years ago, I purchased a top-of-the-line-portable computer.At the time my reasoning was simple: I needed to be able to take my work home and on the road. And I did.
This technological marvel was powered by a 386SX Intel processor running at 25MHz, with one megabyte of RAM and a 40MB hard drive. As it was configured, I could attach an external keyboard and a color monitor to the portable, gaining me greater ease of use at the office.
Total price? $1,750. And it weighed a svelte 14 pounds, with battery pack.
BITING THE BULLET
Last week I bit the bullet again, deciding it was time to purchase a new portable computer.
To some extent my computing needs remain the same as they were four years ago. On the other hand, there are things I need to be able to do with a portable PC today that were only dreamed of in 1990-91.
And yet, this time, I decided not to purchase a "top-of-the-line" machine. Why? Simply put, it's a question of price vs. performance.
PRICE VS. PERFORMANCE
For example, for $2,200 I got a 486DX2 66MHz notebook that included 8MB of RAM, a 340MB removable hard drive, a 10.4-inch dual scan screen, an internal disk drive, an internal Glidepoint touchpad (in place of a mouse), two type II/one type III PCMCIA card slots, a removable nickel metal hydride battery, Windows 3.1, DOS 6.22, several online applications and a software suite. All at just 6.0 pounds.
I love it! Add to that a 14.4kbps combination fax-modem/Ethernet card from Megahertz, and I've got just about everything I could need for the next year or two.
ALTERNATIVES
If I ever need to add more RAM, it's a simple procedure. If I decide I need a bigger hard drive, I can swap one out or buy one and keep it as a spare. Same thing for an additional battery.
Would an active matrix display be nice? Sure, but do I need it? No, not for what I do.
For the most part, I need to write, create a few spreadsheets from time to time, send and retrieve electronic mail, communicate over a local area network when I'm in the office and be able to get onto the Internet. That's about it.
Would a CD-ROM drive be nice? Sure, but if it becomes that important, I suspect an external model will serve just fine in the interim.
What about a faster processor? Maybe, particularly since many portable PC manufacturers are just coming out with new Pentium-based notebooks. But do I need one? No, not for what I do.
And that's the bottom line.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
A neighbor of mine got a new notebook at the first of the year from his company, a major computer firm in Utah County. It had everything, including a $10,000 price tag.
As a small-business owner, given what I do on a computer day in and day out, I just couldn't justify that kind of expenditure. Or obviously, even one-fourth of that expenditure.
And that's my message for today. If you're in the market for a new computer, decide first what you're going to use it for and then go shopping. You'll be glad you did.
A FEW DETAILS
Just for the record, I purchased an Epson ActionNote 866C. Street price of the configuration described previously is between $2,000 and $2,500, without tax. I purchased this notebook at Computer City in Midvale, and the service there was excellent.
And no, they did not know I was a columnist when I was shopping or when I purchased the PC.