Buying a computer? What to look for.
Walking into Best Buy and heading straight to the computer section where dozens of models sit looks promising to the USU student as one tries to pick the right computer that meets their specific needs.
Brad Donohoo, sophomore in electrical engineering, said, “I look for RAM and hard drive space, so I can download music, a lot of music. I like to throw that on there.” As far as what he’s looking at, Donohoo said, “I was looking at an HP one. Cost is another thing, they have some pretty good laptops that are cheap. I’m looking at either a HP or a Dell.”
Donohoo isn’t going to the store but is rather looking online for the right computer.
Junior Jordan Rampersad, political science student, said he would recommend a laptop for USU students as they are able to be taken to class and around campus.
Rampersad said, “HP, Sony and Toshiba are my top three picks” when asked about which brands he would recommend to buyers that come into Best Buy, which is where he works. HPs are the most popular laptop that Best Buy sells right now.
The main type of program every student should probably have, Rampersad said, would be Office, a word processing of some type and some sort of protection against spyware and viruses. Best Buy, as well as several other stores, offer package deals to come with the computer to take care of problems and programs that can be used. Many of the package deals differ and are flexible to the needs of what the student wants.
The Geek Squad is one place to get a laptop that a student is having problems with for free, if it was bought at Best Buy. Even if it wasn’t purchased at a Best Buy, the Geek Squad can still look it over, it just will cost some money for a student. Either that, or the IT desk can check it out, as well, for problems.
Laptops will stay up to date for about two years, but can stay functional for students for several more years if properly taken care of. Protecting computers from dust, heat, humidity and general wear and tear are an owner’s responsibility and most places will not cover those in their warranties. Making a back-up disk is a wise idea for students and can be done when purchasing their laptops.
Garrett Rasmussen, a worker at the IT desk, said, “Make sure that you have enough memory, one gig minimum.”
Not all programs need to be purchased when the computer is purchased, for example USU has virus protection available to students to download off the main USU Web site under http://it.usu.edu/mcafee/. Though, to be able to download the program, students need to make sure they are either on campus or using the proxy.
Jeff Gower said he considers speed, memory and price when looking for a computer. These three things seem to be what many students look for, but it’s good to have an idea of what a student wants when they are shopping for a computer, and to look through the ads for sales at local stores or online.
-jess.allen@aggiemail.usu.edu