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A brave new CPU
But you're going to do it right this time. Last time you bought a computer, you made some mistakes you swore you wouldn't make again. You weren't prepared. You didn't do your homework, so you didn't know what you wanted when you went shopping. As a result, you let some slick salesperson sell you a box he was trying to unload. When you got that beauty home, you realized your new computer wouldn't run that cool software your buddies were using, much less accept a disk with your take-home work on it. Yeah, you can still calculate the flight trajectory for an Apollo moon landing, but you can't play with multimedia. In short: The darn thing was obsolete the minute you walked out of the store. Now you have to sell it for peanuts. Armed with information and advice gleaned from the Net, you can find a computer that precisely fits your needs, instead of those of some salesperson. The online world is overflowing with the resources a smart computer shopper needs, from friendly experts who can answer your first naive questions to e-mail-order houses that will send you a box overnight, once you've made your decision. The key to buying the right computer is figuring out exactly what software you want to use and what you want to do with it. Settle that question, and you'll be ready to cope with the double-barreled assault of advertising propaganda and information overload that will inevitably come your way. Once you're clear on software issues, the Net is the best place to research what kind of computer matches your plans. You can find help with the Mac Operating System vs. Windows conundrum. You can get advice on whether to buy a fast and expensive machine or a not-so-fast and less-expensive machine. And you can get the facts that will help you decide how much memory is enough. Where, you ask? Everywhere! Computer experts abound on the Net, whether lurking in newsgroups or chat rooms, or making a living as a writer for your favorite computer magazine. If, for some incredible reason, you can't find what you want at any of those places, check out user groups and mailing lists for the platform that speaks to you. When it comes time to actually buying a computer, you can do that online, too. You'll find plenty of dealers waiting to serve you from their virtual storefronts, from which they'll promptly mail you the system of your choice once you give them your credit card number. Or, if you opt to shop in a store, you can use the research you've done online -- including a list of competitive prices -- to make the right moves. While you're at it, how about picking up a new 60-inch TV for me? Have it delivered next week. |
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