Buying a home computer: local builder or big brand?

A family member recently asked for my advice regarding his upcoming purchase of a home computer. His current computer is several years old, so he would like something faster and with more storage.

A local shop that assembles computers themselves gave him a quote for a system. I won’t bore you with the list of specific components, but I will share the advice that I gave him. As some of my concerns apply to any local, independent assemblers, I will refer to the dealer with the fictional name: “Local PC”.

Hey Sam:

I looked at your quote and I do have a few comments for you. Yes, Windows 7 Home Premium is fine. I don’t think you’d use the features in the other versions.

Why are you paying for a keyboard and mouse to be included? You can use your current keyboard and mouse. If you need to replace one or both, if it were me I would prefer to choose my own keyboard and mouse. There are so many different models that you could choose ones that have the features or comfort that you want, rather than pay for whatever a dealer decides. Go to a big retailer that displays lots of keyboards and mice, and try them out to find what you like.

The system quoted by Local PC uses integrated video (video/graphics are handled by the main processor). I would consider upgrading to a dedicated graphics card. Even an inexpensive lower-end graphics card is likely to give better performance than Intel’s integrated solution. You don’t do any highly intensive video tasks, such as gaming, but my understanding is that even Windows itself is now optimized to run faster and better when using a dedicated graphics card.

The biggest question in my mind is the provider. At one time local system retailers/assemblers could offer lower prices, choosing components themselves. These days they usually have no price advantage, as the large system manufacturers who sell direct, such as Dell and Gateway, have such huge buying power and compete so aggressively on price.

Even beyond price considerations is the issue of support. Local PC says it will support you, but their web site says that their hours are Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-4, and closed Sunday. What if you’re stuck with a problem at 7 p.m. on a Saturday? You’ll be stuck until at least Monday morning. Moreover, their support appears more geared to fixing hardware issues, as all the support information in their site relates to bringing your PC to their store for service.

Companies such as Dell and Lenovo have 24-hour support, and can provide advice and over-the-phone or e-mail based help with a range of problems. In many cases that is more important, and leads to a solution much sooner, than more hardware-oriented repair policies.

Even if you are happy with Local PC’s support, what if they go out of business? Your local support would disappear. A local PC assembler/retailer in my city, with several stores, was still taking money on a Friday for future delivery of new systems, and on Saturday morning they shut all their shops and closed the business.

I normally go out of my way to support local business in most things. However, if you are highly dependent on your computer for personal use or running a home business, you may prefer the backing of a large company. Even if an HP or Toshiba did go out of business, they sell so many thousands of each model that there are extensive help sites and forums on the Internet where you can go for support, even beyond the manufacturer’s own sites.

If you do choose to buy from Local PC, ask about warranties. The warranties that are most important are from the manufacturers. That way even if Local PC is gone, if your motherboard dies you could contact Intel regarding their warranty. Not as convenient as having one provider cover “the system”, but better than having nothing.

Some local retailers list the warranty from each manufacturer, and the manufacturers’ part numbers (rather than just retailer stock codes) after every component on the invoice. That seems a sensible thing to request.

So, Sam, I’m not going to tell you what to buy but I hope I’ve given you some things to consider.