PC Buying Guide

PC buying guide
Digital 5 Editorial - Thursday Mar 10, 6.49PM
by Syah Ismail

Every day people flock to Low Yat Plaza for one sole reason: Hunting for a good PC or laptop deal. For some who know what to look for might walk away with a bargain but not everyone have the same kind of luck.

Every time I go up to the third floor of Low Yat Plaza, I could see the bemused and frustrated faces of people who don’t have a single clue what is displayed in front of them. If you are contemplating a purchase for a new PC and want to avoid this kind of misery, you have come to the right place. Here are a few pointers on buying the best PC your money can buy.

1. Budget

Your budget is the first and foremost thing you must establish before pursuing your dream PC. It is important that you set the maximum amount that you are willing to fork out and sticking to it. Here is a list of hardware that you need to consider for your budget.

• Processor
• Motherboard
• RAM
• Hard drive
• Graphics card/integrated graphics processor
• Optical drive
• Monitor
• Casing
• Keyboard and mouse
• Printer
• Operating System (OS) and software

I have included OS and software such as Microsoft Office because the shops are not allowed to install pirated software on any PC. So if you left it out of your budget, you would have to set up your system by yourself which is quite easy and straight forward.

Do keep in mind that it is easy to spend and go over your budget. So don’t get carried away!

2. Function

After establishing a budget for your PC, you have to ask yourself: “What am I going to do with my new PC?” Is it going to be a casual web surfing and word processing PC or a hardcore gaming PC? If you are planning on using your PC for light work such as writing documents and browsing the World Wide Web, you can save a lot of money by opting for a motherboard with an integrated graphics processor. You can instead use the money for a printer or an extra RAM. Plus, motherboards with integrated graphics processor are equipped with an expansion slot which enables you to upgrade to a discrete graphics card should you decide to venture into the world of gaming in the future.

But if you are a gamer (like me) and would like to play graphics demanding games from the get go, then spend more on a graphics card. Please remember to not just focus on the graphics card. You still need to consider the processor and the resolution of your monitor. For a decent mid-range gaming PC, a dual-core processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and a RM400-RM500 graphics card is more than capable of playing games with medium graphics settings on 1920x1080 resolution.

3. Research

Now that you have identified your budget and usage of your PC, it’s time to do some research. Google is your friend. You can find tons of PC hardware reviews online complete with comparisons between different manufacturers. From here, you will get some ideas on which hardware is most suited to your needs and budget. This also helps avoid you from being conned or faced with an incompetent sales person. Believe me, there are people who are going to take advantage of unaware customers. So be prepared. Knowledge is power.

While online, you might also try to survey the prices of the hardware. A lot of computers shops in Low Yat Plaza have their own websites with updated price lists. You can also compare the prices between different shops and single out the best deals available. Be sure to check the date of the price lists as PC hardware prices fluctuates a lot especially when a new hardware is released.

4. Shop

Once you have listed down all the hardware you need and found a shop with the best deal, you are ready to shop. But it’s not time to pull out your wallet just yet. You need to first survey the prices at the shops. Just like I said, the prices changes regularly and you never know the hardware might be cheaper yesterday than today or vice versa. And while you are surveying the prices, take note of the shops with good customer service. This helps whenever you want to do a warranty claim for your hardware.

When you are satisfied and have found the shop with the best deal, you are finally ready to make your purchase. Try to negotiate the final price and get the sales person to include some free accessories like a flash drive or a webcam. Please note that some shops will have a surcharge on credit card payment. So prepare the cash first hand before you arrive at Low Yat Plaza because the ATM line is painstakingly long or find a shop with no surcharge on credit card payments.

Usually it would take an hour to go through the shops in Low Yat Plaza and another hour for the technicians to assemble the PC . And after doing all that walking, you would want to rest your legs for awhile. There is a food court down at the LG floor or you could try one of my favourite eating spot, Nasi Ayam Hainan just a stone’s throw away from the front entrance of Low Yat Plaza. There you can rest and recuperate while waiting eagerly for your dream PC to be assembled.

Blogger:I think Syah Ismail has done his homework. I cannot believe he not only shared his tips on buying PC but also his favourite food.