In today’s commoditized computer market there is a serious pricing war on desktop and notebook computers.  Everywhere you look there is a computer for $299 or a laptop for $429. Wow that is a great price.  In fact, just this week Wal-Mart announced a $299 notebooks special.  All of this sounds appealing.  However, the question business users need to ask is, “Will this computer work for your business”;  In many cases the answer is a resounding, “NO”.

There are a limited number of manufactures that actually produce the parts that are used by all name-brand computers.   So from a hardware perspective, the playing field for workstation and notebook hardware is not very divers.  Low priced computers use lower quality parts such as the bare minimum hard drive, memory and Windows version for each system.  For business purposes a computer will need to have either Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business or Ultimate. These versions of Windows will easily bring the price of a computer up several hundred dollars.  Very important to note:  Almost all bargain PCs are using home versions of XP or Vista.

To offer real world scenario, The Launch Pad recently had two different clients in need of a replacement notebook.  Each client received a notebook proposal with the needed specs to properly connect to and operate on their network. The clients saw the price and decided that a retail bargain notebook was the better value. Once each laptop was opened and setup the clients found that they were unable to connect to the network or log in to the domain. The problem in both cases was that the notebooks were loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium.  At this point the option is to purchase an upgrade license (about $200) and spend the time required to update the operating system. 

Once the license and service time were factored in, the total cost of the laptop exceeded the original laptop quote by several hundred dollars.   Additionally, many manufacturers will void warranties on operating system upgrades. So, the moral of the story:  Before you make an impulse buy for a low cost laptop or desktop, make sure that the computer has everything that you need.    Also, keep in mind that Windows 7 is just around the corner.  Most units will indicate that they are Windows 7 ready and some will have upgrades.  however, if you have not purchased the business version of XP or Vista, you can not upgrade to the Windows 7 business.

Not sure if the computer you are looking to buy has what you need?  Give The Launch Pad a call our Client Solution Team and they will be happy to assist you in making the right purchase decision.