Pssst! You want a good deal on a computer? I would expect everyone to answer "yes" to that question, but then again, I would expect any normal person to gladly sacrifice food, shelter, their firstborn child or whatever it took to obtain a cool new PC. Some people, my wife in particular, would call me obsessive about computer stuff. I prefer to call it intellectually advanced. I think there’s a fine line between the two. She, along with any of you who answered "no" to the above question, probably have not evolved far enough to see it that way. But I digress...

A "good deal" in the computer world is much more elusive than you might think. See if this sounds familiar. You buy a computer. A few months later (if it takes that long), you’re wishing your sound card would actually produce some sound. You make some nice new friends at Yarn World because you take up needlepoint just to have something to do while you spell check your work. You wonder if your homeowner’s policy would cover it if you "accidentally" backed over your system with the family wagon. This continues for a couple of years until you finally decide you have gotten your money’s worth out of it. You prance gleefully out to CompuMart and start the process all over again. Sound like somebody you know?

It doesn’t have to be this way. Consider the things that make your computer obsolete — low performance and limited expandability.

Perhaps the processor is too slow, there’s not enough memory, things just don’t look right on the screen, the sound card refuses to work ... the list goes on. These problems are not necessarily a system killer if you are able to replace the offending component at a reasonable price.

The end of the line comes when the system is not performing the way you want it to and there’s nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, common sense mixed with a little techno-savvy can add up to a computer that is a pleasure to use, lasts several years longer and actually works the way it is supposed to.

We all know that computer technology moves at a blinding pace. Things change on a daily basis. Today’s killer video card is tomorrow’s 256 color boat anchor. These are facts that are not likely to change. You have to bear this in mind when you look at new computers.

What you should avoid...

Pay attention to the system’s external design. Don’t just rush out and buy that cool new aerodynamic PC, even if it is a lovely shade of teal. Six months from now when the "wind tunnel-tested" floppy drive starts eating your disks, you are likely to find that it costs four times as much to replace as a normal one. Besides, who wants a computer that is going to clash with the curtains? Stay away from the "mini" cases as well. These will leave no room for you to add things to your system later. On top of that, they’re a nightmare to work on if you ever need to do repair work.

You need to realize that some things, like floppy drives, have relatively short life spans and will probably need to be replaced at some point in the life of your computer. Other things that don’t necessarily wear out may also need upgrading for the sake of performance.

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