Note:Words in Blue were cut from original draft and are included just for fun.
I've been looking to buy a new home computer, and while thumbing through magazines and web sites looking for a good deal, I kept running across discussions of PC's under a thousand dollars. 900, 700... these were prices way below what I was thinking I had to pay... which was more like 25 hundred bucks. So I started to wonder what you got for so little money... And as a long-time Macintosh owner, I wanted to know whether the "fact" that Windows PC's are cheaper really held up.
First of all, there are dozens and dozens of models to picks from, some from names you recognize, many are generic- sounding PC clones. The volume is overwhelming and ever changing. So much so that PC World magazine has a new list every single issue. The trouble is, few of these systems are complete. That is, they're under a thousand dollars, but that's without the monitor. Add that in and you're talking about 1300 dollars, not a thousand. So right away I am disappointed.
Then I started looking at what's inside these cheap PC's... and yes, like with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Turns out most of these cheap machines are yesterday's technology. But the average user can be excused for not noticing... after all, how many shoppers know the difference between a Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium 2 and Celeron chips... not to mention K6, MMX, and x86. Its no easy task to figure out which is fastest, although amongst Intel's processor's the Pentium 2 is far and away the fastest. Low end systems, though, use the regular old Pentium or the new (and slow) Celeron chip.
If you are buying a new PC, these kinds of details can overwhelm you quickly. So take a step back and ask yourself, what do I need my computer to do? Assuming its for your home, are you a gaming fanatic or computer artist? If so, you'll want a more expensive computer. But if you just word process, surf the net, and do home banking, then these cheap PCs work just fine. Most folks end up buying more computer than they need, and going through the process of [F]iguring out what you need before you buy will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Also, remember that these low end system are generally not very upgradeable and therefore have a much more limited lifespan than a more expensive unit.... depending on what you'll use it for. Don't expect to be able to take out the 266 mHz pentium and put in a 266 mHz Pentium 2, for example... it probably won't work and probably wouldn't be worth the money anyway. Its not just the obvious parts that make these systems cheaper, too. Like an old car, these sub thousand dollar PC's are built atop other aging components that go by strange names like bus speed and level 2 cache.
And if that's not enough... don't forget the cost and availablility of support. If you buy a Windows PC, expect to spend some time getting it all to work right. If your time is valuable, buy a name brand PC like Dell or Gateway rather than something built by your local computer store. Online discussion groups overflow with stories of PC buyers who spend days and weeks meddling with dip switches, IRQ settings and other minutia before their computers can access America Online or a checking account.
Enter my favorite option among the low- cost easy- to- use "computers for the rest of us." The soon-to-be released iMac from Apple. At $1300 it seems like its priced higher than its 900 dollar windows cousins, but it comes with a monitor built in, and it is based on today's fast new technology, not a 1996 Pentium. Plus... and this should not be underestimated... not only is it the coolest looking computer around, it'll work right out of the box. You'll save money by not having to send the machine back for repairs and by not having to call customer service just to get the modem to work. For casual users who need online access, Microsoft Office, banking and maybe a few games for their kids, this machine can't be beat. If you're looking for expandability, esoteric software, or a true machine for playing games, the iMac isn't for you.... then again, neither is a thousand dollar windows PC.
So yes, you can buy a PC for under a thousand dollars, but beware, in many cases you really are getting what you pay for... a boring beige box with an old pentium surrounded by old components... not exactly what the folks marketing these cheap machines want you to hear.
--- links ---
http://www.pcworld.com/ Excellent monthly review of PC systems
http://www.apple.com/imac/ The new iMac from Apple