Recently I’ve been bombarded by close to a million questions from friends and family about how to buy the perfect computer.  So I decided to put together a nice little guide to buying  computers, the OCBENJI way.

Disclaimer:

This is just the method that I use when computer (or any other electronic) shopping and it should not be used as an official guide to buying a computer but is about as good as (or better than) any other guide so use it anyway!

Step 1:  Find What (or who) You Want

Finding what you want in a computer is like finding the right person to marry.  You look at what makes up the person.  The many components of a computer are comparable to that of a potential mate.    Lets take a look at the wonderful chart below..

Figure 1.1

Step 2:  Finding the Right Computer Model

When shopping for a computer,  as in selecting a mate, its best to find the one you want first and then worry about the price.  Just like you should find the mate you want before considering if you can snag them or not.  Every computer model comes with different set of components.  Like one computer may come with alot of RAM and another may have huge hard drive.  Just like any potential mates you may encounter.  The key is to find what you want, and to not let money, or your ability to attract that person play a part in deciding what you want (we will talk about why soon).  This process can take a while because nobody really knows what they really want but they kinda have an idea.  Which is why with computer shopping, you should ask yourself one question.  What will you mainly use your computer for?  There isn’t really a correlating question when searching for a mate.  But the question on the computer side does work really well when using the chart in Figure 1.1 to translate.

Are you going to be using your computer for just surfing the net?  Because a fast processor and alot of RAM may not be a priority.  Looking to do some picture or video editing?  Then your probably going to need alot of everything.  These are probably two extremes and what you want most likely falls in the middle.  Its up to you to find out what that middle is or if you really want something to just get on facebook or to start your own online show.

Step 3:  Shopping for Your Dream Computer

Shopping for your computer is like looking for your mate.  Certain high-end computers with high-end specs are usually sold at certain stores and likewise, people with high-end traits are usually found in certain places.  For instance, if you wanted a souped up PC that could download and burn a CD in 60 seconds, you might not want to look for it at your local Walmart.  And chances are that your not gonna find that cute super nice rich guy hanging out in the bar down the street.  You have to know where to hunt.  Computer shopping, for the most part is easy.  You find the one you want and if you have enough money, then you buy it and its yours.  Not so easy with a significant other, showing your worth isn’t as easy as swiping a card or writing a check (well not usually, and only with gold diggers).  I’m not going to get into details but I will say that its like proving to the computer that your worthy of owning it.  Showing it that you won’t waste its time because your don’t know what to do once you turn it on.  That you won’t just let it get infected with viruses because you didn’t know that you would need virus protection.  You must demonstrate that you would know what your doing, should you take it home or become involved with that person.

Just remember:

• You can know where the secret fishing spot is but it means nothing if you don’t have any good bait.
• You must remember what your shopping for and you must remember not to settle.  Because if you aren’t getting what you want, what are you getting?
• Beware of sales!  Bait and switch is a bitch!

Happy Hunting!