I do offer consulting on computer purchases.   By the way, you do not have to buy the computer from me.   In fact, my primary goal is providing service and not sales.   If you will come by my home and sit down with me over a cup of coffee I can help you pick out what you need to meet your computing needs and help you get it ordered.   By the way, the coffee is free.  This is a flat rate consulting fee of $40.   Buying a computer sounds really easy but quite often the easy part is getting the wrong computer.   What can happen is that you might buy more than you need or not buy enough.  It is best if you have a knowledgeable person explain to you all of the aspects of buying one.  As I said, you are not obligated to buy a computer from me.  I can just help you find the one that fits your need.

I also created a Kindle eBook and a new book on Amazon that can be purchased on Amazon on how to buy a computer.  You do not need a Kindle device to be able to read this book.  You can download the free Kindle software and install it on your computer in order to be able to read it. 

One thing I have going for me is that as a repair technician, I know about the various issues that cause problems later on and how to buy a computer that is easy to work on.  Some of these unknown details can make a big difference in repair costs later on.  The typical salesman in the retail store just wants you to buy something and he/she has no idea how to work on it.  I can help you find something locally or point you to a good internet website where you can buy what you need.

At this point I no longer sell laptops. I’ve just seen too many changes happening with them to take on the liability. The main problem is the construction of the laptops. They did change the way the screen is attached to the laptop. There was an issue in the past of the hinges breaking loose from the palmrest/keyboard area. They actually changed that for the better but they messed up the hinge attach points on the back lid. That is really weak now and the hinges are too tight. I would highly recommend having the hinges loosened up or that will eventually break.

The Computer Hardware.  Will it meet your needs?

Too often I have seen people pay way more than needed, or wind up buying something that will not work for them.   For instance, if you plan on running a CAD type program or doing video or photo editing you need something with more processing power and memory.   If you are just doing basic web surfing, email and word processing you can get by with much less.   Depending on what you are doing, the processor is one of the most important parts of the computer.  You can buy some really cheap computers out there, but you need to make sure that it has a processor that will work for you.   You can upgrade memory and hard drives pretty cheaply but sometimes you are stuck with the processor once you buy the computer.  Sometimes processors can be switched out on desktop computers for faster ones but the laptop processors are soldered into the computer. The processor is one item that makes a big difference in performance.  There is nothing worse than punching a button on the computer to do something and having to sit there and wait and wait and wait while the computer just grinds away.  Many of the computers I see sold in stores have processors that are slower than ones introduced years ago.  If you buy one with the wrong processor, it may not last for two years.

Which Operating System Should You Buy?

Another factor in purchasing a computer is the operating system.   Several years ago, Microsoft came out with Windows 11.  Windows 10 goes out of support in October of 2025. Be careful as there are lots of refurbished Windows 10 computers being sold out there, even on large retail sites. Let me help you order the right computer and save you a lot of frustration and money in the process.

All of these new Chromebook laptop computers are really cheap but you cannot do a lot with them.  You will be very limited in what you can do.  You cannot run Windows software on a Chromebook.  You can only run software off of the Google Play store.  If you are just surfing the web it is fine but that is about it.  They will only hook up to certain types of printers and that can be a very complicated process.

Buying a printer. 

I can also assist you in buying items like printers.  As I said, you don’t have to buy it from me.  Do you want to save money on printing costs?  Just let me know and I can help you do that.  Too many people are using inkjet printers to print just black and white when a laser printer will do the same thing for 1/10th the price.  Laser printers are even cheaper than many inkjet printers. If you do a lot of color printing, they have some newer color inkjet printers on the market with refillable tanks. They are quite cheap to operate.

Right now I would hands down recommend buying Brother printers. They are just so much easier to install and they just work. That’s all I have at home and I just don’t have any problems. HP has just got a lot of problems with their software and they can be a bear to install. Epson printers are hard to install and they just don’t work well.