| Just about every type of retailer carries computers these days, from Wal-Mart to CompUSA and everywhere in-between. You should buy at a retailer with which you're comfortable. Look for a decent selection of models from a variety of manufacturers, good pricing (of course), knowledgeable salespeople (harder to find), and after-the-sale service and support. You shouldn't limit your shopping to the big-box stores, or to bricks and mortar merchants. There are lots of good deals to be had online, either direct from the manufacturer (think Dell and Gateway) or from mail-order or Web-specific retailers. You can even find good buys on brand-new (but often close-out) PCs on eBay (www.ebay.com). If you want to stick to name brands (and why not they're often just as low-priced as the no-names!), here are the big manufacturers to check out: Compaq (www.compaq.com) owned by HP, but still a separate brand in the marketplace Dell (www.dell.com) now the largest PC manufacturer in the world eMachines (www.emachines.com) a good source for low-priced models Gateway (>www.gateway.com) like Dell, a big online/mail-order merchant Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com) offers both home and business PCs IBM (www.ibm.com) specializes in PCs for large and small businesses Sony (www.sonystyle.com) offers some truly innovative audio/video features Toshiba (www.toshiba.com) portable PCs only
"Mike Sez" | When it's time to go PC shopping, do yourself a favor and do a little homework. Hit the Web for information direct from the manufacturers, and to price shop the online retailers. I recommend checking the professional equipment reviews at CNET (www.cnet.com) and the user reviews at Epinions.com (www.epinions.com). It's also worth your while to read some of the monthly computer magazines; if nothing else, browsing through the ads will give you an idea of what's available, and for how much. |
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