You may notice a new variety of "all-in-one PCs" hitting the market. These PCs feature a standard or LCD (flat) monitor with the rest of the tower computer components built into the base of the monitor. Hook up a keyboard and mouse, and you're have a complete system! However, there are a few problems with this design:
These computers feature few if any expansion slots. You will not be able to add any extra cards or components.
There are very few user serviceable parts. With a standard PC, if a part needs to be replaced or upgraded most users can accomplish this task, or hire a service company like Excalibur Technology Corp. to perform standard maintenance. For example, if your network card goes out, you simply open the PC and replace the card with a new one. This takes about one hour of work to complete. With the all-in-one PCs, the design prevents most service work, except by a factory authorized service center. All of the components are built together as an integrated part. If one small component goes bad, the whole machine needs to be fixed or replaced. This means long waits and high costs to the end user. Since PC hardware is becoming so unprofitable for manufacturers, this is a way to ensure they make additional profits from service work.
There is no way to upgrade these machines. As quickly as technology changes, the useful life of a PC is about two to three years. With a standard PC, you simply replace the main box or the vital internal components and you again have a useful PC. With the all-in-one PC"s you scrap the entire machine, monitor included and repurchase an entire new system.
The next thing to surprise you when you make a PC purchase decision will be the "low cost" or "FREE" PC system. Here are some considerations when looking at these PCs:
Often these PCs are built with cheap sub-standard parts that are very prone to break downs. How much will it cost your business when these machines fail?
The parts used in these PCs are often out dated inventory that the manufacturer wants to dispose of at any cost. Remember the old adage, "you get what you pay for!"
An on-line service agreement is often forced upon consumers for up to five years. In order to receive the PC for such a low price, you must agree to buy an on-line service for three to five years. Problem: the way technology and communications are progressing, these services may soon be obsolete in the near future. As more and more cable and phone companies are bringing high speed DSL and cable modem lines to consumers, the dial-up market is quickly changing. For this reason, service providers are eager to lock you into a long term contract.
The parts used in these machines are not network-quality components. You might save $200-$300 on your PC purchase, but you could end up spending several hundred dollars and hours of time trying to get them to work properly on a network.
So, think carefully before you purchase your next computer system. Although this new breed of PCs look "high tech" or offer a surprising price, they really do present significant disadvantages to consumers. Even if you spend $100 more on a "traditional" style PC, you will probably save money in the long term.
If you have any questions, please call one of our technicians. We will be glad to provide further information.
Back to the TechBytes article listing...
|