Charlie Ruggiero
- 2001.06.04
Q: I would buy Macintosh, but it seems like Macintosh
hardware is more expensive than PC hardware.
A: In some ways Macintosh computers are more expensive than
Wintel computers, but I believe Macs are a better value - or at
least even the score in the end.
Shop Around: If you are in the market for standard
equipment like RAM or hard drives, you should not always rely on
retail sources. One of the biggest traps you can get into when
buying ram are the "RAM Selectors." They are tempting to use,
because all you do is enter your Mac type and it pops up some RAM,
but usually only one kind of RAM. Most of the time these sites have
a lot of other brands of RAM that will work at cheaper prices.
There are two ways to get these prices:
- Find out what kind of RAM your computer takes. You can get this
information by using the RAM selector and then search for that kind
of RAM (not brand). You can also go to sites like everymac.com or
Apple's support site to get specifics on RAM.
- Call the mail order or online store up and tell them the kind
of computer you have. To stay competitive they will usually give
you the lowest price they have and not what their RAM selector came
up with.
Never assume that RAM prices are the same at every company. In a
quick search of the web for 128 MB of RAM for a Beige G3 Tower, I
found prices from $179 down to $30. This is quite a range and gives
you an idea how different prices can be on any given day.
If you find a good price on RAM, do not wait a long time to
decide to get it. RAM may get cheaper, but it may also get more
expensive depending on production, supply problems, demand, and
even weather in the areas that make the RAM.
If you are in the market for a Mac and want to save some money,
get one with an IDE hard drive. You can purchase IDE drives at
almost every major electronics, computer, and even office supply
store (Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Staples, Office Max, etc.).
Most major brands of IDE drives work in IDE Macs. A 9 GB SCSI
drive may cost you $200, but for $200 you can get a 60 GB IDE
drive.
Macs Last Longer: Although not as true today as it was a
five years ago, a Macintosh tends to last longer in terms of "good
use." You do not find many people using 486's or low-end Pentiums
on a daily basis. Most can run nothing higher than Win95 and are
too sluggish for most recent applications. Quadras can run Mac OS
8.1, and all PowerPC Macs can run Mac OS 9.1. If you want, you can
even run Mac OS 7.5.5 on a Mac Plus. I would not argue the Mac Plus
and similar machines are useful on a daily basis, but it goes to
show that a fairly modern operating system can still be run on a
Mac built in 1986.
Macs can be found cheap: Don't rely on just online stores
for used Macs. You can sometimes find great deals at auction sites,
classified, usegroups, and even local pawn shops. I have found that
local pawn shops have a bad sense of what Macs are worth, and this
results in two situations: Macs that are way over priced and Macs
that are way under priced. Get a sense of the worth of the model
you are looking for and then check out those pawn shop prices.
Remember to insist on checking out the computer before purchasing.
Check everything (including sound, mic and speaker ports, CD-ROM,
floppy, and so on.) Most places do not allow returns.
Here are some older Macs I consider to be pretty good used deals
and the reasons for my choices:
- $350 to $750
- Has IDE and SCSI, CD-ROM, G3 processor, upgradable to G4, uses
cheap memory, built in ethernet, 3 PCI slots.
iMac DV (any model with
FireWire)
- $550 to $1,300
- Has IDE, CD-ROM (or DVD), G3 processor, uses cheap memory,
built in ethernet, FireWire, USB, built-in monitor.
- $600 to $1000
- Has IDE, CD-ROM (or DVD), G3 processor, upgradable to G4, uses
cheap memory, built in ethernet, FireWire, USB, 3 PCI slots.
- $85 to $350
- CD-ROM (usually), able to run Office 2001 (except 7500 with
original 100 MHz CPU), upgradable to G3, built in ethernet, 3 PCI
slots.
- Drawback: IDE support not built in, requires separate
card.
Keep in mind the more RAM and extras (like printers, scanners,
monitors and so on) that come with the system, the higher the
price. Sellers tend to jack up the price with these extras, but you
can sometimes get them to drop the price or simply drop the extras
if you don't want them.
When bidding on auctions try to find things that end at odd
times (like 03.00 a.m. Pacific or 04.45 p.m. EST on a business day
- people are less likely to bid right before the end of the work
day). These times have less competition for the auction items, so
you are more likely to win a bid closer to the price you want.
