"If you want me to look at something, don't take it apart then bring me the pieces. Let me take it apart. That way I'll know where everything goes. If you take it apart, you rob me of what I need to know to make sure everything is where it needs to be. Don't do that."
I'm reminded of this as I see the laptops that come in to the shop with screws and bits missing, parts broken off, cracked cases and no power supplies... People, this is not good. Let's examine why.
You begin the process by buying a cheap laptop, either new and cheap, or used and cheap. It then develops a problem. Instead of freezing that picture right where it is, you dive in with both sleeves rolled up (so to speak) and attempt to repair what's wrong. You look at the laptop as a minor challenge: "It was cheap; how complex could it be?" Or, "If I get into trouble, I can always call someone." At this point, I invite your attention back to my dad's quote on fixing stuff.... The last thing that goes through your mind, when you get the repair estimate is "How could something so cheap end up costing so much to fix?"
Don't be fooled by the low cost to get in the door. The cost of ownership is seldom the total cost of operation (TCO). I'll reference an excellent HP article on TCO to make my point (the original article is here):
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) measures the economics of your IT assets
over their useful service life. Many decision makers fail to look beyond
the up-front investment. Before you decide on a new IT platform aligned
with the business strategy of your organization, be sure to assess all
direct and indirect costs involved over the entire lifecycle.
If you substitute "cheap laptop" for the "IT assets" and "IT platform" of the above paragraph, you have a perfect picture of TCO. The "best" laptop isn't the cheapest. Even in these more cost-constrained times in which we live, there's a better way to buy a laptop. I will illustrate this truth this way: If you're getting ready to buy a laptop (or any "IT asset"), consider the TCO. The best low-stress way to buy good TCO numbers is to buy the most expensive laptop/IT asset you can presently afford. Only you will know that magic number, but you should use the TCO numbers to guide you in setting it.
What about this "TCO" thingie? Let's get a little more familiar with it by looking at something you might take a little more time to consider buying: a car. You have the up-front cost of the car; the cash price, but even that involves some unseen calculation (unless you the atypical buyer who always pays cash for cars). The cash price is always increased by the additional cost to finance it, so cost is cost plus cost of financing. But, of course, it doesn't stop there. The cost of maintenance has to be considered (that's why you always check the maintenance ratings on the car you want...and avoid the model with a one-star rating). So now we're up to Cost + Financing + Maintenance. But there are more costs to consider in TCO.
There's insurance, of course; it's a state requirement. Then there are the "upgrades." Nobody likes being stuck with a base model car. So you'll want wheels, tires, window tint, new steering wheel, seat covers, and of course some good, common sense engine mods (RPM chip, headers and exhaust system, cooling system mods...) And whether you like it or not, if you don't have a garage or carport now, you're going to want one for your new car, whatever that's going to cost. And eating - for the first three to six months, you're going to eat differently too; no more to-go meals on wheels for you. So that may mean road meals are sit-down meals or meals at home for a while...toll someone spills a Slurpee in the front seat.... And invariably, you will want the attention that having a new car will draw, and at some point, that is probably going to mean a ticket or two. o there are many direct and indirect costs to consider when looking at a "cheap" laptop.
- Cost: Probably not financed; few people would even consider a laptop if it came with a three-year or five-year payment plan.... So maybe you adjust your thinking to consider a more pricey, better quality "IT asset."
- Maintenance: Common maintenance is almost never considered. The most common maintenance philosophy is also the most customer-hated system: fix-on-failure. How do I keep the display clean from the sneezes and food spray and fingerprints that invariably collect on it? And nobody would consider investing in so much as a can of compressed air to blow out the fan and insides to prevent problems - big ones - in the future. So someone's gonna need to clean it periodically. Ever stand up and walk away from the laptop and trip over the power cord and rip the DC power jack clean out of your rig? Apple owners are snickering right now - thank you Magsafe. The rest of us have to consider how to replace that jack when we yank it out.
- Modifications/Upgrades: Three quick hits; memory (RAM), processor (CPU) and hard disk drive (HDD). The rule with RAM: put as much in it as it will take (check your specifications for type, quantity limits, etc.) or as much as you can afford. Nothing makes as dramatic and immediate an improvement as maxing out the RAM. The CPU on the motherboard is a variable, not a fixed factor (usually - some CPU's are surface mounted devices (SMD) and cannot easily (or wisely) be swapped). Find out from the manufacturer and websites like Overclock.net or Tom's Hardware what processor upgrade will work. The same reason that RAM upgrades work so dramatically is now true for HDD upgrades. The solid state drive SSD is the new HDD. SSD's work many times faster and can cut your boot times by half or better.
- Other "Gets:" Get some display cleaning technology, like Tech Armor or Belkin. You might get a privacy screen like 3M's if some or most of what you do is private...and what isn't. You also might reference an earlier piece I did on this blog about cracked screens to take a look at case options.
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