5 Things you need to know before building, buying, or repairing a computer. I have a question, why are there only 5 things I ever need to know about anything??? I wonder if there is a lot more I need to know or are the 5 things I need to know scratching the surface and not really deep enough to help me. I decided to make my own 5 things post that I am sure you will find very useful or at least interesting.

1^st thing you need to know; if you are going to build your own system, think of what you will be doing with it now and in the future. Say you are a casual user and you check e-mail, surf the web and play spider solitaire or Zuma, you might think well I do not need something really powerful for that right? Well maybe right now but what happens if you decide to start doing photo editing, watch movies, play a few more newer games, or you found a good program you want to use but the new system is not powerful enough. Always think of the future when you are building a new computer, I really dislike when I spent money to build the system just to turn around and have to shell out more money to upgrade it.

1 ½  thing you need to know; when building a new system make sure you understand the specifications of the motherboard so you do not buy useless hardware that will not work with it. Also read the manual, you do not know how many times I have helped people to fix their systems because they did not read the manual.

2^nd thing you need to know; if you are going to buy a new computer from a respected retailer please read up on the type of system you want before going to the store. There is a constant turnover of salespeople at major retailers and so training can be lacking. Some salespeople know less about the product you are looking for then you do so if you have any questions please try to get them answered from the manufacturer. Please do not think I am disrespecting all retail salespeople, some are really good.

2 ½ thing you need to know; stick with major OEM brands, like Dell, HP, Gateway, Toshiba, and Lenovo. Some places sell generic white box systems and sometimes they can be a mixed bag of hardware, kind of like a grab bag of stuff that could be of low quality.

3^rd thing you need to know; if you plan on repairing the system you currently have, ask yourself if the system is worth repairing? If you have had the system for 4-5 years then it is better to throw it away and get a new one. The price of new computers is pretty low compared to a few years ago and so for a little more than the price to fix the old one you can have a new one that is a lot faster and will serve you for the next 4-5 years. If the problem is something you can fix then fix it yourself and save the money you would have spent for gas. The internet is your friend, if you have a computer problem you want to get fixed then search for the answer, trust me someone else out there has had the same problem you do and there may be a quick solution. If the computer is the only one in the house and you cannot use the internet, the public library has a few you can use to find the answer.

3 ½ thing you need to know; always back up everything on your computer that you want to keep. My system is backed up twice a week, who knows when that bugger is going to die on me. The reason I say this, sometimes the only answer to fixing a problem is reinstalling Windows. Software issues can be hard to track down and if you have searched the net, talked to repair people and see no other solutions except take it to a repair and spend lot of money or reinstall Windows, just reinstall Windows.

4^th thing you need to know; there is no one who is right all the time. We all make mistakes and might give information that fixed our problem but will have others chasing their tail. Please weigh the information you get, and always ask for second opinions, we all know there are plenty of people with opinions ready to give.

4 ½ thing you need to know; never settle for a computer or service that just does the job. I do not know how many times I was ready to pull out my hair because someone bought a piece of hardware that was not sufficient to handle their needs or the system had subpar hardware that had a glitch I could not figure out. This causes all sorts of headaches and really makes computer people unhappy. Spend the little extra to get a good quality part or replacement so it will handle all of your needs and then some. A good deal that is pretty cheap and saves you lots of money may ultimately cost you twice as much in the long term.

5^th thing you need to know; building, buy or repairing a computer can be fun and a learning experience. Do not let it be a life lesson in humility because of misinformation, a hasty decision, or not researching. We all can be enticed into making a hasty purchase only to regret it later so always be prepared will all of the information you can get your hands on before undertaking anything. I also want to add you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

5 1/2 I really liked what George had to say in the comment below and I decided it warranted another section in this post. People start to chase the Jones’s when buying computers and hardware. Just because a friend or your buddy has a crazy fast computer or just bought a monster video card does not mean you need to run out and get the next one higher than him or her. You will go broke chasing technology, keep your objectives in mind when buying. We can all get wrapped up in a buying frenzy and get a computer or hardware that is just too much for what we plan on doing with the system, then go through buyer’s remorse and either return the stuff or live with it. Always buy within your means. Just because it is the newest or the fastest does not mean you must have it. It is like buying a Lamborghini which looks incredible and you wanted it but a Honda which still look good and is what you need, would have been more than enough for your needs, thanks George.

Wow, there has been some incredible comments add to this, I am going to add CliffyStones comments to this post because I feel the same way. Dust is a serious system killer, and I have been through three power supplies on three different systems and so I know what he is talking about.

5 3/4. Dust is the enemy! Keep the darned thing cleaned out or be prepared for trouble And turn it off when you’re not using it. This is the 21st century not the 1980’s, and the systems will last longer if they are not powered up 24/7.

5 7/8. Power supplies can and do go bad! just because the thing boots up doesn’t mean the power supply is working properly. This is by far the one most overlooked item in troubleshooting articles/blogs. This little ol’ LINEAR (as in not-digital) device has to supply a near-perfect source of 12 volt, 5 volt, and 3.3 volt currents. When it gets old and sloppy all kinds of strange things can and will happen. It’s a lot easier to swap out the power supply and see what happens before re-installing Windows.

Thanks to CliffyStones for writing 5 3/4 and 5 7/8, these additions are his own words, I did not write any of it.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I have, until next time.

Kineo