Welcome to the first installment of Small Business IT for Non-Geeks. In this post, we’ll discuss the computers you and your employees use everyday and how to make better choices. Let’s get started…
Computers come in many shapes and sizes. There are full tower cases with tons of space for extra hard drives and CD/DVD drives all the way down to nettop boxes that are about the size of a hardback book. You can get small laptops (netbooks) and you can get gaming laptops with all the bells and whistles. But, what do you really need? How important is integrated graphics to you and the job you are trying to do? To answer that, let’s first take a look at desktop computers and go from there. For the sake of this series, let’s focus on computers that you buy, not build (or have someone build for you).
Desktop computers
Desktop computers most often consist of 3 main parts; a case where all the cool computer stuff is located, a monitor, and input devices (a keyboard and mouse). Cases can be big for extra storage or small for tucking away and saving space. There are pros and cons to every hardware and case setup but keep in mind that cool computer stuff costs money. If you are buying a computer that is not suited for the job it will be doing, you are wasting money, either by over-buying or under-buying, resulting in more frequent upgrades.
When it comes to small business IT, you need a computer to do a particular job. The good news is that finding a computer that will handle most jobs is very easy. We can get into a discussion about how AMD is better or worse than Intel, why ASUS motherboards are popular, the importance of having the right graphic card, and on and on but really, none of that matters for the average small business computer. What you as a small business owner needs is a basic computer that is fast, has enough storage, and won’t break the bank.
Later in the post, we’ll talk about what to look for when considering both desktop computers and laptop computers. Now, let’s discuss laptops.
Laptop Computers
For the ultimate in portability, laptop computers are the way to go. They are more powerful and less expensive than in they have been in the past. There is only one part, the laptop; no need for a monitor, keyboard or mouse. For many business owners, a laptop frees you to work anywhere. If you are tired of being in the office or at home, head to a coffee shop and work from there. Flying to meet a client, get some work done on the flight. Laptops are a great tool for business productivity, but they may not be right for every situation.
Laptops are more expensive than a similar desktop computer compared to speed, power, memory and storage. Sure, you have to buy a monitor with a desktop computer but that monitor can be used with several generations of computers; a laptop display is attached to the device. Batteries and chargers are always an issue. Eventually your battery will get old and it won’t last as long off the charger. New batteries are expensive, especially for a laptop that is several years old. If you want better graphics, another hard drive, or a CD/DVD drive upgrade, you are out of luck.
Laptops have their place in a small business and can be a great asset when used properly.
Monitors
External monitors are inexpensive and provide great value. For a desktop, you need some device (TV, Monitor, projector, etc) to see what you are doing. For laptops, the monitor is built in. I recommend buying the biggest monitor you can get for about $150 – $200. At that price range, you will find good quality monitors in large sizes. You can research different monitors, refresh rates, brightness, resolution, etc and drive yourself crazy. Or you can go to a store (or online), look for the monitors around $150 – $200, and pick the one that looks good. They all have similar features. If this monitor will be for basic office work, don’t sweat the details.
Now, if you want something different, why not output your computer (desktop or laptop) to a TV or projector? Most modern TVs have HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs and many computers have HDMI outputs. All you need is an HDMI cable and all your video and sound can be transmitted through HDMI cable to the TV. This setup is useful in bigger rooms where large images are needed or in smaller rooms where space is limited.
Imagine this: your office with a 55″ LED TV mounted on the wall with a wireless keyboard and mouse on your desk. Consider the space on your desk that you will save by mounting the TV on the wall rather than having the monitor on your desk. This setup works just as well with a laptop if it has an HDMI output. Work out of a home office? If your TV has HDMI inputs, consider using it as an extra monitor. Saves space and gives you a good reason to update your TV (just in case you needed one…)
What should I buy?
There are a few initial questions to ask yourself when buying a new computer for yourself or an employee:
- Does it need to be portable?
- Is space limited where it will be used most?
- What will the user be doing most?
- How much do you want to spend?
Does it need to be portable?
This question is fairly straight forward; does the user need to carry the computer with them or move it from room to room often. If so, buy a laptop. If not, buy a desktop. My recommendation is to go with a desktop unless you will be carrying it around nearly all the time. For the same money, you can have more power and flexibility with a desktop than with a laptop. With that said, I am writing this on a laptop that I bought due to the need for portability. But, what about tablets?
Tablet computers are becoming more and more popular and powerful. They can do just about anything a regular computer can do. That said, there are some tasks (such as typing, graphic design, video editing, etc) that I feel are just easier on a computer with a real keyboard. Your mileage may vary, but for me, a laptop or desktop is for working and a tablet is mostly for pleasure.
Is space limited where it will be used most?
Will the computer be used at a large or small desk, in coffee shops, in large or small offices, etc. There are many different sizes of desktop cases but for most businesses, a mid-tower case (about 18 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 18 inches deep) offers a good combination of expansion space and physical space. Mini-towers are slightly smaller than a mid-tower. A desktop or Small Form Factor case is a bit smaller (11 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 14 inches deep).
Regardless of the case size, it is important to see how much expansion room you have. A full tower case will have tons of room, all the way down to a desktop or small form factor with only 1 or 2 expansion slots. For most small business applications, you are not going to upgrade your computer that much so I recommend a mid-tower/mini-tower case if you have plenty of room or a desktop or small form factor case if space is an issue. I’ll talk more about possible upgrades you may want to consider later in the post.
Laptops comes in many different sizes but the typical screen size (how laptops are measured, diagonally) is 15.6 inches. You can get much bigger but the bigger the screen, the heavier the laptop. 15.6 inches seems to be a good compromise between usability and weight issues. If you want a bigger screen or want to expand your desktop, you can always plug in an external monitor.
For ultra-portable and space-saving size, you can go with a netbook or a 10 inch laptop. These devices are great if you need something to get on the internet and do a little work. With the popularity of tablets increasing, these smaller laptops are not as popular as they once were. The keyboards are smaller, there is often little room for expansion, and they often cost as much as a larger, more powerful laptop. My recommendation is that, unless you really, really need a very small, very light laptop and a tablet or smartphone won’t work, your small business money is better spent with a desktop or larger laptop.
What will the user be doing most?
Will this computer be for a graphic designer, receptionist, or bookkeeper? Since we have already answered the portability question, we can focus on other requirements such as better graphics, larger screens, more storage, etc. For example, a receptionist will most often be doing very important tasks but nothing that is going to require a powerful computer. For them, a basic desktop would do well. For a graphic designer, you would need a better graphics card (to help the main processor not work so hard) and a larger screen.
Although you can always buy more power than you need, remember that computers get better everyday. The computer you buy today for $500 is not going to cost that much in 6 months. Buy a computer for what you need now with a little bit of upgrade room.
How much do you want to spend?
This might be the most important question to ask yourself when buying a small business computer but it is one that is most often not answered. When I have been asked to recommend a computer, it is the first question I ask. Nearly every time, the response is very similar to “As little as possible.” While that is a great idea, it is too subjective and thus, it does nothing to help you choose. You may have no idea what a computer will cost, but a ballpark figure needs to be decided on.
Let’s consider an example: you want to purchase a computer for your new office manager who will be doing some book keeping as well. How much do you spend? As little as possible may get you:
- a $100 refurbished desktop that will leave you frustrated and miserable until you find a tall building and throw it off the top
- a $1000 laptop with great graphics, a large screen, and tons of storage
- a $500 desktop that is just about right
Not all refurbished desktops will leave you frustrated and not all $1000 laptops have good features. Having a price in mind will give you an anchor to compare value across the many, many different computer options that are available.
The Bottom Line
When considering a new small business computer, ask yourself these questions:
- Does it need to be portable?
- Is space limited where it will be used most?
- What will the user be doing most?
- How much do you want to spend?
Expect to pay $400 – $600 on a basic computer for your small business needs. The more features you need, the more you will spend. I have personally purchased basic laptops for less than $400 for the company I work for as well as a few sub-$400 desktops to run our video conferencing setup. I have been very happy with the performance of these inexpensive computers.
Expect to pay $800+ for a computer that does a pretty good job on graphic design.
Monitors are extra and you should expect to spend about $150 – $200.
Consider purchasing desktops (or upgrading them) to support multiple monitors and using multiple monitors. Most laptops already support multiple monitors. Using multiple monitors will increase your productivity and computer desktop space in ways not really possible by increasing the size of your monitor. It may takes several days to get use to the setup, but you’ll be glad you did.
Summary
Purchasing your next small business computer does not need to be rocket science. In this post, we have discussed desktops, laptops, and monitors. You know what you can expect to spend on the computer themselves and have a few questions to guide you through the process. In the next post, you will learn about some software options to make your new computer functional. Good luck
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