Comments on: The Workstation Debate: Needs, Wants, and Making a Rational Purchase

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:33:45 +0000

I’m a little leary of those “studies” that say your productivity will go up by 20% with a larger monitor.

Maybe for a job where they are feeding you data and functions to do all day, fine, less window switching will be faster.

But for a creative writer who has to come up with original material? Is your bottle-neck really moving windows around the screen, or is the TRUE bottleneck coming up with new ideas?

A large screen won’t help you come up with new ideas any faster. At best you might save 15 minutes per day, I would guess.

By: Tordr

Tordr — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:42:58 +0000

I recently bought a new computer to phase out my aging computer. I do not play the newest computer games so I am trying to get an excellent computer for the least amount of money and only focus on things that I care for.

The computer was a sale from a local computer dealer. It had originally cost $800, but it was on sale for $600. It was partially an impulse buy, but I had been wondering for a month already about upgrading.

So having upgraded the computer, I thought it was time to do the whole upgrade cycle. So I have upgraded my monitor from 19″ to 24″ wide screen for $600 (as much as my computer cost) and since I want to download stuff and the computer came with a ridiculously small hard drive (by current standards), I went for one non-fugal choice and picked up a 1Tb hard drive for about $350.

Also note that I promptly after getting the computer pulled out my old hard drive with XP and installed it into the new computer, so I did not have to run Vista.

The next points on my wish list is better noise shielding, more memory but they are currently not prioritized as I have already spent more than enough on the computer. A better graphic card is not prioritized.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:03:32 +0000

For $3,144 + tax and shipping, get the low end Macbook Pro 15″ w/ iwork and final cut express, the apple remote and applecare warranty, and the 1TB time capsule. Portable. Wireless. Desktop Replacement. Automatic wireless backup. Did I mention Automatic Wireless Backup? Save even more if you can do your work with the mid level macbook. Also check the apple refurb site, as mentioned above. Have fun picking your system!

By: Marcus Murphy

Marcus Murphy — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:48:54 +0000

I just want to say in response to gotapex.com and techbargains.com posted earlier in comment #3 and #12 there is an even better site. http://www.searchalldeals.com

It searches a number of different tech sites for coupons and rebates, including the two mentioned. Happy Bargain hunting =)

By: aggressive saver

aggressive saver — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:43:45 +0000

i’ve got a cheap 32 inch hd tv (only makes 1080i) on my desk, which got me the biggest monitor that i could possibly imagine using for around 500 bucks. it’s got a vga port on the back and the image is very clear.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:05:14 +0000

Another thing – the latest version of OS X uses “virtual desktops”, which grants you four working spaces on one monitor. It’s AWESOME.

By: Char

Char — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:13:39 +0000

Trent,
I saw this post as I read you now everyday and showed it to my son. He was going to email you but I thought I would follow up with a link in case you are not an email checker. He owns a business that builds computers and his overhead is well… nothing. He is a true computer geek and has been building and taking computers apart since he was 2. He can afford to make very little because of his age and his minor status meaning I still pay his rent. He is thrilled by what he makes off of building each computer as he makes around 10 bucks/hour at the computer shop where he works at fixing people’s computers. Anyway, just want you to know that he has built a lot of computers and has made a lot people happy with the price and he stands behind what he sells even at his young age. I encourage you to click through your “ideal” computer on his site and see how affordable it really is… http://pebipc.com/

By: Nikki W

Nikki W — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:04:03 +0000

I have to say – I don’t write a blog, but I do manage interactive features on a website, and spend well over 12 hours a day on my laptop, in various rooms and uses. I still use my three year old Dell, not that the brand has much to do w/ it. However, my desk setup has a docking station, I have an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse in place. When I want to telecommute from the recliner or another location, I pop the laptop out, and I have a lapdesk w/ mouse holder, and wireless mouse, etc for that room (and a spare power cord, so I can easily plug in and go to the lower floor). When I need the speakerphone or lots of room to spread out, I’m at the desk. I also have a refurbished HP all-in-one, running off an inexpensive wireless setup and our old (four year old and “outdated then”) desktop as a server, so I can print from anywhere in the house.

My DH just bought (w/o consulting me – different topic) a high-end Sony Vaio at the end of the year for his business. NOT a frugal decision, and he will never need the speed or applications he got. He had used his old one for five years… and had the profit from his business to spend on it. Still, we could have gotten a refurbished (name a brand – but Lenovo or Dell were my top choices) or “Off-lease” one for him, and spent that money elsewhere in his business.

Two other points:
* consider “off lease” or a “lease return” as well as refurbished. Two years old – for most of these – plus a second monitor and adding in your extra memory – will get you 80% of what you need.
* Don’t buy what you “think” you need until you need it. The same way some folks buy “the best car they can afford” because they fall into that marketing trap… some techies fall into the “latest and greatest” gadget or laptop. If it is a commodity tool – which the computer is – buy your minimum until your business has the profit to justify it.

* Use that 80/20 rule mentioned above for now. Some simple interim steps will cover 80% of your needs, for 20% of the expense – so try it.
If a second monitor, a desktop setup (like a docking station kind of arrangement), extra memory and a perhaps an erognomic consult in your home office to get you comfortable will cover 80% of your needs today (for less than $500), then do it. All of those things will either:
* reward you now (the ergonomic) or
* be resellable/or you can donate (tax writeoff) if you move up in 6-12 months.

On other hand, you’d spend 8x as much for the possibility that you MIGHT use the functionality.

Gentle thought – when I first started working from home part of the time, I was extremely focused on my surroundings and equipment because of the transition. Now, it is much easier to focus on my work and not the distractions of my surroundings…

By: lisa

lisa — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:27:50 +0000

don’t forget to visit freecycle–it’s a yahoo group and there are dozens of offers and wants to exchange from–many folks find what they need/want and get rid of what they don’t need/want anymore. much cheaper than goodwill these days with it’s ever increasing prices!

By: John

John — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:14:05 +0000

TRENT,

You’ve done “your apprenticeship”, in faith (not magic) knowing you have the ability to make it happen, get the best system possible. No one was ever sorry that they had bought the best. Buy a cheap tool and you’ll cuss it out everytime you use it — buy a quality item, — you’ll love it and it will last for a long time.
Computers are hard on the eyes, get a big clear screen. $4,000.00 in five years is, what?– $2.19 at day? — it’s your livelihood! One pack of cigarrets or a magazine is more than that, right?

john b.

By: K12Linux

K12Linux — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:32:13 +0000

I second what Tom Purl says about monitors. I have had dual 17″ monitors on my work PC and wouldn’t dream of going back to one monitor. the price gets insane over 24″ and that has far less horizontal work area than two 17″.

The ability to keep your main project in one screen and misc stuff in the other is a huge productivity boost for me.

With current Easter sales you can get a surprisingly powerful PC, even with dual LCD monitors, for right around $1k prebuilt. I’m talking dual 2+Ghz CPU, 2+Gb RAM, 500GB HD, etc.

Even from Dell (though you have to call to add the dual monitor option.)

By: R. Grant

R. Grant — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:12:55 +0000

My daughter works for Apple and you are right about the discount. They also get other special deals frequently. Recently a new Macbook came out and they offered all the older models to employees for a substantial discount. My brother-in-law and a coworker of mine both got one. When you are ready to buy you might check Mac rumors to see if there is anything new on the horizon that could save you some money. Employees also get a 25% discount on one system per year so if you know someone that isn’t going to use their discount for the year you can get a screaming deal. My daughter also echoes the sentiment that you should buy extra RAM after market. Apple RAM is over-priced. Applecare is a great service and only costs about 250.00. It is so much more than a warranty plan and if you are investing that much money, it seems a small price to protect it. It can be puchased anytime in the first year after you buy.
Thanks

By: Michele

Michele — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:07:56 +0000

Hi Trent,
I’ve tried to review all of the comments to avoid being redundant, but redundancy is what my comment is about.
One of your concerns is backup. To most of us that not only means storing files elsewhere to keep a safe copy but being able to work elsewhere.
Say you buy the Mac and it becomes inoperable. Are you going to be able to work on the laptop? The answer seems simple, but it’s not. Once you get used to a new process that involves using software that was only on that Mac, and cannot be installed on the laptop, your productivity will be hindered.
My vote is to get a 2nd PC if for no ther reason than the interoperability. I agree with the comments that say you’re overspending. There are plenty of people recording podcasts and publishing video without studio quality hardware. equipment.
As far as the big or 2nd monitor debate, I have to vote with the 2nd monitor. Once you get used to it, NOT having a second monitor will become like trying to work without a mouse. It can be done but it slows you down.
There’s my two cents. Best of luck with your decision.

By: jaushwa

jaushwa — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:48:09 +0000

if our looking for screen RE, this is what you do… get a decent desktop with a video card that has a DVI output. Buy an LCD (pick your size, I have a 32 in) and plug it into the back. Instant giant monitor/TV/HD cinema. Make sure the LCD you buy has the DVI in port and not just the HDMI in port. I know the HDMI is better to have but for this application you need a DVI.
The LCD I have is a Hyandi and it works great.

I also agree with the ram issue. get at leat 2GB

By: Tom Purl

Tom Purl — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:56:44 +0000

Trent, I’ve read most of these comments, and it also sounds like you’re making a pretty un-frugal decision to me. I just wanted to reinforce the following points:

1. You can buy a *very* fast computer for less than a grand these days. I know you’re not purchasing a laptop, but you can even buy a new Toshiba laptop with a dual-core, 64 bit processor and a gig of ram for $500 from Circuity City.

2. I swear by dual monitors – it’s not just for programmers. When I only have one monitor, I feel like I’m working with one hand tied behind my back. Also, this can be a very frugal solution because you can double your screen space by using an old monitor and a new, medium-sized monitor.

3. I don’t really think you need a lot of horsepower to do what you want to do. I use my computer with a single-core 1.8 Ghz CPU and 512 MB of RAM in the following ways:

* MythTV server

* Video capturing editing (using Kino)

* Word processing (using OpenOffice and Zoho.com)

* Web browsing (with Firefox)

* Video transcoding/conversion (using ffmpeg and mencoder)

My machine does all of these things perfectly well, and I rarely (if ever) have performance issues.

HTH!

Tom Purl

By: Anitra

Anitra — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:45:14 +0000

Make sure you’re only buying what you need! My recommendation is to buy a new monitor, and add other pieces (software, microphone, camera, etc.) as needed. If you find you’re really getting into audio/video recording and your laptop isn’t powerful enough, THEN make the leap to a desktop system – you’ll really know what you need then.

Personally, I’ve been using Macs for 15 years and I love them, but the prices are too high for me to justify buying a brand new one. But used and refurbished computers can be had for a discount – I’m still using a G4 tower that I bought used three years ago for less than $200 – it’s probably about seven years old now. The only other money I’ve spent on it was to max out the RAM and buy the latest version of OS X. Since Apple has moved to the Intel platform, I’ll have to upgrade in another year or two, but right now, I can still run new software.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:10:26 +0000

Whatever you buy, remember to include purchase of backup / disaster recovery options. A USB hard drive that automatically backs up your hard drive is a minimum. You can consider Dell small business Optiplex’s with RAID 1 (duplicate hard drives that automatically mirror, so if one fails, you lose nothing). I have had several hard drive failures, and all the backup does is save my files; I have to reinstall windows and all software on a new drive. RAID 1 solves that problem, and it’s cheap. I paid ~$1100 for a Dell Optiplex with core 2, 169 GB RAID 1, and 4 GB RAM (no monitor, had one).

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:38:40 +0000

This post has a potential impulse buy written all over it. I think that when one makes a big change in their lives there is a tendency to make a lot of other smaller changes that can have a big impact later on. I would utilize option 1 for several months and then re-evaluate the situation again.

By: Citoahc

Citoahc — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:16:16 +0000

If you go with the Dell make sure you get it from their Small Business site with the ProSupport option. It used to be called Gold support. In my experience there is nothing as useful as having the tech on site with a replacement part the day after something breaks. As I understand it that is even better than most of Apple’s support.

Also if all you are doing is document, audio and low to mid quality video I’d recommend looking at the Optiplex line. The 755s are usually decent deals. I just speced one with Dual 20 inch monitors, 3 gigs of ram and a 4 year warranty for 1600.

By: Jacqui

Jacqui — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:16:17 +0000

If you go with the Apple, and I think you should, buy a refurb. You can save a TON of money buying that way. I’m also a new freelance writer, and I was killing myself trying to work on my iBook (12 in screen, 500MHz G3, 512MB ram). I only needed the new MacBook as far as processing power is concerned, but the 17 in screen was too hard to pass up. I work out of hotel rooms almost full-time, so a desktop wasn’t an option for me. I bought the previous model for about 20% off. You can buy a 24 in iMac (black/silver) for $1500 in the refurb store right now, and as low as $1400 for the older white version. I’m not so sure about the video stuff, but you may even be able to get away with a refurb Mini and going bargain hunting for a used display on eBay.