Buying a New Computer on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Some Tips for Getting a Great Purchase

Black Friday (November 23) and Cyber Monday (November 26) are coming up. They are the two busiest days of the year for electronic (including computer) sales. You can get a great deal if you look below the surface and do not purchase the first "deal" pushed up to you.

 If you are thinking of getting a new computer consider these pointers.  Note that this might just apply to United States residents only.

1. Look for Windows 7 Deals:  Do you really need Windows 8, the new Microsoft Operating System?  I did not like it, and am sticking with Windows 7.  You might get a much better deal on a computer with Windows 7 this weekend as old inventory is being cleared out.

2. Purchase a computer with an NVDIA graphics card, and not an ATI card. They work much better with Second Life and are worth the extra cost.  Remember - your graphics card is the most important single add-on to your system when gaming.

3. Purchase a Square Trade Warranty.  Do not buy an extended service warranty from the place where you purchased your new computer. I have had excellent luck with Square Trade and can recommend them to you.

4. Consider purchasing your new computer at Costco.  They give you a full two-year warranty at no extra charge, and you can return your computer within the first 90 days (please check this) for any reason. You can purchase a Costco computer via mail order, but you must buy a membership to do so. Costco teams up with Square Trade for extending your warranty to 3 years for a new computer purchase.

Note:  You should always buy an extended warranty for your new computer purchase, especially a gaming rig with a graphics card. They do turn to burn out at a faster rate.

5. Check out Black Friday Deals in advance at these places. They all list computer manufacturers and electronic stores:

http://www.theblackfriday.com/

http://blackfriday.com/

http://bfads.net/

6.  A laptop will usually not give the same performance as a Desktop rig for gaming for your money. It is very difficult, if possible, to upgrade a graphics card on a laptop. In addition, they overheat when stressed with gaming. Consider purchasing a desktop as your second computer.