In case you've visited my blog and haven't found me on Reddit!
I'm not going to be talking about the components of a PC that much, or about building it, this will be a purely financial side of things just to remind people that having a PC doesn't have to be as expensive as enthusiasts make it sound!
1) A pc Doesn't have to be brand new to be usable!
walk around your town/city. Look at refurbished PCs. A lot of companies do their lifecycles and the PCs that come to the market for 200-300$ are actually an amazing bargain for what you pay for! Currently an HP 800 G1-2 which is last generation of office PCs is valued between 300-500 for a higher configuration and 200-300 for a lower configuration, depending on where you look. Check out the refurbished departments in stores or visit stores dedicated to PC refurbishing.
2) You don't necessarily have to buy from a retailer!
There's a lot of individuals out there who are trying to get rid of basic computers out there. Kijiji, Craigslist, LetGo, Facebook marketplace or whatever there is out there. it won't be the latest in terms of technological advancements, but it will certainly do the job for you! Don't forget, after all, a PC was meant to be a productivity tool, not an overpriced gaming console. Even if you don't find an i7 with 32gb of ram, an i3 with 8gb of ram can still be as productive and get the job done!
3) Forget the expensive software!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've all heard it and cringed at windows being 120$+tx. Don't fret. Windows isn't the only Operating system out there that can allow you to use your PC. There are tons of free alternatives out there to pretty much everything. Linux, BSD, whatever have you are great free and open source alternatives, and packed with features that allow you to take productive advantage of your machine!
4) You don't need the latest or the highest!
this is just a reiteration of what I said a bit earlier. Building a pc with cheaper parts can yield just as good numbers in terms of productivity (respectfully towards scenarios) and it won't leave a burning hole in your pocket or have you wondering whether or not you'll be eating noodles tonight. Getting a bit technical - You can buy a used Xeon for 50-70CAD, a Chinese brand board for 90, some used RAM for 40-60$, a cheap case to hold it together, a graphic card from a refurbisher for around 50$ and a power supply. Hard drives are relatively cheap if you look for them. that right there can get you a desktop for .... less than 400$? (Not including monitor(s) or peripherals)
The point of this post is to remind you not to get caught up in the flashy commercials about the latest iEatYourWalletv7 from Intel or Block heater 2600 from AMD. Get yourself a machine that gets the job done that won't leave you dumbstruck when looking at the bill.
Keep saving fellows!
23-may-2018 EDIT: Quoted from /u/katovskiy , Government refurb PC purchase program for low income families and new arrivals into the country.
http://www.rcto.ca/programs-rctech-outreach.asp# This is the one my wife was talking about, but it seems I misheard her :) and it is not only refurbished business PCs, but refurbished PCs in general. After a quick search found another program that can help out to newcomers and low-income families: https://www.electronicrecyclingassociation.ca/volunteer/ https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/4401123-pilot-program-will-offer-low-cost-computers-to-families/ https://cfsc-opec.org/en/receive-technology/ (Government parent, links to various services through Canada, by province)
23-may-2018 EDIT2: I am VtheMan93 On reddit! Send me a message and say hi! Don't be shy!
1) A pc Doesn't have to be brand new to be usable!
walk around your town/city. Look at refurbished PCs. A lot of companies do their lifecycles and the PCs that come to the market for 200-300$ are actually an amazing bargain for what you pay for! Currently an HP 800 G1-2 which is last generation of office PCs is valued between 300-500 for a higher configuration and 200-300 for a lower configuration, depending on where you look. Check out the refurbished departments in stores or visit stores dedicated to PC refurbishing.
2) You don't necessarily have to buy from a retailer!
There's a lot of individuals out there who are trying to get rid of basic computers out there. Kijiji, Craigslist, LetGo, Facebook marketplace or whatever there is out there. it won't be the latest in terms of technological advancements, but it will certainly do the job for you! Don't forget, after all, a PC was meant to be a productivity tool, not an overpriced gaming console. Even if you don't find an i7 with 32gb of ram, an i3 with 8gb of ram can still be as productive and get the job done!
3) Forget the expensive software!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've all heard it and cringed at windows being 120$+tx. Don't fret. Windows isn't the only Operating system out there that can allow you to use your PC. There are tons of free alternatives out there to pretty much everything. Linux, BSD, whatever have you are great free and open source alternatives, and packed with features that allow you to take productive advantage of your machine!
4) You don't need the latest or the highest!
this is just a reiteration of what I said a bit earlier. Building a pc with cheaper parts can yield just as good numbers in terms of productivity (respectfully towards scenarios) and it won't leave a burning hole in your pocket or have you wondering whether or not you'll be eating noodles tonight. Getting a bit technical - You can buy a used Xeon for 50-70CAD, a Chinese brand board for 90, some used RAM for 40-60$, a cheap case to hold it together, a graphic card from a refurbisher for around 50$ and a power supply. Hard drives are relatively cheap if you look for them. that right there can get you a desktop for .... less than 400$? (Not including monitor(s) or peripherals)
The point of this post is to remind you not to get caught up in the flashy commercials about the latest iEatYourWalletv7 from Intel or Block heater 2600 from AMD. Get yourself a machine that gets the job done that won't leave you dumbstruck when looking at the bill.
Keep saving fellows!
23-may-2018 EDIT: Quoted from /u/katovskiy , Government refurb PC purchase program for low income families and new arrivals into the country.
http://www.rcto.ca/programs-rctech-outreach.asp# This is the one my wife was talking about, but it seems I misheard her :) and it is not only refurbished business PCs, but refurbished PCs in general. After a quick search found another program that can help out to newcomers and low-income families: https://www.electronicrecyclingassociation.ca/volunteer/ https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/4401123-pilot-program-will-offer-low-cost-computers-to-families/ https://cfsc-opec.org/en/receive-technology/ (Government parent, links to various services through Canada, by province)
23-may-2018 EDIT2: I am VtheMan93 On reddit! Send me a message and say hi! Don't be shy!
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