|
Year |
1998 |
2005 |
2009 |
|
Price |
$3,000 |
$2,000 |
$500 |
|
Hard Drive |
40 Gb |
80 Gb |
250 Gb |
|
RAM |
128 Mb |
1 Gb |
3 Gb |
Attached is a quick and dirty chart of all my computer purchases over time. I still think it’s amazing how quickly computer prices have dropped in my lifetime. Some important things I learned in the process are:
- With the falling prices of computers, buying a souped up rig never makes sense
- The honeymoon period and “new car smell” only last for about a week; afterward you’ll want to buy a new one
- Don’t look at the computer ads the week after you bought your computer; nothing good can come from this act
- If you keep waiting for price drops, it’s possible you’ll never actually buy new a computer
- Whether its crashes, bugs, or viruses, Windows will always let you down
- Don’t time your computer purchase with a Windows release; always wait until after the first Service Pack or longer if possible
- No matter how complacent you feel after your purchase, at some point, you will need more hard drive space
- Never buy the extended warranty; you’re statistically not likely to use it as retailers earn a 90% profit on all warranty conversions
- Laptops are much more convenient if you ever need to move
