At Onsite we try to do our best to educate our clients. Purchasing the right computer now can save you time and money later.

Why Dell?
As many of you know we recommend Dells. You may have asked yourself why Dell? Here are the reasons we choose Dell over other manufactures:

• When you purchase a business machine you usually receive North American, english speaking support
• Next day on-site warranty
• Reliability
• Overall lower cost of maintenance
• Easy to locate drivers
• Easy part replacement

Recommended Dell Models
When buying a Dell you should be sure to purchase one of their more reliable models. These are the models that are subjected to intense torture testing before they are approved for production:

DESKTOPS:
- OptiPlex
- Precision

LAPTOPS:
- Latitude
- Precision

Minimum Requirements
No matter what machine you buy you should make sure they have at LEAST the following specifications.

PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo
MEMORY: 2GB
HARDDRIVE: 80GB 7200RPM
NETWORK: Gigabit (1000 Mbps)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows XP Professional
WARRANTY: 3-Year Next Business Day (NBD) On-site Service

As with anything, there are exceptions when recommending technology that fits each individual company. On occasion we recommend the Dell Vostro model. This is a line of desktops and laptops that falls between the low and high end models. Vostro's tend to be more affordable and are best suited for small businesses. This model is not always recommended but it can be a great fit in some situations where only the basics of computing are necessary.

XP or VISTA
Generally speaking one of the most controversial issues in business computing is whether or not to upgrade from Windows XP to Microsoft's latest Operating System, Windows Vista. Our recommendation is for businesses to stick with Windows XP Professional. If you are buying a Dell computer be sure to choose the Windows XP Professional downgrade option.

We at Onsite have had first hand experience with many ongoing problems and difficulties related to Windows Vista being used in a business network environment. The bottom line is the fact that Vista is not 100% business ready and should not be deployed in a production environment until thorough testing has been completed. Once we are confident in upgrading from Windows XP to a newer operating system we will be sure to let you know.

A Few Possible Wrong Choices
Sometimes we hear of someone that is not a fan of Dell. Usually we find that the purchaser has made a few wrong choices.

PURCHASED AN INFERIOR MODEL: There is a significant difference between the different Dell models. Making sure you choose the best model can save you lots of money and prevent hours of wasted time. The lower grade computer models include Inspirons and Studio desktops and laptops.

One example of the difference between models is the level of testing before they are approved for production. The Inspiron line of computers is only tested for a few thousand hours and has a relatively high probability of failure. In comparison the Precision line of workstations is tested a minimum of 20,000 hours and has a very low probability of failure.

OPTED FOR STANDARD WARRANTY: Lower grade computers typically include the worst warranty. In most cases these lower end computers include a 1-year mail-in warranty. In the event of a warranty issue and this type of warranty it is almost guaranteed that you will be speaking to a person outside of North America and english is not their first language. If you are able to get your warranty claim processed you then have to send your computer away to Dell and the repair process usually takes several weeks.

WINDOWS HOME EDITION: This version of the Windows operating system is not sufficient for businesses. Windows Home Edition is difficult to manage in a network environment and cannot be integrated with a Windows domain.

We hope next time you go to purchase a computer the information above will make the process easier. And don't be afraid to give us a call so we can customize a machine just for you and your business.

If you need any help
choosing your next computer
call Onsite Computer Systems
at 856-626-3349.