What computer should I give someone?
Hi, everyone. Leo Notenboom here for
Askleo.com.
Ultimately, this is an unanswerable question.
I can't tell you what computer you should
give someone because it depends on that someone.
However, I can give you a few things
to consider before you make a purchase and before you make the gift.
Number one on that list is what I would call ability.
By that I mean, how tech savvy is the person you're giving this machine to?
If they're very tech savvy, like say, if they're me, don't give them a computer.
Let them purchase their own.
Trust me, they're going to have opinions
and ideas and desires on what exactly it is they want.
On the other hand, if they are less tech savvy, then there are options for you
to consider, maybe getting something that is less intimidating or less concerning.
What also is important is when the person
you're giving this technology to is on the less tech savvy and less
comfortable end of the spectrum, make sure that whatever it is you get them
also comes with some level of technical support that would actually benefit them.
Yes, all computers have some level of technical support, don't get me wrong.
But what I'm talking about here is if you have someone who is very non technical,
they're going to need a level of technical support that maybe some of the larger
companies or maybe even some of the remote companies may not be able to provide.
That's an opportunity or perhaps
an argument to say, buy local, something where they can go into a store
or see someone in person to get the help that they might need.
And of course, you need to understand
whether or not you want to be technical support.
If you're going to be technical support,
of course, then you have a few more options about where machines are coming
from, but understand and make that decision as
part of the process rather than having it be an accidental decision that happens
after they have their machine and start asking you questions.
Now, the other thing that's really
important in understanding what you want to give someone is what do they need?
What are they going to use this thing for?
What a computer is best going to serve their specific situation?
For example, do they already have one?
Are they happy with it?
If they have a computer that they already
use, make sure that whatever you get is compatible.
Make sure it's something they're familiar with.
Don't get a PC person a Mac.
Don't get a Mac person a PC.
That's a level of change that honestly
might cost your gift to be received less than warmly.
Do they have external requirements?
By that I mean, does their school or their
workplace impose a certain operating system or some level of hardware or
something else that would basically require their machine to have specific
characteristics in order for it to be very useful?
Is it something they would want to be portable?
This is the classic,
do I get them a laptop or a tablet or a desktop that stays at home?
This is something that they will probably need to make a decision on and your
understanding of what's most appropriate for them is going to drive it.
How will they use it?
If they spend 90 % of their time just
browsing the internet doing email, then that's a different machine,
a lower powered machine actually, than someone who is going to start using
it for heavy gaming or video editing or any of a number of other activities.
Understanding what they might do with the computer will also help drive
exactly what a computer they are going to benefit from the most.
What components can be replaced?
This is an interesting one because it
factors into that laptop versus desktop argument earlier.
On a laptop, and certainly on most
tablets, there's usually only a limited number of things that can be replaced.
That implies that to future proof it,
you probably need to build it out bigger than perhaps they need right away.
On the other hand, a desktop may allow you to replace all sorts of different
components from video cards to adding RAM to hard disks and more.
That means perhaps you can start out less aggressively with the intent of being able
to scale that machine in the future as their needs grow.
Now, I've got another article that I would point you at.
It's called What Kind of Computer Should I Get?
It actually tackles this view from
the perspective of getting a computer for yourself.
But it runs through many of the same
questions in a little bit more detail that will help you decide exactly what
a computer, what technology is appropriate for the person you're considering.
Awesome.
I think it's great that you are considering gifting a computer.
Unfortunately, it's easy to get it wrong.
Ultimately, I think that perhaps working
with the recipient, working with the person that you are
intending to give this to is probably your best option simply to make sure that what
you get will actually be something that they could use and appreciate.
For updates, for comments,
for links related to this topic and more, visit.
Askleo.com/2233.
I'm Leo Notenboom.
This is Askleo.com.
thanks for watching.