Ultra-low cost PCs are a fairly recent innovation and have come about due to aggressive cost cutting and outsourcing of the production cycle. By ultra-low cost we mean prices often 50 – 75% less than a mainstream, branded computer. This includes not just desktop PCs being sold at low prices but new laptops at around £100, cheaper than many second hand branded laptops. One reason for this reduction in prices is an initiative by the computer industry to provide cheap laptop computers to people in developing countries. By definition these need to be built for a very low price but also provide acceptable performance and reliability.

 

 

 

Naturally, the price is a major benefit of a low cost computer. The low price enables those businesses that would not have considered laptop computers to now purchase them for staff  - most often sales teams who travel about and need a basic computer. By having access to a laptop, mobile workers can work when they are out, rather than wait until they return to the office – a real advantage.

 

It is also generally safer to purchase a new rather than second hand laptop. With new you normally get a guarantee or warrantee so that if something goes wrong you are protected. Laptops have a tough time and fragile components such as the hard disk drive are susceptible to damage, so a second hand one may have a relatively shortened life span. Second hand computers may also have data resident on the hard drive from the previous owner, even if they believe they have removed or erased it. This can be annoying and distracting. Second hand computers can also be quite grubby, hardly the professional image you want to portray to customers.

 

 

Unfortunately, there are some downsides to buying very low cost PCs. The most obvious can be found when you switch the computer on. Instead of a familiar Microsoft Windows operating system, you will most likely see a version of Linux, an open source operating system. Although this may be made to look somewhat like Microsoft Windows it is still different and you will need to learn new commands and controls. For some people this can be a major barrier to purchasing a low cost computer.

 

Some low cost PCs can have Microsoft Windows XP installed, but this may have problems running to its full capabilities. Often in ultra-cheap laptops the amount of memory available for the computer to use is limited. With an operating system such as Windows XP loaded you will get slow performance and become very frustrated very quickly. It would not be possible to do anything on the computer other than real basics – certainly no image editing or graphics programs.

 

You may also find the keyboard too small, but this is often the case even on more expensive lightweight laptops. You will probably find the screen is much smaller than you would expect as some ultra-low cost laptops may only have a 7-inch, low resolution display. This means that you may not be able to see much detail on the screen.

 

In terms of business data the reliability of cheap laptops needs to be considered. You would expect the hard disk reliability of a branded PC to be significantly better than that of an ultra-low cost laptop, so the chances of data loss could be higher if you buy cheaper. This can be managed if you adopt good data backup procedures.

 

 

 

Elonex

 

 

 

 

This article was first published as Buying low cost IT equipment for your business on Business IT Guide, part of e-skills, the Sector Skills Council for IT and telecoms. The Business IT Guide has been developed in collaboration with industry experts to help small businesses find the right IT solutions for the issues that affect them. More information on purchasing computers, which covers the basics of what to look for when specifying a PC for business, can also be found on their website.