When it comes to
shopping for computer parts, you really do have more then one
option. Your most convenient option and the one that will put the
parts in your hand the quickest is your local computer parts store.
In recent years
the external hard drive has become increasingly popular for a few
good reasons. To start with, they have become far more affordable
and at the same time they have also become far more compact. So now
they are becoming the number one option to storing data in place of
DVDs and CDs.
Sourcing
obsolete electronic components can be difficult because of the huge
range of products available as technology advances so does the type
of circuitry. In this article we aim to provide the key points to
aid you in tracking down hard to find components.
Before shelling out your hard earned money for a
used laptop, you need to consider whom you are
buying it from. Some situations make it easier to
verify that the person selling you the used laptop
is not a scammer than others.
For example, buying a used Apple laptop from a
classified ad may not very smart. After all, how do
you know if you can trust the person selling the
laptop? You have no way of finding out if that
seller has ever scammed people before. If the used
laptop doesn't work like advertised can you get your
money back? If you do buy from a classified ad,
always make sure to get a written receipt and a
confirmed address and phone number of the person
selling the laptop.
These are questions that should concern you when
shopping for any laptop, not just used ones.
Bidding on an
auction means you can have
answers to those questions before you buy. Any
seller dealing in used laptops can be easily
researched with eBay's system. Nowhere else lets you
see a seller's detailed feedback from past
transactions, find out their return policies and
have your sale protected like eBay can.
Here are some things to look for before bidding on a
used laptop on eBay:
The seller's guarantee. Make sure they state that
they will return your money if the used laptop
doesn't work.
The seller's transaction history. Have they sold a
lot of laptops or other similar items? Has the
feedback on those items been positive? Always make
sure you buy from reputable sellers with positive
feedback.
The dealer's shipping and handling fees. Do the fees
cost more than the used Apple laptop did in the
first place? If the fees aren't reasonable, the
dealer is probably shady.
is a great place to find a used Apple laptop
and the accessories to match it. With eBay's
security policies and seller requirements you can
make a safe and smart transaction easily.
But before you go straight to eBay, you may want to
look elsewhere on the web for used laptops. For
example, if you're looking for a used Mac, you may
want to consider the Apple Laptop Shop, which
specializes in finding great deals on used apple
laptops.
Additionally, there are great online stores to find
deals on PC laptops as well. With a little time on
Google, you will be surprised at the deals you find.
When it comes
to shopping for computer parts, you really do have more then one
option. Your most convenient option and the one that will put the
parts in your hand the quickest is your local computer parts store.
The benefit of this option is that you also get to talk to a live
person as well.
The Local Computer Parts Store Option
However; just as with just about anything else that you can buy,
this will it will be the most expensive option being that you will
have to pay full retail price at a local computer parts store. Also
the selection may not also be as great as with the other options
that are available.
The Online Computer Parts Store Option
Your next option is to shop at an online computer parts store. While
you will have to wait for your parts to arrive and there most likely
will be some shipping costs involved, there will be some cost
savings. Also at an online commuter parts store you will tend to
encounter a much larger selection than you would at a community
based outlet.
Check At Online Auctions
Still one more choice when shopping for computer parts is to check
out an online auction. Bear in mind that
eBay
is not the only show in town any more, so make sure to scout around
at more than one. You may also encounter some quality and
availability issues as well at an online auction, so make sure to
read the feedback on the seller.
New, Used and Refurbished Computer Parts
Then there is the option of buying new, used and refurbished
computer parts from a computer parts store. While on the surface
common sense dictates that there will be some savings in buying used
or refurbished computer parts, this is simply not always the case.
Remember that most new computer parts do come with a warranty and
they also tend to be much easier to return in the event of a
problem.
In recent years the external hard drive has become
increasingly popular for a few good reasons. To
start with, they have become far more affordable and
at the same time they have also become far more
compact. So now they are becoming the number one
option to storing data in place of DVDs and CDs.
Look In Town For Hard Drives For Sale
So where is the best place to find hard drives for
sale? Actually the most convenient option for the
person in the market for external hard drives is
right in down at their local computer or computer
parts store. There you will also be able to consult
with a living person that hopefully also has some in
formation to share with you.
Your Most Expensive Option
While it is far more convenient and you do get to go
home with your hard drive that very same day, a
local conventional community based source for hard
drives for sale will also unfortunately be your most
expensive option. After all, they do have their
overhead costs to cover.
Look On the Internet
This is why bar far the most affordable option for
hard drives for sale is the Internet. While there
will be some waiting time for your hard drives to
arrive in the mail this is by far the best choice
when it comes to prices on hard drives for sale.
Bear in mind that there will also be some shipping
costs involved but due to the size and weight of
todays compact external hard drives this cost will
be minimal.
Internet Auction Sites
The first place to look is at any one of the online
venues that specialize in computer parts and
accessories. Not only will you find great prices but
this is also where you will find the largest
selection of hard drives for sale. Another option is
to check out any one of the online auctions.
Remember though to read a sellers feedback before
you buy.
Sourcing
obsolete electronic components can be difficult because of the huge
range of products available as technology advances so does the type
of circuitry. In this article we aim to provide the key points to
aid you in tracking down hard to find components.
The most
important consideration in deciding upon a supplier is to know there
is thousands of fake or copied components this is particularly
relevant when looking at computer components. These components may
cost a lot less than the originals but can cause serious
malfunctions and damage to the entire system they are used in.
An electronic
component basically is an electronic element composing of a circuit
board with two or more connecting leads or metallic pads. Components
are designed so they can be connected together; this is usually
achieved by soldering to a printed circuit board, to create an
electronic circuit with a particular function (for example an
amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator).
Materials used
in the manufacturing of electronic components range from
aluminum-based alloys (integrated circuits conductors) to copper
contacts electroplated with nickel or gold for improved resistance.
Switches and relays are types of devices that work by opening and
closing electronic and electrical circuits. The most common type of
switches are manually operated, these include the push-button
variety, slide, and toggle mechanisms as well as rotary.
There are many
types of relays, some of which are triggered electronically, are
timing, electromechanical, and reed. Relays often are activated by a
solenoid, which is a uniformly wound coil of wire in the form of a
cylinder. Solenoids are subject to wear and tear and long periods of
use can lead to replacements being needed.
Optical
communications devices include relays and switches these support the
construction of highly reliable and efficient networks which help to
downsize LAN devices with large-scale capacity in the
Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) commonly used presently. Advanced sensors
built into machines such as in those found in game arcades greatly
improve the entertainment value of the machines. As technology
develops and evolves the circuitry used in these systems often
ceases to be a stock product and replacements become hard to source.
A standard
electronic apparatus has a real time clock installed in the circuit
board for recording system time. A number of data processing
circuits utilize real-time clocks to provide a real-time clock value
indicating the current day, date and time. The real time clock
provides a precise representation of time that can be compared to
stored values in registers to provide automated functions.
Clock circuits
are an essential component of modern computer systems. Computer
systems commonly have a real time clock coupled to a CPU of the
system via a peripheral bus. The RTC is used to update the current
time and date within the computer system without any intervention
from the system processor. The real time clock usually includes a
battery backup incase of failed supply of electrical power.
The importance
of replacing damaged or worn circuitry with standards compliant
recognized is paramount to the integrity of the system taking
shortcuts or buying low grade or copied components can lead to
serious system failures.
As an IT consultant, you should know most PC
vendors would be happy to cover inexpensive items like a mouse under
the standard warranty.
However, given that your client could purchase
a spare replacement mouse for about $10 to $30, is it really worth
one of their employees being without a mouse, or worse yet without a
PC, for a day or two while they await the replacement part under
standard PC warranty coverage?
Clients Should Have Spare Parts on Hand
If your clients have spare mice on hand,
warranty claims can be deferred a few days, or a few weeks, until
time permits. In the interim, as their IT consultant, you’ve helped
your clients mitigate the downtime for a very nominal advanced
planning expense.
As your clients’ IT consultant, keeping a spare
keyboard and monitor at their site also makes sense. The cost of
these items is very inexpensive versus the potential productivity
loss resulting from waiting for replacement parts to arrive. These
three external items can all be installed rapidly by internal gurus.
Spare Desktop PCs
As the price of entry-level desktop PCs has
plummeted and expectations for zero downtime have risen, we’ve seen
many small businesses purchasing an extra PC, to keep
fully-configured and plug-in ready.
Today, if the standard, fully-configured
entry-level desktop PC only costs around $600, an office with as few
as six PCs can fully fund the purchase of a spare desktop PC, simply
by self-insuring on the warranty coverage for years two and three.
Advise Your Clients Wisely
As their IT consultant, you should recommend to
your client that they invest some of their technology budget on
select spare parts, and a full desktop PC.
This way, they can handle warranty claims at
their leisure, not when their company is swamped and functioning in
panic mode. If your clients are outsourcing this sort of project
management work to you as their IT consultant, keeping spares on
hand will lessen the need to pay costly emergency rate premiums.
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Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live
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Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get
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Consultants Secrets audio training.
Microsoft, Intel,
Sun, HP and all those businesses devoted to selling
you new hardware depend for their livelihood on
convincing you that you simply have to have the
latest and greatest version of their wares. But
truth be told for many of us, our trusty old
equipment will do just fine, thank you.
This is even more
the case with regard to enterprise level components:
servers, routers, storage devices etc. Many
companies have invested tens of thousands -- even
millions -- of dollars in proprietary software which
is critical to their businesses and which will not
function on newer model hardware. Moving to a new
generation of equipment for these companies often
means undertaking a complete revision of software
and processes -- an expensive and perilous
undertaking. Maintaining perfectly good equipment
with a small investment in parts often presents the
best value, so it's not surprising therefore that
many companies choose instead to keep their legacy
equipment chugging along as long as possible.
As a result, a
whole industry has developed catering to the used,
refurbished and unused parts and components markets
for equipment originally manufactured by companies
such as Digital Equipment (later to become Compaq
and later still to be absorbed by Hewlett Packard),
Sun Microsystems, Cisco and Enterasys (formerly
Cabletron) and many others. Buying used and
refurbished parts can result in significant savings.
Thanks to the
internet it is now easier than ever to find
suppliers for old and even obsolete computer parts.
And it should also surprise no one that the
temptation to fob off counterfeit parts as genuine
is too great for some to resist.
So, how do you
know when you are getting genuine parts for your
legacy machine? Here are a few pointers provided by
Pyramid Technology Services, a well known and highly
reputable used and refurbished computer parts dealer
with many years of experience and a large inventory
of refurbished parts, on how to identify counterfeit
Cisco parts:
Look at the color
of the serial number. Cisco's own color is a
yellow-orange; counterfeits are darker. The numbers
may appear crowded and even rub off on the phony
items
LEDs on blades.
They should all be the same size.
Watch the color on
loop-back buttons on WAN interface cards: it should
be dull, not bright red.
Real Cisco boards
usually have solder points covered with nickel-zinc,
not copper, as seen on counterfeits.
Inside the RJ-45
connector, Cisco parts will have the word "Steward,"
not "GLG."
Always deal with a
well-established value added reseller. Look for a
dealer who rigorously tests everything and who backs
up sales with a warranty.
Stick with sellers
who belong to the ASCDI (the Association of Service
and Computer Dealers International). They have an
established code of ethics and an arbitration
procedure in place for any problems that might
arise.
Fred Levinson
pioneered online travel as the founder and CEO of
Interactive Office Services, which operated ATbM - A
Trip by Modem and many other online properties. He
currently works as a private consultant to companies
developing websites worldwide. If you're in the
market for new, used and refurbished parts -- from
Cisco, DEC, Sun, Compaq, HP, Enterasys and others --
try this page
For many first
time buyers of a computer system the most important
specification that they have is price, no one wants
to pay a premium for a machine that is going to be
obsolete in 3 years time, it’s important to remember
that you get what you pay for.
Buying cheap
computer parts may seem tempting at first but you
really need to have a good amount of knowledge
before you purchase, as most first time buyers
simply do not have the knowledge about the different
types of computer parts they only look at the price
and end up buying something that’s cheap but not
necessarily what they wanted.
It’s important to
remember that you can pick up great deals online
from small online operations as long as you know
what you’re looking for and are sure it’s from a
reputable buyer with a registered business and a
returns policy.
Many people opt to
purchase from auction sites which are full of
bargains, however you have no idea what kind of
condition the part will be in or if it will even
work in your machine.
It’s better to
purchase a computer part from a reputable business
with after sales support and a return policy so if
the goods don’t work as you’d expect you simply send
them back for a full refund or store credit, when
purchasing from auction sites you are dealing with
one individual who may not have the kind of
reputation that most online stores have.
If you're looking
to purchase cheap computer parts then please visit
our
Buy Cheap Computer Part
page.
Some electronic parts can be tough to find. Here is
a ready-reckoner.
Technology changes everyday. Every time you are
exposed to media there is a new advertisement for a
new product or technology that is guaranteed to make
your life easier or more fun to live. Yesterday's
technologies are obsolete today. And we all know
what it is like when a technology that we rely on
breaks, it can be the most frustrating thing in the
world. Fixing your television today that you bought
five years ago is quickly becoming more expensive
than simply replacing it. Why? So, we could say that
"it is all about the parts baby!"
Technology advances because the parts that make it
run are advancing even before the technology itself
is. What this means is that the parts that make your
television run now, are going to be obsolete in a
year or two when a new television model hits the
market. You can never be sure whether the parts or
the labor bill will be higher when you repeat that
TV. You will also find that the time it takes to
'get the part in' will be much longer than the labor
hours required as well. Because the nature of
electronic parts is rendering them obsolete, surplus
stores and obsolete electronic components businesses
are cropping up by the dozen to compensate for this
need for electronic parts that are difficult to find
elsewhere.
Purchasing a new electronic part or component for
your technology that may be considered obsolete has
its advantages. Of course with new parts you can
expect longer life and greater quality repairs. With
those new components though you will often find
higher costs and possibly more failure rates on your
piece of equipment while your machine 'breaks in'
the new electronic part.
Obsolete and tough to find parts are available at
the click of a button nowadays. These hard to find
electronic parts stores exist solely to save you
money and time when repairing your equipment. Key
factors to look for when sourcing out these stores
are the history and reputation of the business,
availability of a warranty on the parts you are
purchasing, customer support, and of course the
price factor.
I like the fact that buyers can get as much as one
year warranty for surplus parts. This is because
they derive their inventory from parts of previously
working systems and can easily replace it for you
within the one year timeframe. Businesses that offer
obsolete electronic parts exclusively are also
excellent options for you when sourcing out
electronic parts as they have direct point-to-point
contact with the suppliers that handle these
specific parts. You will also find that these parts
will work better than other parts as they are not
often associated with failure rates if they have
already come from a previously used system. If you
are looking for electronic parts and want to save
money doing so, it just takes a little research and
leg work. As they say, it is all worth it if you get
a good deal.
