"How to buy a PC for your Engraver!"

There is safe and there is cheap.

The first thing I need to say is, the difference between a used car salesman, and a computer salesman, is that a used car salesman knows when he is screwing you. A computer sales geek more than likely does not have a clue. So, we are on our own. Let see if we can give you the best chance to get the most bang for your buck. The best way to buy anything is to shop it down to what you believe to be the top three units. Look for a PC or Personal Computer that will serve your need to interface with an engraver, laser or router, now and in the future. Once you have it narrowed it down to your top three list, then go look at each one. Look only; do not let the salesman start a DEMO. No questions - save them for the demonstration. This process of just looking, will more than likely eliminate one candidate off your list. Now go get a demo on the other two, from these interfaces and by applying some simple logic, you can get the one that is right for you. Just a thought here, after a demo, the unit you have the least important questions about is probably the one.

The demo is the most important step, here are some key questions to ask.

A) What is the warranty?
B) Where is the warranty supported?
C) What upgrades are available.
D) What is the speed of the unit
E) What is the Ram level and type.

I will explain each of these questions. The warranty is very important; the major department store chains will usually just send the PC to the manufacturer and leave you down for weeks. However, they will probably give the best price for a computer. And the odds of new PC going down are less than 5%. Next, you pay for what you get. A PC that that is lower than $1250 to $1500 is cheaply built and is not going to either meet your needs or grow with you. So, I highly recommend a local PC shop with a one-year warranty that will give local onsite support or a guy that specializes in making PC's for engravers. I have one I use, just call me and I will send you to him direct. You will pay a little more, but you will have peace of mind. And more importantly, you will have a business associate to talk to, who is as important as your accountant, suppliers or even someone like me. Lets face it, if your computer isn't working, your engraver isn't working, and you are not making money.

The question of upgrades is critical -- questions like what is the speediest processor that can be added to this PC? (Boards can only be upgraded to a certain point.) Can you add a Second Hard drive? This is important, the more items you can upgrade the longer the PC will serve you. But one golden rule is -- if a Tech tells you that you need more than two upgrades, get a new computer altogether, donate the old PC to a school and take the write off. If the Sales guy tells you that the Processor is 300 Megahertz this is the speed of the processor, and the PC can process data at 300 million cycles per second. The RAM level is the Random Access Memory, just think of it as the PC's ability to handle information in larger bunches. Type of RAM is important, put two different types of Ram in a PC and it will not work properly.

Know your engraver. A good attitude to have is to know what type of software our engraver has. A unit that needs windows 95/98, or that you know you will need to grow into windows 2000, needs a better PC need than a DOS based Software. Note: Do not buy Windows 2000, or you will have problems. Uncle Bill (Bill Gates) is not ready for us yet.

Look to the future; If you buy a PC today do not just buy a unit for today's slow DOS based engravers -- Buy the one that will run the new engraving system that you will have to get after your business grows. Use what we talked about earlier if money is a large factor.

When to upgrade and when to buy a new one; Upgrade when you need to – if your hard drive is full, you have a choice, get a new bigger hard drive or add a second hard drive – the latter will allow you to save all of your current data. But logic would say - do it before you crash the thing, and as I have said never more than two upgrades at a time. So the number of upgrades required at once can help determine when to get a new one. But if you buy a new engraving system, get a new PC. Do not connect a $1.98 PC to a $12,000.00 Laser.

If I was looking for a PC for a top notched engraving system this is what I would get:

A Pentium three, with a 400-megahertz processor or better, (this means if they are going to sell you a 550 megahertz for the same price as a 400 megahertz take it.)

- Get a 128 Meg of RAM, Ram is cheap, and 128 SIMM means you have three more slots to upgrade to. And since you match the SIMM level this means you can upgrade all the way to 512 Meg of RAM (128x4)

- Get a scrolling mouse or track ball (it is faster to move around in a topnotch program),

- Get a 19-inch monitor. (Remember most PC's at super stores are priced without the monitor, and to go from a 15 in. to a 17 in. is not cost effective for the area of screen they give you.) Get two hard drives -- both 10 Gigabytes or larger (it is better for controlling and protecting your data). Next I like a read/write CD-ROM, it is better for moving data around and backing up files than a ZIP drive or tape backup.

- Sound cards are only useful for normal engravers because they are free, but if you wish a voice recognition program you need a sound card.

- I also like a fax/modem for interface with your manufacturer to be able to download updates, etc.

- Lastly, I like a PC camera, as I can see your engraver running via the Internet, which helps me troubleshoot possible problems without having to actually come to your location.

Well good luck, I hope this has helped. And like I said -- most computer sales people say what they are told to say. So watch out.