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You've phoned around and got various quotes. Now shouldn't it be easy to decide where to make the purchase? No, it's not. There's a lot more to it.

• Comparing quality of components

• Comparing quality of build

• Delivery time

• Comparing quality of warranties

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Just because both quotes include a 75 GB hard disk may not mean that they both have the same hard disk. One could have a standard 5400 rpm disk, while the other has a 7200 rpm with 2 MB cache. Same size, completely different performance and price. The same applies to motherboards, RAM, DVD drives ... pretty much anything that goes into a computer. 

No matter how much research you've done, the fact is that quality compromises can be made without you realising it. You may be technically very informed and ask a lot of the right questions, but that's not always a protection. So how do you decide? Again: Be satisfied that the company has extensive quality checks in place and/or is certified to high quality standards.

Let's take it a bit further - all the components are exactly the same. One machine is built by an amateur, the other by a professional. There's no choice! The little details matter: do they securely tie away all cables and ensure that there's no obstruction to the cooling fans? Do they configure the BIOS correctly to ensure optimum performance?

You'd be surprised at how many applications we get from prospective employees who consider themselves "engineers", but who don't know what the various settings in the BIOS mean. They've been building computers for years but many of them don't even know that prior to installing an AGP card you need to install the AGP mini port drivers off the motherboard CD. Technical gobbledegook! What difference does it make ... the computer still works? Yes, but it's got to not just work but work to its optimum efficiency, and for a long period of time! There lies the difference.

Do they sound knowledgeable on the phone? Are they capable of answering any technical questions you may throw at them? Do they have any technical help or support on their web site? What is the quality of that information?

Even if everything else is comparable, obviously a company that delivers in 3 days is preferable to a company that delivers in 3 weeks. Remember, your computer is depreciating everyday. The longer you wait for it the less it's worth.

Obviously not. A one year On-Site is preferable to a one year Return to Base? Not necessarily. If the On-site warranty comes with a premium rate contact phone number, inadequate staffing levels (you wait on hold for two hours before you speak with someone), lack of technical expertise (inability to solve your problem), and highly restricted opening hours (11 AM to 3 PM, Monday to Friday only, closed for lunch between 1.00 and 2.00) ... it stops appearing as such a good deal.

Important points: 

• What type of phone number does support come on? (Standard, freephone or premium rate?)
• What hours are technical staff available?
• What's the average waiting time to speak to them?
• How well trained are the staff? What percentage of calls are answered to the customer's satisfaction?
• Is it onsite or return to base?
• What support is offered after the initial one year period?
• What are the charges for upgrading/repairing your computer outside the warranty period?

Note: There have been several cases of manufacturers sealing their computers preventing you from upgrading the computer yourself. Surely, that is a bad thing? Maybe, maybe not. Firms that seal their machines accept full responsibility for the hardware if you take a faulty machine back, with the warranty seals still on. When you take back a computer that wasn't sealed how are you going to prove that the faulty memory in there was the memory originally supplied with the computer? A shady dealer may wriggle out of his responsibilities by claiming that parts inside were changed and that they cannot now accept responsibility for those parts? Can you prove otherwise? 

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