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View full list of PCs and Prices The Shark Alert Page With enthusiasts now assembling machines from their garden sheds, and selling them as new computers with a "warranty", how do you know the quality of your machine? Some may argue that if you buy from a well known firm you are safe. Is that really true? "Brand name" firms may not use all of the below tricks, but most of them use at least one! Yes, we're talking about the big names in the computer business. Read this page then re-examine all those ads in the computer magazines. Look at the small print. Ask for a copy of their Terms & Conditions of sale. Some of the biggest names have been known to resort to some seriously underhand tricks. The only difference is that they have an army of lawyers behind them to ensure that they've worded their advertisements, and their conditions of sale, so that they can't get sued for it. Here we let you into the secrets and tell you about some of the shadier practices in the business: Clocking: What you see is not what you get:   It is possible, for example, for a computer to have only a P500 MHz processor, but to display on screen that the speed is 667 MHz - A deceitful practice that some computer firms use to push sales of lower spec machines. Unfortunately it is not possible to identify the true processor speed even by looking at the processor, as the processor itself may be "professionally" remarked. This applies not just to lower spec computers; even the Intel PIII machines can often be "over-clocked".  Buy from someone you trust. The big processor tricks: More on processor speeds: Continuing with processors - this has become a complex market. It may seem like there are a million different types of processors, and the choice can be confusing. Many manufacturers including some 'big' names in the business advertise models numbers designed to mislead. Don't assume the specs of the PC from the model number. The Celeron joke: To make matter more confusing Intel introduced the Celeron processor, which is a cut down version of the Intel PII processor. While, like the PII, it needs the new motherboards, the Celeron is a lot cheaper than an equivalent Intel PII. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is relatively easy for a dealer to pass off a Celeron computer as an Intel PII one.  It gets worse. Intel changed the size and shape of the Celeron processor. It doesn't fit in a PII board anymore, (or a "P1" board, for that matter). The new Celerons are in the PPGA (socket 370) format, and need an exclusive "socket 370" motherboard. What does this mean for you? You can't upgrade a socket 370 motherboard with any AMD, IBM, Cyrix or Intel Secc 2 processor. You are stuck with the Celeron. Ask your name brand supplier if they are using a socket 370 motherboard for the Celeron.

 

Second-hand parts: An assembler of computers can save as much as 50% on the cost of Hard Disks (for example) by buying them on the grey market. This shaves £50-80 off the cost of a ‘new’ machine. Even professionals will not be able to tell if the hard disk in your computer is a new one or a recycled one. The use of second hand parts in a machine is not easy to detect. Again: Buy from someone you trust. Information you don't know they left out: Some operators are very good are leaving out the important information. They may omit to tell you that the advertised price does not include a monitor; a "little" detail you may not have noticed in all the small print. Reading through the specifications of a computer, looking for the processor speed and RAM, it is easy to miss the omission of a very expensive part. Regrettably, even some of the more respected companies are resorting to this trick of advertising a picture of a complete computer, but leaving the monitor out of the price . Don't be afraid to ask if the obvious parts like the video card,  CD ROM Drive, keyboard, mouse, speakers, drivers, hardware manuals etc are included in the advertised price. And for good measure - do you get a mouse mat? What about all the cables? And the drivers? And the licence + manual + CD for the software? Quick to take your money, slow to send your goods: Some firms debit your card and despatch your order within a week, but since it is a legal requirement that the goods are despatched to you within 28 days, it could take all of 28 days before your goods leave their warehouse. And you may not be able to cancel your order. They are earning interest on your money. Ask if you’ll get a refund should the goods not arrive within, say, 48 hours of the promised delivery time. Other ways you lose hundreds in a late delivery: Specifications of machines are changing all the time. Prices of parts keep coming down. So a machine ordered today for £1,000 may actually be selling in a month for only £799. If you've waited a month for your computer your mail order firm has made an extra £201, thanks to your patience!  Cash Deals OK, this is one trick that your local Dixons won't try on you but it is rife among smaller computer dealers. A. Saving on VAT: Looking to save paying the VAT (Value Added Tax) on goods by ‘buying on Cash’ (without a valid VAT receipt) may seem a good idea till you know how firms sell on ‘cash’. All firms, whether vat registered on not, pay VAT on all their computer purchases from genuine sources. It is also a legal requirement that a VAT registered firm should charge VAT on all goods sold. Should a firm be willing to sell you goods on ‘cash’ the origin of the goods may be suspect. Be extremely wary. B - No receipt: Buying a computer on ‘cash’ (without VAT) involves not getting a proper receipt. (Unless you are happy with a scribbled note on the back of an envelope). Apart from the risk you run of being jailed for handling stolen goods, the warranty on such a system is not worth the paper the receipt is written on. Also, in the case of a burglary at home, will your contents insurance company accept a hand-written receipt for a high value item? (Did you also know that when you buy a computer for ‘cash’ you are at greater risk of being burgled because the wrong sort of people may know that you have just bought some expensive equipment). Stay safe - be legal. C. Hidden VAT::: Cases where the VAT is already included in the price but the fact is not advertised. This is done to make it appear that you are saving by not paying the vat. Market research has found that because we as customers have this dislike of taxes, people are more likely to buy an item priced at £999 CASH than they are to buy it at £840 + vat, even though the cash price is more expensive. Before buying something on a cash price phone around to see what the price would be if you bought it on a vat receipt. OEM software - the risks:   Software is sold as retail packs or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). They are the same programs but do have many differences; OEM software cannot be sold on its own. OEM has to be sold with a new  computer. There is nothing wrong with OEM software but what many don’t realise is that with OEM software you don’t get the same support. Microsoft, for example, will refuse to give you support on Windows 98 if your copy is an OEM copy. They will refer you to the person who supplied it, who may or may not be qualified to provide that support More information on software Cheaper copies of the same software: OEM is a cheaper version of a standard software package. For example Windows 98 comes in a retail pack at well over £100 (1998 - 99 PC World price). The same Windows 98 can be purchased in OEM for £60 or less. Software companies sell OEM software to computer assemblers at a cheaper price than the ‘retail’ version of the same software. The understanding is that this software comes without support from the software manufacturer. Does your retailer have the facilities and trained staff to provide that support? What about when you upgrade to a newer version? Will he still support you? Can he still support you?  More information on software Most people underestimate the need for software support. At some point you WILL need some sort of technical support. Be prepared. Shared memory: As a cost cutting measure some systems are designed for the video card to share memory with the system itself and not to have its own dedicated memory. Therefore a system with 64 MB RAM advertised with a 4 MB card has only 60 MB of free RAM after the video card’s requirements. On budget systems this is common but you should be told about it. You could end up buying a computer that has 64 MB of RAM and then find that you only really have 58 MB and can't run a program that needs 64MB. Please ask your computer supplier about whether the machine shares RAM.  You can also check it on the computer yourself. Go to the control panel in Windows 95/98 - it should tell you how much of memory the machine has for system use (after video RAM allocation). PCs with the video card built into the motherboard will probably not have an AGP slot. You'll never be able to upgrade that PC with the latest and fastest AGP 3D Graphics cards. It gets worse: Some motherboards even have the modem, sound, and a network card built in. If ever one of the components goes down you'll have to change the entire motherboard. In the warranty period you may (yes, may) be able to get the retailer to do it at no charge, but if you ever have to pay for it it could cost you several hundred pounds! Reconditioned Parts: It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a new and a reconditioned monitor. A reconditioned monitor can cost the retailer at least £50 less than a new one. Though the computer system you’re buying is ‘new’ do ask if the monitor is new as well. Changing specifications: As the components that go into a machine are numerous and constantly changing you may find that the machine you receive is rarely the exact machine you ordered. Usually the differences are to your benefit. These differences are caused by the frequent non-availability of various components. For example: An advertiser offers a 20 GB Hard disk when the ad goes to press but when your machine is actually manufactured (which can be several days later) 20 GB disks might not be available in the market and you get a free upgrade to the next size up. The free upgrade could be from a 40 speed CD to a 48 speed CD or an 8MB video card to an 32 MB Video card. Just be careful that whatever the change, it is an upward revision rather than a downward one. Also remember that just because you got a free upgrade from 64 MB RAM to 128 MB SDRAM does not mean you should accept a downgrade from a 56,000 modem to a 33,600 one. Check that each individual component is at least the "spec" you ordered Here today gone tomorrow: An increasingly popular scam in the computer industry is the bankruptcy game. This is how it operates: A limited company is formed which trades quite genuinely for a few months till it has acquired some trust among suppliers of computer hardware. It then runs up huge credit accounts, sells the stock in the black market and files for bankruptcy. Many system builders work from home with nothing more than a screwdriver. They build and sell computer systems, making a fortune out of the more gullible buyers, and disappearing when things go wrong. How to tell the authenticity of your supplier Buying from your local enthusiast may have its advantages. If he is someone you trust you could get yourself the type of support that no Compaq or Dell can provide. He may be willing to come out on a Sunday afternoon to help you get that new scanner driver installed. However, does he have the training and ability to handle any query you may have? While building machines is fairly easy, would he be able to accurately diagnose and rectify any problems you may have with the hardware and/or software? What happens if he decides to move, or is ill and unable to work? What happens if he just decides to give up working with computers? In conclusion Given all the possible shortcuts computer "manufacturers" can take how do you ensure that you are getting what you paid for? Read our guerrilla guide to buying computers and getting the best deals.