PC or NOT PC? That is the Question

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

One thing with which writers must occasionally deal is a new computer. That was my circumstance this week. For months my PC has been giving signs of crashing—best to deal with the issue now than to wait until I have to scramble to retrieve precious files. One thing I had done was to get an external hard drive and a thumb drive, two backups for my work. Plus, I have an editor who has stored my completed novel, on her computer. Thanks to her, big time.

 

Our son drove from Raleigh to the Asheville area to assist with the decision of what to get. He is quite the expert when it comes to all things tech. Believe me when I tell you that he did not get that gene from his Mama. Before his arrival, he did a lot of research about what I may need—this after asking a myriad of questions regarding my use of anything I do on my computer.

Make it Last

Long story short, in the past five to six years I’ve had at least three new laptop PCs. I don’t understand why they can’t be made to last, but for whatever reason, they just don’t. We can put men on the moon but we can’t build a long-lasting PC? Sigh. I’m sure I’m not the first to ask this question.

Since I’ve had so many issues with my laptops, it was decided that I should just get a desk-top computer—a big one that is much faster and has a huge storage capacity. Not only do I need to house my writing, but I have four children, two grands, over twenty nieces and nephews and their families, so I have a ton of family photos. Not only that, but I am the family genealogist so I also have all of those files, and all the old family photos, including old tin-types have been left in my care. So, you get the picture—no pun intended.

BIG Boy

I came home with a monster of a computer. The salesperson looked at me when she saw that I had a gaming computer—yes you read that correctly—a gaming computer. You must know that I am not a gamer. Never have been, never will be, but this baby is so fast and it has such a huge storage capacity, I could write until doomsday and not run out of room. The nice thing is, if anything on it breaks, my son, the techie one (I actually have three techies, but he’s the closest, so this fell on his shoulders) can take out the bad component and go to the local store to get a replacement part, something that can’t be done with a laptop from my understanding. 

Long Term Relationship

Yesterday, we spent most of the afternoon moving files, cleaning out files, and getting me set up with all the things I’ll have to have to do all the things I do. Now, the one draw back of having a desk-top is that it doesn’t come with a built-in microphone, speakers, or camera. All of those things had to be purchased separately. I know it sounds costly, and it can be, but the CPU was on sale, so that helped. And, this computer should last for many, many years.

For those of you wondering why I don’t just get an Apple, well . . . I’m too old to learn that many new tricks. I like the PC, I’m comfortable with it, and I just don’t want to learn a new system at this point. I think I’ll be happy with this decision and with this purchase. Besides, it was far less expensive than a new Apple would have been.

Stay tuned for updates in the future. 

Have you had to purchase a new computer recently? Which route did you go? New PC laptop, desktop? Apple? Share your experiences with us.

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