Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE)



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Desktop Computer Buying Guide[1]

Last Updated: April 1, 2015

For further information, see the annotations following this configuration table.

NOTE: Experts generally recommend purchasing a laptop computer with a docking station in lieu of a desktop model for increased portability and remote access. See Laptop Guide.

|Lenovo ThinkCentre M93Z All-in-One ($1,600 as configured) |

|Accidental Damage Service |Not really necessary on desktop computers, but recommended for laptop/notebook computers (see #2 below) |

|Antivirus |built into Windows 8.1 (see #3 below) |

|Bundled MS Office |Microsoft® Office Home and Business 2013 (see #4 below) |

|Graphics Adapter |Integrated Video w/o GPU (see #5 below) |

|Hard Drive |1 TB 3.5-inch Serial ATA (7.200 Rpm) Hard Drive (see #6 below) |

|Keyboard & Mouse |Logitech MK710 Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse (see #7 below) |

|Memory |8.0 GB, PC3-12800 DDR3 1600 MHz SoDIMM (see #8 below) |

|Monitor |23” All-in-One Multi-Touch (see #9 below) |

|Networking |Integrated Intel® Gigabit Ethernet |

|Operating System |Windows 8.1 Professional, 64 bit (see #10 below) |

|Optical Drive & Card Reader |Slim DVD Burner/CD-RW, SATA (see #11 below) |

|Ports |6 USB 3.0 ports, VGA in, DP out, audio out, microphone jack, 11-in-1 card reader |

|Processor |Intel Core i5-5570S Processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz) (see #12 below) |

|Speakers |Integrated audio (see #13 below) |

|Warranty & Services |3-year on-site with priority (see #14 below) |

1. Choosing a model. Most of the major manufacturers have models targeting home users and models targeting business users. It is important to choose a business-oriented computer for your practice. The differences between them are generally:

a. Business models have tried-and-true configurations that have been heavily tested, whereas home configurations tend to incorporate the latest (and less vetted) components and configurations. Of course, there is some risk associated with anything considered latest-and-greatest in the technology world.

b. Business models tend to be built for better durability than home models.

c. Business models have a longer product cycle; therefore, the manufacturer will offer the same models and configurations for a longer period of time before upgrading them. Companies can buy the exact same business computer, model, and configuration at any time over a period of months or sometimes years. This helps a business maintain technological consistency among users even if the computers were not all purchased at the same time.

d. The warranty options are generally better for business computers than for home computers.

e. Business computers often offer discounts on bundled software such as Microsoft Office. Home computers typically come with games instead.

f. Home computers often include things that business users would have little use for such as a Blu-ray DVD player and upgraded audio capability. Including these things does not make a computer inferior, but they add to the cost and most business users are not watching Blu-ray movies on their computers or listening to loud music.

2. Accidental damage protection. If you are worried that you might accidentally break your computer, this is an excellent added measure of protection. This protection is normally recommended for laptop computers, but it’s probably not worth it for a desktop. This protects you against liquid spills, drops, falls, and surges (electrical). Accidental damage protection was not included in the foregoing computer because it is a desktop and the likelihood of accidental breakage is pretty remote. However, it would only increase the price of the computer by $34 for a three-year, accidental damage protection plan from Dell.

3. Antivirus. The antivirus/antimalware software that is built into Windows 8 is free and likely adequate to meet your needs. There are alternatives like Norton, Trend Micro, or McAfee available, but they all cost extra.

4. Bundled Microsoft Office. In this configuration, the MS Office Home and Business 2013 increased the cost of the computer only $200, which is a better deal than buying it a la carte. If you need Microsoft Access (a database program) included with MS Office, opt for MS Office Professional 2013 (this increases the cost of MS Office by roughly $135). The 32-bit MS Office is recommended at this time, even if your Windows version will be 64 bit.

5. Graphics adapter. The graphics adapter is the part of a computer that processes the images so they can be sent to the display or monitor. There are two basic architectural approaches for a graphics adapter, integrated and discrete. Integrated means “locating a computer’s display circuitry in the chipset on the motherboard rather than on a separate plug-in card.” See PCMag’s online encyclopedia entry on integrated graphics. Discrete graphics adapters are typically a separate circuit board inside the computer and are more powerful than integrated adapters. Integrated graphics adapters are typically sufficient for legal users since the applications used are not demanding from a graphics perspective. However, you may want to consider a discrete graphics adapter if any of the following apply to you: (1) you want to connect a large external monitor (greater than 27 inches), (2) you want to connect to two or three monitors simultaneously, or (3) you run graphics-intensive applications on your computer like computer aided design (CAD) or games. The recommended computer in this case is an all-in-one, which means that the entire computer is built into the back of the monitor (there is no tower or other box). You could add one additional 23-inch monitor to this computer and the performance wouldn’t suffer greatly.

6. Hard drive. The drive in the configuration above is a 1 TB (1,000 GB) standard hybrid drive. If you have the budget, definitely consider an exclusively solid state drive (SSD), but expect to pay several hundred dollars more for an SSD, which will likely be smaller in size. For example, to go from the 1 TB drive in the configuration above to a 180 GB SSD, you will pay $100 more even though the drive has a fraction of the capacity. Why might you want an SSD? The short answer is that SSDs are much faster than mechanical drives, they use less electricity, generate less heat, and have no moving parts, which means they are much less likely to crash. The performance gains achieved by using SSD are dramatic compared to a mechanical hard drive and may be worth the additional extra cost depending on your usage.

7. Keyboard. The standard keyboard/mouse combinations that are included with new business-class desktop computers are typically awful. The standard keyboard/mouse has been deleted from the above configuration in favor of a Logitech MK710 Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse. This combo is vastly better than the default keyboard and mouse that came with the computer. You will not regret the upgrade, even though it increases the price by $70.

8. Memory. 8 GB of RAM will provide optimum performance. Although you could probably get by with 4 or 6 GB, the performance of the computer may suffer depending on the applications you are using.

9. Monitor. What size screen you choose is really a matter of personal preference. Generally speaking, a 22- to 24-inch monitor is probably the best size for the money (which is what size is included above). It should also be noted that the monitor on the foregoing computer is a touch-screen so you can use standard keyboard/mouse inputs or the touch-screen. We recommend that you consider adding a second 23-inch monitor for maximum viewing area ($250). Be warned that as you increase monitor size over 24 inches, the cost jumps fairly dramatically.

10. Operating system. There is nothing wrong with Windows 8.1, in spite of what you may have heard. It is secure, fast, and stable. It is easier to use if your new computer has a touch-screen (which this does), but it is still easy to operate with only a mouse and keyboard. Make sure that you are getting Windows 8 Professional and do not buy any “home” versions of Windows for your office. Assuming your existing software and peripherals will work with a 64-bit operating system, you definitely want 64 bit over 32 bit. For a great discussion of the difference between 64- and 32-bit operating systems, see The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems. If you are buying a Mac, you do not need to worry about this because Macs are configured for 64 bit but may operate in 32-bit mode if needed.

11. Optical drive/DVD. This option allows you to play and burn DVDs.

12. Processor. In a nutshell, an Intel i7 processor is more powerful than an i5; and an i5 is more powerful than an i3. There have been four generations of these processors, the current being referred to as the “5th” generation. Business users who will be doing things more taxing on their computers than just e-mail and Internet browsing should get a 5th-generation i5 or i7. If you are only doing e-mail, Internet browsing, and light applications like word processing, an i3 would be fine. Most manufacturers have 5th-generation offerings out at this point, but there are a lot of new computers out there with 4th-generation processors. If you’re buying something new and it doesn’t indicate that the processor is 5th generation, make sure you ask someone. An easy way to tell is the first number following the i3/i5/i7 designation. For example, the foregoing configuration includes an i5-5570 processor. The number 5 that begins the four-digit number following the i5 is the indicator that it’s a 5th-generation processor. If that number were a 4, it would be 4th generation.

13. Speakers. The internal business speakers are not very high quality so if you want better sound, consider adding a soundbar to the monitor for or any set of computer speakers can be plugged into one of the audio-out jacks on the computer.

14. Warranty. This computer includes Lenovo’s three-year on-site warranty. This gives you 24/7 access to Lenovo’s top support professionals. You generally have almost no hold time, and if you need a repair, they are serious about taking care of you the next business day. Regardless, you never want anything less than a three-year warranty, and you never want a mail-in or carry-in warranty. Mail-in or carry-in warranties are going to extend your downtime and likely cause you a lot of waiting and frustration.

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Footnote

1 Created in collaboration with Affinity Consulting Group, provider of technology, management, marketing, and finance solutions for law firms of all sizes.

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