The truth about low-cost Windows PCs: good deal or bad investment?
Beautiful Paradox: a new computer... already outdated by its operating system and/or hardware resources.
How can a computer be sold while being unusable upon installation? Operating systems are becoming more demanding... and some low-cost devices are insufficiently equipped to fulfill their function.
To give you a concrete example, here is a product currently on sale:
A beautiful 14-inch white computer from the Thomson brand, with a nice repairability index of 7.1/10. Its price: only €214. On paper, it's pretty good.
The screen size is sufficient. For comparison, the famous apple brand sells laptops of 13 inches. In addition, the repairability index of 7/10 can reassure us about the durability of the product: because if it is easily repairable, we can hope to make it last longer.
But then, where's the problem? To identify it, simply compare the computer's specifications with the requirements for Microsoft:
| Computer / System | Thomson Computer | Windows | Windows With Excel / Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor speed (GHz) | 1.04 GHz | 1 Ghz | 1.6Ghz |
| Number of cores | 4 | ? | 2Go |
| RAM (RAM) | 4 Go DDR3 | 2Go | 4Go |
| Storage capacity (Go) | 64Go eMMC | 32Go | 4Go |
| Source | Amazon | Microsoft | Microsoft Office 365 |
As we can see, the computer is compatible with Windows at a minimum but can't do anything else. Its buyer will be able to admire the Windows desktop and open directories, and even ... if he or she wants to use text processing or spreadsheet tools, it is impossible. I'll let you imagine the horror it must be to browse the Internet.
To conclude this analysis, I'll give the floor to a user who gave his or her opinion on the computer in question.
An unequivocal feedback.
So I invite you to be attentive to computers sold at low prices, because it is often too good to be true.
