Desktops Buying Guide
Don't be mystified by jargon or fooled by hype. Our comprehensive Buying Guides help you choose the right products.
What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies:
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
The average desktop guarantee lasts one year -- but not all one-year warranties are created equal. Some companies will dispatch a repair person to your home if a problem can't be fixed over the phone or online; others offer only a return-to-base service, which means you'll be without your computer for a while. If the warranty offers the latter, be sure to find out who pays for shipping. Also, check whether you need to save the original boxes.
Many companies offer extensions of up to three additional years for an added fee. Whether it's worth it to tack on another year or two depends on your comfort level with making repairs yourself (or letting a friend or relative inside the case) and how much you spent on the system. For an experienced user buying a budget system, the additional cost of a second year of coverage probably isn't money well spent.
Many problems, meanwhile, can be fixed simply by looking at the included manual or by skimming a company's online-support pages.
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