Important Information for Computer Buyers

Are you considering buying one of these computers?

Major brand name computer, such as Dell, Gateway, Compaq, HP?
Cheap computer: eMachines or other $599 or $699 computer?
"Kid", "Student", or "Internet" PC?

Before you buy one of those computers, be sure to understand the consequences!

You get what you pay for

Buying a computer is sort of like buying a car:

There are lots of brands and features to choose from
Every company says their product is the best
People who research the products throroughly make the best decisions
You have to live with your choice for a long time

We understand that some people will always base their decision purely on price, or the flashy ads produced by the "big" computer companies. But those people inevitably come to learn that going the easy or cheap route will not necessarily make them happy with their purchase decision in the long run.

At Northrop Computer, we're more interested in giving you the important facts about our PCs up-front, rather than hide the shortcomings of cheap PCs for you to discover later. A happy, loyal customer base is much more important to us than selling our 10 millionth PC.

How come they sell PCs for $599?

It's actually rather easy to sell cheap PCs. Here's their formula:

Stripped-down (i.e., cheap) versions of components, such as the mainboard. These are produced through partnerships with major electronics manufacturers with high-volume production runs.
"Adequate" materials and specifications designed for short-term use (i.e., cheap power supply, flimsy plastic case & materials, etc.). Remember, their object is to sell you a new PC in a year or two, not give you long-term value.
Simplistic sales pitch that focuses on a few items, like the processor, hard disk size, and memory size. Sure, that's important - but what's really going to matter is the detail, like how fast is the memory, how reputable are the electronics manufacturers, what are all the components that go into the PC? It's amazing when you dig into the details how quickly their sales pitch falls apart - if you can get the answers at all!
Huge advertising budget. The simple logic is this: if they spend a ton of money on advertising and sell really inexpensive computers, who gets short-changed?

The bottom line is that the the typical computer sales cycle is designed to sell you a new PC every couple of years. The secret to this (the part they never tell you) is that in a couple of years it will be cheaper to buy a new PC than to go through the hassle of trying to upgrade the old one.

We do not subscribe to this forced-sales cycle that ends up costing you more in the long run. We think you should be able to purchase a great PC today that will be great in the future, and fully capable of easily (and inexpensively) upgrading if you wish to in the future.

What about support?

It's true that the "big" computer companies employ a veritable army of support people. But have you ever tried contacting them? We have, and we don't think that having a ton of support people necessarily guarantees great support - it just makes getting to a solution that many more phone calls away.

At Northrop Computer, we value each and every customer, and our support team will work closely with you to personally find a solution. After all, support is one of those things that most people don't think about often, but when you do need help you want to speak with a friendly voice, not deal with ten levels of computer instructions over the phone.

Explore what Northrop Computer has to offer

We invite you to check out all the details of our computers:

The Ultimate PC Features lets you click on every component to get a detailed description, with pictures.
The Ultimate PC Value Edition was put together with a great care to provide the same high level of quality as The Ultimate PC, in a package for those on a tighter budget.
The Ultimate PC Select Edition offers tremendous performance and quality at a mid-level price point.
Why Should I Buy A Northrop describes some of the many ways our unique PCs can be used.
Our Warranty Program provides the security and confidence you're looking for.
The Photo Gallery illustrates why we are so proud of our design.

You can find a host of other links along the left side of each page on our web site. If you have any other questions feel free to contact us any time!