Business computer buying guide
Buying for a team is a different exercise from buying for yourself. Consistency, support and total cost matter more than the specification of any one machine.
Standardise wherever you can
Buying the same configuration across a team makes every subsequent problem cheaper. A fault is diagnosed once and recognised thereafter, a spare part fits any machine, and setup is repeatable rather than bespoke.
The saving from buying whatever was least expensive each month is usually smaller than the cost of supporting a fleet where no two machines match.
Specify by role, not by seniority
Group people by what their machine has to do. Most roles are served well by a solid-state drive and generous memory. A minority — design, engineering, heavy analysis — need meaningfully more, and are better specified separately than by raising the standard for everyone.
- General office: solid-state storage, comfortable memory, room for a second screen
- Heavy spreadsheets or many applications: more memory before more processor
- Design or engineering: specify individually against the software requirement
Plan the replacement cycle at purchase
Deciding up front how long machines are expected to serve changes what you should buy. A longer cycle justifies more memory and storage at the start, because those are what usually end a machine's useful life.