Computer technology is rapidly changing. By the time you purchase a new PC, there will invariably be some new technology released that makes your components out of date in some way. The system you have will still be fully functional and likely not that far behind that new model though. This rapid change in technology can be used to generate some extremely great deals for computer systems for consumers. It takes a bit of work and effort, but the savings can be extremely good. The goal of this article is to try and help readers find deals by exploiting this rapid change in technology.
Caveats
Since technology does change so rapidly and there is a fair amount of competition in the market, the margins tend to be very thin for retailers. This is especially true for budget oriented products. As a result, most low cost laptop and desktop PCs will not see much of a discount when they are discontinued. Because of this, this method of bargain shopping does not work for these products. It is useful however to get somewhat more powerful systems to drop to more affordable levels. After all, isn't it better to purchase a system that used to cost twice a budget system for slightly more than an existing budget PC that still provides more features?
One other thing to be aware of with this method is that it requires a lot of research time. You need to be familiar with what is available on the market and how the older discontinued products compare to their newer replacements. Within the knowledge on how these compare you can easily end up making a poor purchasing decision on something that might seem like a good deal but in fact ends up costing more than a newly released model that costs less. If you can't commit the time needed to become familiar with comparing specifications or knowing how various technologies compare, you probably will want to stick with newer models.
Finally, this method generally only works well with recently replaced models. There are plenty of older discontinued computer models still on the market at discounters or retailers that have not been manufactured for some time. Typically retailers don't discount these products as much as they should resulting in hardware that costs the same as newer models with equivalent or even better features.
Where To Start
This method works better for some companies than others. In general, companies that build systems to order will not discontinue a model as quickly. This has to do with the ability of the system building to quickly adapt a base system's hardware to the latest changes in the market. However, the retailer is the one who wants to clear up inventory space of older models so they can be replaced with newer models and they tend to reduce the prices more compared to the manufacturers.
Because of this, companies such as Dell that generally make their systems to order via their website are ones where this method will not work. Companies that tend to make a large number of various models that are stocked in retail outlets are best. Such companies include HP, Sony and Toshiba. Each of these companies tends to release updated models around every three months to keep up to date with the market. They may be dramatic changes to the model numbers such as from the 8000 to 9000 series or smaller increments to existing product numbers like 8120 to 8125. This is why it is important to research thoroughly.
What To Look For
The key to finding the recently discontinued model is to actually look for new product announcements. After all, companies don't tend to announce when they are going to remove a product. They want people to buy the new products. It can also be useful to watch announcements from the companies that supply the parts. For example, if Intel announces a new processor lineup, then it is likely that manufacturers will be changing their products at the same time or shortly thereafter.
The hard part to this is that the manufacturers will tend to remove the references to the recently discontinued products from their web sites. Instead, search retailers for product models from the same manufacturer for products with similar specifications to the new models. This will allow you to compare what has changed between the two models and whether the price differences and changes merit a purchase or not.
Another way to use this method is for those that don't need a computer immediately. In this case, find a system that you are interested in and matches your needs. Write down the relevant product model numbers and specifications. Then consistently watch the manufacturer and retailers for new products from the same manufacturer that have similar specifications. Typically when such a product is announced, the recently discontinued model will be discounted. It may take upwards of three months or more for such a change but the discounts can be significant.
Comparison Is Key
In order for this to work well, you must be extremely familiar with the product specifications. It is small changes between products that can make huge differences in price. Some of the different specifications to keep track of include:
- Processor
- Memory
- Chipset
- Hard Drive
- CD/DVD Drive
- Video Card
- Displays
Let me give an example. My colleague was looking at one specific machine when a new model was released. After looking at the specifications between the two, the only things that changed was the external appearance and the video card. All the remaining items were the same. This small difference resulted in a price difference from $1200 to $850 between the new and older one.
Conclusions
With a bit of time and patience, consumers can end up with a large amount of savings for a computer system without sacrificing many features. It does take a fair amount of knowledge to find these savings. It also takes a fair amount of luck. One of the big gambles is that the older product will still be in stock once it is replaced. Often times supplies for such older systems will become limited making a very narrow window for very strong savings. However, with these tips you too may be able to find some great PC deals.
