Our full guide to saving cash-saving secrets is here, from how to get discounts on PCs, to SIM only phone contracts, the best DSLR cameras deals, and discount licensing from Adobe, Microsoft and others.
Over the following pages, we’ve detailed the best ways to save. We won’t waste your time with the blindingly obvious money savers, such as running open-source software instead of commercial packages (although if you want to read our guide to the 50 best free downloads). Instead, we’ve used our years of real-world experience to offer practical money-saving hints that you might not have considered before.
BUY NEW PCS AT THE END OF THE MONTH
We once conducted a blind-buy exercise, where we called up the sales lines of major PC manufacturers. We feigned interest in a $2200 Dell laptop and parted with our mobile number during the call. We didn’t buy the laptop but, over the next few days, were badgered by calls from the salesman, offering us greater and greater discounts on the laptop simply because it was month-end and he had sales targets to meet.
In the end, he dropped the price to $1850 – a $350 saving on the same PC online – and we’ve heard of other similar cases.
The moral? Always attempt to negotiate a discount before buying online. Especially if it’s month-end.
Save: $350 off a $2200 laptop, by holding out for a better deal
OVERCLOCK A MID-RANGE PROCESSOR FOR TOP-END PERFORMANCE
The bleeding-edge performance on offer from the latest quad-core or Extreme Edition processors can also be obtained by buying a cheaper part that can be overclocked.
Intel’s latest Pentium Dual-Core processors, for instance, are based on the same architecture as the Core 2 Duo parts, they’re just branded differently. The 1.8GHz E2160 costs only $60, yet it can reach speeds approaching 3GHz with some fiddling in the BIOS. Our sister publication, Atomic, has a Beginners Guide to Overlcocking in Issue 93.
If you’re not comfortable with that degree of overclocking, then a low-end Core 2 Duo part is just as happy to be overclocked. AMD’s Athlon parts are worth considering, too: the Athlon X2 5000+ costs $75, and can punch far above its stated weight.
Save $130, if you buy an E2160 for $60 and match the 3GHz performance of a $200 Core 2 Duo E6850
BUY HARDWARE A GENERATION BEHIND THE CURVE
Don’t always buy the latest models. Nikon’s D40 cost $921 in April 2007 but, having been surpassed by the D60, it’s now $700 on www.mwave.com.au. The Zotac GeForce 8800GT is only $190 on [www.techbuy.com.au], but was double that a year ago. Or try Dell’s outlet store , for refurbs. We found our A-Listed laptop, the XPSM1730, for $400 cheaper than at the main store.
Save: Up to $400 on older or refurbished models at outlet stores
UPGRADE AN EXISTING PC RATHER THAN BUYING NEW
The processor is one of the most crucial parts of the PC, but new, top-end components are still cheap compared with a new system. Most AMD Athlon X2 and Intel Core 2 Duo parts are more than capable of any task you care to throw at your computer, and cost less than $250. Just make sure your motherboard is compatible with the new processor.
Graphics cards can be crucial for adding performance, especially if you’re a keen gamer or video enthusiast. Luckily, plenty of mid-range cards have recently been released that raise the performance bar without breaking the bank. ATI’s new Radeon HD 4850 costs around $200, and will play every modern game. If you’re willing to compromise on quality, then an older GeForce 8600 GT still offers plenty of grunt.
Other areas of your PC can also be upgraded for cheap performance boosts. A couple of gigabytes of RAM costs less than $50 for an instant speed hike. Laptops aren’t bereft of upgrade potential, either: if you’ve got a spare SODIMM slot, you can buy a 1GB stick of memory for around $25.
Save: $1800, by purchasing a new processor for $200 rather than a $2000 new PC
Buy new low-cost netbook devices
The world is abuzz with ultraportable laptops. Mini-models used to cost more than their regular-sized counterparts, but the Eee PC – and its competitors – cost less than $800. They’re perfectly capable machines, with recent models running XP and using Intel’s new, low-power Atom processors, which make them ideal for working and surfing on the road.
If you’re not going to use every feature available in a $3,000+ ultraportable, scan around the low end of the market. Laptopsdirect.co.uk will sell you an Eee PC for less than $600 or an Acer Aspire One for $620. HP and MSI have also released their own netbooks, and the bandwagon isn’t slowing down – so it may be worth jumping aboard.
Save: Around $2000 if you swap a MacBook Air, Lenovo X300 or VAIO TZ-Series for a netbook
Buy multifunction devices
There’s little point in shelling out for a separate printer, scanner and copier if you can buy a single machine to do the job just as well. Each component can cost upwards of $150, so when the Canon Pixma MP610 is available for a fraction of the combined price (at $186), it makes sense to save money and energy.
It’s a quality machine, too, taking the crown in this issue’s All-in-one Labs test. Sharp, clear printing, detailed scanning and efficient copying make this the only machine you’d need.
Save: $350, by buying a cheaper all-in-one instead of individual machines
Wipe your PC and reinstall Windows to boost performanceBefore you buy, think how clogged up your existing PC has become from years of constant use. A simple defrag and disk-cleanup session can reorganise everything on the hard disk and make it far simpler – and quicker – to access, giving your PC an instant performance boost.
A more drastic measure is to re-install Windows. Make sure you’ve backed up important files to an external hard disk or memory stick, then give your PC a fresh start. Without the extraneous software, long-forgotten documents and pointless Registry entries, even Windows Vista will feel zippy.
Save: $2000, by using the Windows disc that came with your system to reinstall the OS instead of splashing out on a new dual-core CPU, or spending even more on buying a new PC
Sell old kit
Just upgraded your PC? Don’t let your old components go to waste – stick them on eBay. If you’ve just upgraded to a quad-core processor, for instance, your old Core 2 Duo could still fetch a decent price online: a couple of examples we found on the popular auction site were going for $150 and $57, with over a day still left to bid.
Other components are equally capable of generating cash. GeForce 8800 GT graphics cards fetch more than $150, and the burgeoning market for motherboards, hard disks and other components means you can profit on every part of your old rig.
Save: $200, if you sell your processor, GPU, motherboard and hard disk
Virtualisation
Virtualisation software is completely free, and you have several options. Plump for the industry standard VMware Server , the excellent VirtualBox or Microsoft’s Virtual PC.
Not everyone can save money this way, but there are many circumstances where virtualisation can help. If you’re still running two PCs in parallel because the old machine has a software setup you don’t want to (or can’t) replicate, use the (also free) VMware Converter to virtualise that PC into a software image. You can transfer its entire state to more modern hardware as a single file that you bring to life inside your virtual machine software. You’ll save power (and money) against having both physical PCs running at once, and might make a bit of cash selling your old hardware. Alternatively, give yourself the warm glow of donating it to a charity.
Virtualising an existing PC and running it from within a virtual machine sounds complex but it’s ridiculously easy. See our feature on page 85 for a full walkthrough.
Save: Around $100 to $500 if selling freed-up hardware, plus
energy savings
Keep your old monitor
These days, monitors aren’t changing much with each iteration. We’d hazard a guess that your three-year-old TFT has a resolution of 1280 x 1024 or more, and a display that’s perfectly up to the task of editing in Word or browsing the net. So when you upgrade your PC, don’t waste money on a new screen – keep your existing one.
Save: $280 on a 19in TFT that could be excluded from your new PC
Repurpose old hardware
Hold your horses before buying a hardware firewall or a new network-attached storage (NAS) drive. For both these devices, you probably already have the hardware available in the form of an old PC in the cupboard.
All it takes is some free, easily installed software to turn your old, general purpose PC into a dedicated computing appliance. Pop over to www.smoothwall.org to download a special Linux distribution that will turn your PC into a seriously good firewall, or visit www.freenas.org for an easy-to-install operating system that will produce a working NAS appliance with little fuss. Keep an eye on the power consumption to make sure it won’t be a false economy in the long run, but for zero setup costs you’re home and dry.
Between $300 and $800, compared with buying new, dedicated appliances
Kit form
While we look for the best prices on our A-list systems, one reader recently wrote to tell us that, after shopping around, they got one of our branded A-list systems as an unbranded custom build with a $100 saving. Custom-builders generally only charge $50-$100 to put a system together, and you can save money thanks to the volume discounts they can get on hardware, compared to building it yourself.
You'll need to supply the list of parts. If you'd rather build it yourself, don't forget that many parts of an old system, from case to keyboard, can be re-used in a new machine. Start by planning your new motherboard and processor, then work out what else still has value.
Save: Up to $1500 on a new $2000 computer, if you retain your old kit