Products We Recommend...
Our favourite products based on years of building networks and providing technical support
To many business startups their IT infrastructure comes as an afterthought, resulting in fragmented computer hardware from different vendors. However, this cornucopia of products quickly becomes difficult to manage and is not cost effective. For this reason it is a best practice for companies of any size to look for IT consolidation as early as possible. When it comes to computer hardware and networking infrastructure you can usually do away with as little as 4 vendors. Here are our vendor recommendations, by product line, based on years of experience building networks and business systems and providing technical support. Desktop or Laptop? Start by establishing two or three user profiles to help you determine the appropriate PC option for your employees. You need a standard desktop PC if…
You qualify as a high-end user if…
You need a laptop computer if…
Disatvange with Laptops While laptop PCs offer flexibility, there are several important issues to consider when choosing one:
For these reasons, limit laptops to employees who need mobile computing capabilities (e.g., employees who travel frequently or are frequent telecommuters). Consider other solutions to meet employees’ remote access needs, including loaner laptops, RSA SecurID tokens for accessing e-mail, or remote access software installation in their home PC. System Recommendations Dell is a leader with the Poweredge line of servers, representing fantastic value. Make sure to order with as much RAM memory as you can afford. Another option is IBM xSeries line of Intel-processor based servers, such as the popular xSeries. Although the base price is just a little higher than Dell, it skyrockets once you add any extras (pretty much like buying a new car), with every item that is not standard, such as extra storage, CD-RW drive, or extra RAM carrying a high price and an installation charge per item. There are other complications due to their rigid Canadian e-commerce that affects the preloading of software, etc. --too long to detail. With a choice of chassis size and complete control over component configuration, for a great business system consider the Dell Optiplex line with at least 1GB of RAM. Remember to order with an operating system that is server/domain compatible, such as Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista Business. MonitorsFor office use, 17" and 19" LCD monitors are all costing very close to the same, thus making most sense to go with 19" LCD monitors. Consider Viewsonic and Dell LCD monitors for their good quality and 3-year warranty on most models. If you want to stick to Dell across the board then consider the Dell Latitude line of notebooks. The fact that it is the model used by the largest global corporations and even by Dell personnel is a good indicator. Avoid Dell Inspiron or Vostro models unless for home users who will not be depending on their notebook on a daily basis. But if Dell Latitude are the Toyota of notebooks, then Lenovo ThinkPad are the Lexus. This specially applies if you favour quality over bells and whistles, as Lenovo's excellence in design is unmatched (once you have tried the Thinkpad keyboard you will not want to type on anything else.) We specially recommend the Thinkpad T-series for the best balance of features, performance and portability. Lenovo Canada (formerly IBM Personal Computing Division) has its headquarters right here in Toronto's Don Mills Road, which is another advantage; technical support is top notch. As an IBM Business Partner and Dell Premier Access Partner, Toronto Computer Help can provide you with better than listed price on most Thinkpad notebooks, and significantly consistently lower than listed price on Dell productss. Get a quote from us before you buy! For most easily serviceable and widely available parts, as well as workhorse and reliability, we don't recommend anything but HP. (Ask any printer technician.) The HP "business" class printers are a good place to start- more than 20 page per minute, separate drum and toner cartridge (i.e. you do not buy a new drum every time the unit needs toner) are the best choices in most every case. As for consumables, the general rule of thumb is the cheaper the cost of the printer initially the more expensive the consumables will be to operate --and operating costs account for more than 3/4 of a printer's total cost of ownership (TCO). Here are a good example of this, with two popular choices side by side:
Although the Dell 1710 is a good buy, the HP 1320 in the short run becomes better value --not to mention the lack of duplex printing when it comes to printing cheques, for example. Next best choice is the units that have 3rd party (not always the drill and refill recycled) cartridges and drums available for them. Companies like Verbatim and Xerox are now making good 3rd party drum kits for many printers that are made by HP and others. Note that Dell and other proprietary printers are made to use only their supplies - single sourced and with no price pressure or competition. How we can help Confused about hardware purchase options? Unsure about what product will best meet your needs? Please don't waste your money. Let Toronto Computer Help take care of your hardware and software procurement. Besides getting great deals we can provide you with:
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Dell promotions and special deals change every Thursday night. Aim specially at those that offer memory upgrades ("free double the RAM".) Related Links Dell Canada Battery Recall Program
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