What I Look for When Buying Hardware

As a tech blogger, certainly for research if, for nothing else, I do a lot of searching through new types of technology and gadgets that people can use. If you have looked at any of the things that I have made recommendations for, you’ll probably note that I seem to like them all. I’ll be honest, I do go through some stuff that I end up not liking, but I feel that keeping a positive spin on things is always a good idea. When I’m looking at the hardware I’m going to by to use for myself I have a few things that help me determine what to buy.

1) A Name you Recognize – There are lots of companies that make things to help you get the most of your computer. When I say lots, I mean LOTS AND LOTS. Not only that but these companies can also make multiple different versions of their products. Do me a quick favour. Go to Amazon and type “keyboard” into the search bar and hit enter….  don’t worry, I can wait……DID YOU SEE HOW MANY RESULTS THERE WERE???? It can get real confusing real fast if you don’t know what you’re looking for. To cut down the searching you may want to consider looking for brand names you recognize. For most technology you use in your day to day life, there will usually be something you have used before. If you’re comfortable with what you have, then getting something similar can be easy to move to the newer version.

2) Go with Something that Works with Your Other Tech – I am a big fan of “the complete ecosystem” where all your tech can work together. This is why I’m such a big fan of Apple products. That being said, there are other companies which can do the same thing. If you have 90% of your devices with one brand (let’s say Samsung) and you then go out and buy a Google phone, getting them to talk together can be a bit of an exercise. I like the fact that I can control my Apple TV from the app on my phone. Having technology that meshes well together makes life so much easier. I talked earlier this year about my experiences here, and I would highly advise checking it out.

3) The Right Tool for the Right Job – This is more than just knowing the difference between a scanner and a keyboard. There are different types of tech devices, depending on how you are going to be using them. For example, if you are going to be using a keyboard quite heavily (say if you are a writer or a video gamer), then I would advise looking for a mechanical keyboard to use. I’m going to be talking about why Mechanical keyboards are better for you later this month, but for now, let’s say that if you’re going to need a lot of heavy keyboard usage, then Mechanical is the way to go. What computer monitor you need is another good example of needing the right tool for the right job — if you are like me, a writer, then getting a 4K 87-inch supersonic blah blah blah monitor isn’t’ necessary. If you’re a heavy Gamer, having a serious graphics card with super high def monitor will come in handy. Taking the extra time to find the correct tools for what you need is really worth it, so think about what you’re going to be using the device for before you go out and buy them.

Looking for good quality hardware can be tough, there is so much out in the market, and the bulk of it is online, so there is no “demo” that you can look at and make sure it works correctly. Looking for the hardware you’re going to use is not something that you have to do every day. If you take some time and go through the three factors that I have laid out here, you will probably find out that you will be using some good products. The other thing that you can do to help you have a more informed decision on what products are best is to check out some of the blog posts that I have written on a few different products.

What do you look for when you’re shopping for hardware?

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