Business Class Computer vs Consumer Grade

Business Class Computer vs Consumer Grade – What’s the difference?

We know that there are lots of pretty pictures out there of very sexy consumer grade computers.  They’re great for home.  You’re welcome to buy one for yourself and use it for browsing the web and doing online shopping.

When you’re looking for a reliable tool to get work done day in and day out, functional should be more important than sexy.  So for a work computer, buying a business class machine is worth the few extra bucks it sometimes costs.  The right tool for the right job yields the right results.

So what’s all the fuss about, and what are the differences?

  • One of the biggest benefits of buying a business class machine from i.t.NOW is that you get free upfront advice that comes with it.  We can consult with you about what you’re going to use the machine for, what software you’re going to run on it, and size the machine to the job.  You can also rest assured that it will be loaded with the right version of windows, and compatible with all of your systems.  You get no promises like that from the geek squad at Best Buy.
  • Built to Last – Business machine go through much more rigorous testing than their consumer counterparts.  This leads to more reliable hardware that will last longer, giving you a better bang for your buck.
  • Domain Join-able – On of the big gotchas you frequently run into with consumer grade machines is that they come preloaded with Windows 10 Home.  This operating system can’t be joined to a domain, which means that in order to actually use it for work you may end up needing to purchase a Windows 10 Pro license for an extra $200 and reload the operating system to get it to work.
  • Less Bloatware – Bloatware is extra, non-essential software that is loaded on to the machine before you purchase, because the vendors get paid for doing it. However, bloatware can carry significant privacy and security risks. Business machines have a lot less.
  • Better Warranties – Most business class machines will come with a 3 year next business day hardware replacement warranty.  That means if your motherboard goes out the manufacturer will replace it free of charge.  Most consumer grade machines carry a 1 year mail in warranty which require you to ship your computer to the manufacture for 2 or more weeks.  Most of our clients can’t be without a computer for that long.

As you can see there are a lot of good reasons to buy business class hardware.  Studies have shown that business class hardware with a 3-5 year life-cycle offers the lowest total cost of ownership.  So if you’re looking for the most reliable hardware out there at the lowest total cost, business class is the way to go.

As always i.t.NOW stands ready to help.  Feel free to reach out to our team at i.t.NOW with any of your business computing questions.  We would love to discuss how we can serve your business and lower your total cost of ownership on hardware.