What is this?
Help from James was set up by me as a response to a situation that a lot of people have found themselves in. As a primary school teacher with a strong IT background, I was frequently asked to advise my school about hardware purchasing decisions. Many people who did not have the technology background that I did were being asked to spend large amounts of money without knowing exactly what to look for. I was able to make a big difference in a very short space of time, saving school a lot of money and getting them better equipment at the same time.
How does that help you?
I realised during the first COVID lockdown of 2020 that huge numbers of people – other schools and especially parents – were in exactly the same position, having to make important computer and technology buying decisions immediately but without necessarily having the confidence that they were getting the most for their money. So I set up this simple site to help them and possibly you. I will give you quick advice to help you buy the best computer for your needs.
How does it work?
It’s really simple. People tell me what they want and give me a budget. I receive the request and look for something that meets their needs. I usually return with three different options:
Option 1 – I get as close to your budget limit as I can, squeezing the most performance out of that money that I can possibly find. I usually recommend this as the best choice if you can afford it, as this computer is likely to have the best performance and, as a result, you hopefully won’t have to replace it for a long time.
Option 2 – I choose the cheapest computer I can that still meets your needs. Hopefully this will come in well under your budget. I won’t recommend things that I don’t think will give you acceptable performance for your needs.
Option 3 – The middle ground. Something that is better and will hopefully last longer than the cheapest option, but is cheaper than the first option.
How can I trust you, James?
Excellent question. You should ask this question of every website and shop you visit, even if it is a big-name store with “technical experts”. Look through my previous recommendations. Read my privacy policy (opens in a new tab). I am not a big name. I am a real person who wants to help as many people as I can. This is the best way for me to do that. You don’t have to take my recommendation. I’m not asking you for anything – no payment and none of your personal information. You can ask for my recommendation and then not use it, it’s completely up to you.
So what do you get out of it, James?
Well, some of the links I provide in recommendations are what are known as “affiliate links”. This means that if you click on the link, I may get a small fee from the shop you are sent to. It’s not going to make me a millionaire, but it might just help me to pay to run this site for a little longer.
It’s important to note two things about my affiliate links. The first is that an affiliate link really doesn’t have an effect on you at all. The price you pay in the shop will be the same regardless of what link you followed to get there. It’s just a way for you to give me a small tip for my service without it actually costing you a penny.
The second is that I don’t make my recommendations based on affiliate links. If the best price is at a shop without affiliate links, so be it – I have no problems recommending it even if I get nothing back. How can you be sure of this? Well, this site exists simply because there are so few places to go for genuinely impartial advice. That’s what I do – give geuninely impartial advice. If I only made recommendations based on the commission I got from sites, then I remove the whole reason for this site existing. Nobody would be interested. So I don’t do that because it would kill this site.