internet cafe business

[Syuryuken]

Gawin mong 256mb ang video card kung gaming ang puntirya mo.

Ilang unit ba ilalagay mo?

[mikmik316]

The whole ghosting issue is overrated. I play lots of FPS games on my two-year-old Samsung 710V with a 25ms response time, I don't even care enough to notice it. Unless you're target market are pro or hardcore gamers, it's a non-issue.

I think it is an issue especially if you buy Taiwan branded LCDs - AOC, CTX, MAG, etc.... 2 years ago... Samsung 710V costs 20-40% more than the ordinary LCD of those days so probably you can expect more performance from that LCD...

So moral of the story... Test the equipment before buying!

[oldblue]

The whole ghosting issue is overrated. I play lots of FPS games on my two-year-old Samsung 710V with a 25ms response time, I don't even care enough to notice it. Unless you're target market are pro or hardcore gamers, it's a non-issue.

very true. ang magaling na gamer, walang excuse excuse

[rlp1099]

Sir,

The COO of Netopia is a co parent in my kid's school. I had a chance to hear first hand about the ff:

-revenue from online gaming can't be ignored hence the shift fortify their hardware and connectivity to that in the coming months.

-pc maintenance/admin costs add to the TCO (total cost of ownership) i.e. deployment, setup etc. on top of the purchase cost.

-electric bill each internet cafe runs up

Gamers will always use a "powerful" desktop. However productivity users will just require a browser and very little local processing. Why give a powerful desktop who will only use ms office, browsing, chat, etc...??

One proven solution is to offer a gamer section and one section for productivity users

full desktops for one and thin clients and server based computing for the other

That should give you an idea where to put some of your resources.


hth.....

[Alpha_One]

I think it is an issue especially if you buy Taiwan branded LCDs - AOC, CTX, MAG, etc.... 2 years ago... Samsung 710V costs 20-40% more than the ordinary LCD of those days so probably you can expect more performance from that LCD...

So moral of the story... Test the equipment before buying!

We have an even older Phoenix 14" LCD (3 years old), and I can tell you it's not a very good screen for today's standards. I don't even know what model it is or what its actual specs are (it doesn't go to 1024x768*85Hz, unlike what the box and manual says). I do know that the color reproduction is not very accurate and the contrast sucks. I also notice some ghosting. However, I also play Counter Strike a lot on that machine and the ghosting doesn't bother me at all. True, it is an issue, but it's so minor and definitely overrated.

OT: The 710V is a wonderful screen. Kahit luma at analog lang, comparable ang performance sa current LCDs connected via DVI.

And yes, the best way of testing equipment such as monitors and speakers is to try them out! Trust your eyes and ears, they're the best judge. Specsheets are nothing more than rough guides to give you an idea of what you're getting.

very true. ang magaling na gamer, walang excuse excuse

Hindi naman ako kagalingan, pero yung pinsan ko talo parin ako kahit gamit ko yung 710v at gamit niya yung Phoenix. I'm one of those who believe that skill is much more important than "bling", and I wouldn't get a better score by spending much more than I would for a decent machine.

[NazQ]

on a side note: I know na saturated na ang internet cafe market pero dito sa amin mga 5 internet cafe's na yung nasa village plaza, lahat puno until the wee hours of the morning (pero patay na yung aircon pag madaling araw).

isa lang naman talaga ang hinahanap ng users: SPEED!

gamers - speedy networks.
productivity users - speedy internet.

[Galactus]

Another side note: 3 of my friends invested separately in an internet cafe years ago, and all folded up within a 10 months. 2 of them even had nice locations, (near a school yung isa, and the other, malapit sa town plaza). Can't say what went wrong, but all of them said na medyo unstable yung business, may peak and slow season.

Now, we are initiating foreclosure proceedings on 2 of our borrowers who have defaulted on their loans. Nagtayo din ng Internet cafe, mga 100k - 200k ang investment, 1 here in Novaliches and another in Bulacan. Nagsara na rin. Nung nag-aapply ng loan, both claimed na strategic yung location...

I think the Internet cafe is a trend, (just like the lechon manok), but it will soon fade away. Only the strong ones (like Netopia) will survive. Before kasi, mahal ang connection, tapos dial-up pa, now 768k broadband less than 1k/month. Tapos PC's can be had for 20k or less. Public schools are likewise building their own IT buildings equipped with PC's (usually from foreign grants and donations).

Apologies to the OP, I don't want to discourage you, just giving you some facts from the negative side.

[mikmik316]

isa lang naman talaga ang hinahanap ng users: SPEED

gamers - speedy networks.
productivity users - speedy internet.

Dito nga nagkakaroon ng problema sa business na to... Alam naman natin when you want speed & performance you pay a premium.... Pero dito sa negosyo na to customers want speed & performance yet they want to pay only 10-15 pesos down from 20 pesos??????

Kami lang mga system builders ang kikita sa mga nabentahan namin ng computers

[oliver1013]

May internet shop din ako 6 years ago,after 3 years, sinara ko kasi tama lang pang araw araw na gastusin...Ndi nakakipon puyat pa ko...Nagshift ako sa water station mas stable kasi talagang may need..tsaka isa ako sa nauna sa area namin kaya kahit may bago, established na ang suki.

[Syuryuken]

Problema kasi sa computer business upgrade ka ng upgrade lalo na pag gaming hindi naman pwedeng hayaan mo na lang kasi mawawalan ka naman ng kostumer.

Ang masasabi ko lang sa business na to "VERY RISKY" bibili ka ng computer ng pagkamahal-mahal, aircon, gagastos ka sa renovation, taxes, mayor's permit, dti, bayad sa pwesto. Pag hindi kumita yung computer at aircon na lang pwede mong ibenta.

[oliver1013]

Precisely...not to mention pa yung uso na hold up an ng comp shops..

[dregz2006]

oldblue,rlp1099,Alpha_One,Syuryuken

Thank you sa mga inputs nyo. I'm planning to set up 7 PC iniatially and work up from them. The set up will be half for gamers and half for internet/document publishing. And much have been shared regarding use of LCD vs. CRT, and I made a conclusion of using CRT since it best fits gaming criteria. Probably I'll use LCD for internet and document publishing PCs. I'll probably use 128MB or 256MB video card.

Alpha_One,
Saan makakabili ng surplus monitor na sinasabi mo?


NazQ, Galactus,dopamine101,swimstroke,oliver1013

Yeah, it's a very risky business and as of now my computation shows only 14% ROI. To lessen the risk, I've prepared a buffer budget for 12 months just in case the business didn't hit the target interest. At isa pang risk ay nakawan at hold up. Paano kaya maiiwasan ito or ma-lessen ito?

Well, the target market is private high school students this year and college next year. I think the hourly rate will be P15.

[dregz2006]

Maraming nagsabi na kailangan ng fast internet connection, ano ang tips nyo regarding DSL connection?

I've heard na ang DSL connection speed is related sa distance to PLDT center, mas malapit mas mabilis...so, do I need to be near PLDT to have fast connection?

Thanks.

[ghosthunter]

oldblue,rlp1099,Alpha_One,Syuryuken

At isa pang risk ay nakawan at hold up. Paano kaya maiiwasan ito or ma-lessen ito?

As for theft & break-ins, I have "T" and "I" shaped padlock points on my steel gate (so a boltcutter cannot cut that part) and another padlock on the inside of the gate where bolt-cutters cannot get to. Another is the part where you hang the padlocks are also made from spring steel, which is very hard to cut even by bolt cutters.

I also used "armoured" Master padlocks. Those looks like the following:

[mikmik316]

good luck sir dregz! if you need computers and network equipment plus structured cabling... I can quote one for you... some with 3 years hardware warranty...

[Syuryuken]

good luck sir dregz! if you need computers and network equipment plus structured cabling... I can quote one for you... some with 3 years hardware warranty...

Saan location mo? Bigyan mo ko maganda-gandang presyo at warranty sayo na kami kukuha.

[mikmik316]

Saan location mo? Bigyan mo ko maganda-gandang presyo at warranty sayo na kami kukuha.

YM nyo na lang ako sir -- rcelcomputers and location namin near SM Fairview.

[dregz2006]

As for theft & break-ins, I have "T" and "I" shaped padlock points on my steel gate (so a boltcutter cannot cut that part) and another padlock on the inside of the gate where bolt-cutters cannot get to. Another is the part where you hang the padlocks are also made from spring steel, which is very hard to cut even by bolt cutters.

I also used "armoured" Master padlocks. Those looks like the following:

Thanks sa useful advice mo. I'm sure I'll be using these kinds of lock once we get our store set up.

mikmik316,

I can quote one for you

I'm planning to purchase the whole set in one of the main PC stores like PC Express, PC Corner Online, etc. Maybe you could give me your e-mail address so, I could ask for your quote. It will probably around late March to April.