Buying A New Laptop Cheap Or Expensive?
Buying a new laptop can be a daunting task
Buying a new laptop can be a daunting task. There are so many brands and so many different specifications that the prospecting of finding what you need can lead to confusion and even mistakes.
The starting point for any purchase should be the budget. How much do we want to spend on a laptop. There are plenty of cheap laptops which can be bought for under 300 to 400 but prices can go up to as much as 2000 to 3000. Once a budget has been set
make sure you stick to it, it is easy to keep pushing up your limit. Now that you have a budget, consider what you will be using the laptop for.
Laptops can be categorised into five groups.
- Casual
- Portable
- Desktop Replacement
- Multimedia and Gaming
Each of the categories denotes a specification set and also a price range.
Casual User Laptop
These laptops are designed primarily for tasks such as surfing the web, sending emails, logging into social networks, watching DVDs or listening to music They are cheapest of the laptops and should cost between 300 to 400. Don't get blinded by the specifications on these laptops. 2GB of RAM (Memory) should be plenty for the tasks this laptop will need to perform. Look for a machine with as fast a processor and large hard disk drive as possible within your budget. These laptops will generally come with "shared" graphics processors which will borrow memory from the main system memory in order to display graphics.
Portable
These are predominantly lightweight small laptops. If purchasing a laptop to use on the move ensure that it weighs no more than 2Kg. Laptops get heavy after being carried in a laptop bag on your shoulder for a couple of hours. Ultra portable Laptops or Netbooks fit into this category as they are small and light.
These devices sometimes do have a CD/DVD drive fitted to decrease the weight so take this into account when making a purchase as this can be a limitation.
If you will be using this laptop on the move then factor in the battery life. Some manufacturers claim a battery life of upto 8 hrs, this is usually the outside figure for battery life and it can be vastly reduced when using applications, playing music or watching video.
Desktop Replacement
These laptops are designed to be used on a desk. They are generally larger and heavier than the previously mentioned laptops. They have much higher specifications which are comparable to desktop computers. You should be aiming for at least 4GB of RAM (Memory) and a minimum hard drive size of at least 300GB. The processor should be as fast as your budget can afford. You can expect to pay up to 1000 for a good desktop replacement laptop.
Mutilmedia and Gaming Laptops
These are the big laptops. They have lots of memory and processor power required to run intensive graphics applications and games. They will have dedicated graphics processors and memory for displaying graphics or video. These laptops are larger and tend to have a bigger display 17 and 19 inch screens are quite common. With all this performance comes a much higher price. Expect to pay anywhere upto and over 2000 for these laptops.
General Advice
Regardless of the type of laptop you are buying there are few things that are relative to them all.
Ports
Be sure you have enough of them, there is nothing more frustrating than having to unplug one device and connect another before use.
Screen Size
The size of the screen can problematic and result in alot of scrolling when viewing websites or using applications. Movies can appear small if viewed on a none landscape screen as there will be a band at the top and bottom of the display.
Durability
Laptops tend to be moved around more than desktop computers. They tend to get more scratches and have to take a few knocks, especially when thay are in a laptop bag or rucksack.
Well thats about it for this article, the rest of your purchase is down to you. The look, the design and the color are personal choice.
by: Simon Daniels
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