Laptop Buying Guide

What kind of laptop is right for you? For those people who always travel, size and weight are the two most critical factors in choosing a laptop. Students need a laptop that is small and light enough to lug back and forth across campus but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack. Business power users need a well-balanced system, a good performance and a wide variety of applications. For those people designing a Web site, editing home movies, you will demand a powerful processor, plenty of memory, great graphics, and a healthy hard drive.

What to look for when purchasing a laptop?
Hard Drive: An important consideration to think about when purchasing a laptop. The hard drive is the equivalent of a computer's closet. It is the destination of all your files and information. Maybe get the maximum size hard drive, considering you will eventually always run out of space. A laptop computer should come with at least 40GB.

Memory: Know the amount of memory included in the laptop and also verify if it can be upgraded in the future. A general rule of thumb, get at least 512MB of RAM.

Processor: Low power consumption is a primary consideration in the choice of a laptop processor. When buying a laptop, make sure the processor says "Mobile" somewhere in the description as in Pentium 4-M or Pentium 4 Mobile or Athlon XP Mobile. Processors designed for mobile computing generally consume less power, and thus run cooler than desktop processors. This is important because you want your battery to last a long time and you also don't want to burn a hole through your lap.

Drives: Laptops can come with various drive configurations such as one drive bay where the CD-ROM and the Floppy drive are interchangeable; two drive bay laptops generally have a floppy solution as well as CD-ROM solutions; no drive bay which allows for a laptop to be extremely light and utilize external drives instead of internal. Also, consider the option of a DVD or CD-RW drive as opposed to a CD-ROM drive.

Battery Usage: Determine how long the battery lasts. Always ensure that the manufacturer clarifies what the standard battery usage life is when using the laptop in all power modes. Some manufacturers indicate a battery usage time in the lowest possible settings. So be cautious! There are two main types used in notebooks- NiMh’s and Li-ion. Li-ion batteries are superior and more expensive holding more of a charge. If you want long battery life without the expense of a Li-ion battery, eliminate components you don’t need.

Video Card: For video games, a machine with the proper video card is important. Video memory is dedicated to storing information about images on your monitor. If you want sharp and clear screen resolution, stay away from a notebook with “shared memory”.

Sound Card: Find that most standard sound cards which will suit your needs. Advanced sounds cards increase the amount of speakers that can be used and in some games and programs and the sound quality and capabilities. Sound quality also matters.

Display: The display is also an important consideration. When looking at the display, ensure it is large enough for your needs. Suggested size for a laptop display is at least 12" and recommended LCD size of 14".

Weight: Remember that the lighter the laptop, the easier it will be to carry.

Lock: This is for security purposes while on the road.

Remember also that in purchasing laptop ensure it comes with legal software. Determine the software if it is on a standard CD and not a burnt CD. Ensure that if the software requires a license or registration number that it was included with the computer.

The following video will teach you everything you need to know about purchasing the perfect laptop computer!