Laptop Buying Guide

No doubt, the desktop PCs have effectively been replaced by notebooks, principally because of the latter’s increased portable nature. Nowadays, the market is overflowing with a sea of a variety of good and not-so-good laptops. The difficult part however, is to get your hand on the one, which not only meets your requirements, but fits into your budget as well.

The first thing to be looked into is the processor that aboard your notebook. The processor speed must be able to cope up with your work load. For students or home users with a tight budget, an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz processor will do. While those who use need a fast performance system, a 2.4GHz processor is recommended. Likewise, a 1GB of RAM might make a Windows XP user happy, but to get the most out of Vista, a 2GB of RAM is what you will need. However, an advanced gamer must opt for a 4GB of RAM so that an enjoyable gaming experience is guaranteed.

A video card can further improve your system’s performance. This needs a visit to the market for a wide range of basic and optimum cards that will suit both your budget and needs. A budget laptop might include the Intel GMA X3 100 graphic card. But gamers can select the cards from a huge collection, depending upon their gaming level. For instance, the basic gaming laptop can bear the NVIDIA 8600M GT video card, while for the advanced gaming, the NVIDIA 8800M GTX is preferable.

Memory is one of the crucial factors affecting your decision to buy the laptop. For students and home users, a 100GB or 160GB hard disk is more or less sufficient. But for those who use their laptops for office and home use, a higher capacity disk is suggested.

The notebook must be equipped with CD/DVD ROM and a CD/DVD Writer, as you might need to put some load off your system, or copy some important files for other use. If desired, you can increase your storage memory by using portable Flash Drives.

For using internet facilities, your notebook must bear WAN, Ethernet and Bluetooth devices. You might need to check up with your ISP for the availability of wireless connectivity.

Depending upon your requirements, you will select the display screen size best suited for you. Generally, an 11”-15” LCD screen is recommended for student and home users. Those who like to see everything “BIG” can entertain themselves with the 15”-17” LCD screens. An LED Backlit LCD screen does not only produce richer colour and better contrasts, but saves your battery as well. However, not all the manufacturers offer this backlit panel and it will cost you some money to own one of them.

The battery is entirely dependent upon your general usage. A typical three to four cell battery can power your laptop for around two to three hours. A higher capacity battery does increase the run time, but also the price tag. Although additional batteries can be bought without any trouble, it is better to buy a laptop that already bears the battery fulfilling your working hours criteria. Buying two power adapters is extremely advantageous if you carry your laptop to your office as well.

If you are replacing your desktop PC with the notebook, then the Docking Station accessory is something you will certainly need. This will enable you to connect external monitors, full sized keyboards and a mouse. In addition to this, the laptop casing must also bear at least 4 USB 2.0 ports, so that you can easily attach your portable devices to your system.

Before purchasing your notebook, you must realize that cutting up technology from your laptop will definitely decrease its efficiency. If you have an extremely tight budget, you might want to check the AMD alternatives, but the lower price tag will be accompanied by a decrease in overall performance. If your job requires traveling or moving about a lot, the weight of you machine also comes under speculation. Lighter the laptop, the easier the shift. So all you need now is to sit down and enumerate down your requirements and then accordingly buy the laptop fitted for your use and your pocket. And remember, buying the right laptop is more important than buying an affordable laptop because compromising the quality over a few bucks is not always the smartest choice.

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