Don't be surprised but
buying a laptop can be even harder than buying a desktop
computer. In fact, buying a computer is very straightforward.
Laptops, however, are very personal stuff because
it's something that you will carry around with you
and sometimes act as more than just a computer for
you to work on. They become a companion! That's why
finding and selecting the right laptop can be very
tricky.
Hard core computer gamers or
people who will use their laptops for designing or
video production may need more help than just reading
about buying laptops. For conventional laptop users,
here's something for you to digest.
The price for laptops varies
drastically from brand to brand. Some laptops can
cost $500 while some laptops can cost you $6,000.
Some entry-level (meaning basic laptops) can be bought
for between $600 and $900. If you grab a laptop off
eBay or other rebate or dropshipping websites, you
might get a mid-range laptop for far less than that.
Even for basic laptop users,
the description and specifications for the laptop
is very, very important. If you're not sure, check
around and ask your friends for advice on how to buy
a good laptop for the lowest price possible. You should
be getting a laptop that comes with AT LEAST 512 megabytes
of memory. The size of the memory ensures that your
laptop can run multiple programs smoothly. As for
hard drive, invest in as big a hard drive for your
laptop as you can afford. Another thing that you may
have to look out before you invest in the laptop is
to find out how many USB ports that the laptop has.
Most laptops come with at least 2 USB ports, the more
the better. If you use a camera or thumb drive (disk
key), this is where you insert the cable - the USB
ports. You don't want to have to remove the USB cable
for your printer and mouse every time you try to save
pictures from your camera to your laptop! Some laptops
come with slots for camera memory cards, for instance,
your compact flash cards.
If you're keen on getting a Windows
based laptop, the security of your laptop should be
at the top of your priority lists. Windows SP2 XP
should be ideal because it comes with antispam, antispyware,
antipopups and antivirus programs. Some laptop retailers
may offer you cheap or free programs that you can
install into the laptop as a second layer protection
to your laptop.
Other factors to take
into account when shopping for laptops are the screen
size, the life of the battery, the processor of the
laptop, screen and keyboard, wi-fi networking, size
and weight of the laptop.
Dakota
Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota
Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor
of http://www.laptop-source.net on which you will
find a longer, more detailed version of this article.
Did
you like our article above?
Receive new ones every week!
(We will
not sell your e-mail address... Our promise)
|
ARTICLE
