Buying A New Laptop? 7 Things To Consider.

By Bernice Alhassan.

It’s a pretty funny way to start but at I’m boiling over in laughter at the thought of my first laptop which I didn’t buy myself. It had an eighteen gigabyte hard drive memory which was just twice my phone’s memory by the way, 512MB RAM (sorry about the technical terms, but there’s really no way around it), 1 USB port (which I thought was absolutely ridiculous), a battery that lasted only an hour and no wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter and Bluetooth device; and all of it just killed me. I remember thinking “how was an engineering student supposed to get by with that kind of system?” plus my close buddy kept calling me 18 gig which didn’t help at all. Oh well, I have a much better system now but that was after I figured what I wanted in my laptop and what minimum standards where acceptable for what I wanted. That being said, here’s my list of what you should consider before you pick up that laptop: · Purpose: That’s where it should all begin. What do you in tend doing with the laptop? Is it for basic computing, internet browsing, kids’ assignment, HD gaming and image viewing, video and sound editing, etc. Each of these uses have different requirements in a laptop so you should decide what it is you intend using it for before you make any purchases. I can tell you from experience that it’s very frustrating when your laptop does not meet up with your expectations. · Budget: Yep! How much do you plan on spending in order to get what you want? It’s really important. It also involves doing a survey of the different laptop brands and deciding which of them offers what you want at a satisfactory price. This can be really tricky and since you will be getting so many juicy looking offers, you have to be careful so that you don’t cheat yourself. If you need a budget laptop, do all you can to strike a balance between pricing and performance so that you don’t lose both ways in an attempt to spare some change. · The processor: Now I’ll have to get a little technical. When it comes to processors, a general rule of thumb is to buy the fastest that you can afford. The Problem is it’s not all just about speed these days. A GHz from one family of CPUs doesn’t always equal a GHz from another. There’s also the question of how many cores you should get. Entry level these days is dual core, which will suit most people just fine. There are also triple-core and quad-core processors out there, but keep in mind that not all applications take advantage of this extra power. Some video-encoding applications, 3D applications and games will use them though, so if you’re a content-production maniac or a gamer, it’ll likely be worth investing in a quad-core machine. If you mainly just browse the internet and do basic computing, then dual core is perfectly fine. · Memory: Very important. How much can it take? It gets pretty annoying when you have to delete and delete in order to make room for more stuff. I can tell you that having been stuck with an 18 gig for a while. Having enough memory is vital to system performance, and lots of RAM lets you run more applications simultaneously. I won’t even bother with 512MB RAM laptops but a 1gig RAM laptop is adequate for running a number of basic programs at once. You may however find that your machine struggles quite a bit with modern apps and operating systems. 2gig does well for office work and basic internet browsing, and will get you by for most basic tasks. However, anything from 4gig and above is recommended. It’s good for 3D gaming, graphics work and video editing but requires a 64-bit operating system to take advantage of all the memory — a 32-bit one won’t be able to access it all. Make sure to check that you’re getting a 64-bit version of Windows (that is if you’re buying anything that is not apple.) before you buy. · Externals: This covers the presence or otherwise of an optical drive and webcam. I’d also like to include in this category the screen size and resolution, laptop weight, sound quality, keyboard arrangement and mouse positioning. Some people prefer bigger screens, I for one; others are okay with the smaller, more portable ones. For people who do a lot of commuting with their laptops, a lightweight, portable laptop will be more ideal. For the movie watchers, a bigger screen (which often times means heavier weight), is just fine. The sound quality and keyboard arrangement are also important. Go for a laptop whose keyboard arrangement suits your fingers’ size. Also check the mouse for its sensitivity and responsiveness levels. · Connectivity: Connectivity involves the availability of a wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter and Bluetooth device, USB, VGA, DVI, serial and parallel ports. Most users need not bother about the last four. While you may want to pass up on the Bluetooth, the presence of a wireless adapter comes in highly recommended as not every system has one. As a matter of fact, it should be a must-have in any laptop you are considering buying. You might think you don’t need it cause you are “not the browsing or internet type” but with modern day advancements, you just never know where you’ll find yourself. For those who are already internet addicted, make sure you read the specifications closely to verify that the model you’re buying provides the wireless connectivity you require. As regards the USB ports, insist on a minimum of three ports on any laptop you want to buy. A VGA port is also very important if you are into a lot of power point presentations. · Battery life: Your ability to enjoy all the wonderful specifications that come with your laptop greatly depends on the quality of your battery. There is no reason to accept anything less than three hours of operation. However, at least four would be preferable. If you’re going to be carrying your laptop with you everywhere, you should aim for one of the ultra-portables that can often offer seven hours or more of active computing. Battery life is closely linked to a couple of key components, namely screens and processors. The larger the screen and the faster the processor, the less life you can expect to get from a charge. If battery life is key for you, keep an eye out for LV (Low Voltage) or ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processors from Intel that sip power and stretch a battery as far as it will go. You’ll be able to identify them by the model number, which will start with an ‘L’ or a ‘U,’ such as U7600 or L7200. Also look for Energy Star certification, a set of standards that ensure power-efficiency. Check out the battery capacity (measured in milliamp hours, or mAh) as well and the number of cells. Typical batteries have a mAh rating between 2,000mAh and 6,000mAh; higher is better. Cells are the actual compartments where power is produced and can range from four to 12; the more the better. This check list should pretty much help you out in purchasing a laptop that is satisfactory and adequately meets up with most demands you’ll place on it.    

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This article was first published on 5th September 2012 and updated on September 18th, 2012 at 12:42 pm

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