Buying a Laptop

Tip: Buying a Laptop

Suntydt
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September 6, 2011

There are lots of things to consider when buying a laptop. Some are simple while others are not so much.

The first question is: Will this laptop be for a kid? How responsible are they? Is it their first?

If not for a kid, is it for an adult who is: Competent with a PC? business oriented? Hobby oriented? Rough on electronics or cautious?

My first concern is whether I have a particular brand in mind. Is there a brand I would have over others? For example, the best laptop I have ever had was a Sony Vaio that I bought off eBay.

I have had 3 other laptops, one new and 2 others used. These 3 had been supplied to me from my business and I hated them. The Sanyo was for work. Technically my job paid for it, but I bought it off eBay for a very cheap price and I still have it today (10 years later). I would not own a Dell if you gave it to me (personal preference). There is another brand too that I don't care for, but I can't think of it right now.

Okay, you may be asking why I am giving you these opinions. If you are buying the laptop for someone else and they hate it right from the get go, you won't get your money's worth out of it. The person you get it for will be reluctant to use it and dawdle at the prospect of doing so.

Now, if it is for you, then you know your preferences. If you have never had a laptop, talk to people that do. Ask them if you can play with their laptop a bit and see how it "feels". Different laptops feel different than others. I like the Vaio I have because the keyboard has standard size keys. That was my selling point.

Now, let's get right to bullet points for things you have to consider.

• How powerful does it need to be?
• How much memory does it need?
• How big of a screen does it need?
• Does it need a CD or DVD player or burner? (obviously you need a CD player)
• How many USB ports do you need and where do they need to be located?
• Does it need firewire, yes or no?
• Is WIFI ability a factor?
• Do you want a mouse touch pad or one of those little tabs?
• Does it have a serial port?
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• Need a LPT port?
• Do you want a docking station? (This is good if the laptop is going to be your main PC.)
• Does it need to have a memory card slot?
• How much can the laptop be upgraded?
• Is it a touch screen?

And if you look into some of the newer laptops there are all kinds of "extras" being built in that may some day be required or expected.

Let's talk about 13. Can the laptop handle a SATA hard drive or are you limited to an IDE drive. You can get a pretty big IDE drive, but the larger drives nowadays require SATA compatibility. I have a 500 gig hard drive in my laptop and I never thought it would not be enough, until last week :(

Can the memory be expanded, how many slots does the laptop have for memory, how many are currently being used and if you can switch them out how big a memory card can you put in it?

Now let me point out something not so obvious. I have a laptop I love. And I have a dedicated laptop case I love as well. I bought a newer laptop of the same type, but with a larger screen. Imagine my surprise when I found out the sucker didn't fit in my laptop case. Needless to say that laptop is on eBay and I'm still using my old laptop and case. :)

Now let me point out something else that is a major consideration, the operating system. This is really the second most important aspect of buying a PC or laptop of any kind. Some operating systems are no longer supported. Some jobs require a certain operating system. You may have friends that know a lot about one version of Windows, but are clueless if you have anything else. These are the people that will be helping you with your laptop in times of crisis. Make sure your running an OS you can get help with.

I was in the IT business for years, from DOS through Windows XP. My parents bought a PC with Windows Vista and were looking for me to help them with it. After about, hmmm, a year, I think I finally have the bugger under control. I have yet to see a Windows 7 and personally I regret the day someone with that OS asks for help. I would have better luck with a Linux system which I only have a small inkling of.

So there is a bunch of food for thought. If you have questions or want suggestions feel free to drop me a message. I'll be glad to help.

Oh! I almost forgot. How much are you willing to spend? That can help decide on many factors alone. Good hunting.

Source: Years of IT professional experience

By Suntydt from Tazewell, TN

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