Five Things to Think about Before Buying a Laptop Computer

Whether you have a vintage laptop already and are looking to upgrade, have been using a desktop computer for the past few years or have never owned one of these ‘new fangled’ machines you may be looking for the most informative and useful guide to help teach you how to buy a laptop- well you’ve found it! Below is a useful guide to buying a laptop and figuring out exactly what is right for you:

Let’s break it down:

1. Decide whether a laptop is correct for you or not. Many people head out searching for a laptop when what they really should be looking or is a desktop. Why does it matter that much? Laptops tend to be much pricier then desktops and they don’t usually have as many features/ benefits. Laptops are great for the student or the business person who needs portability and wireless connections in several different places (school, the office, coffee shops, ECT). Before you continue, decide whether you need a laptop or a desktop because if you need a desktop you’ll end up spending far less money! 2. What size is right for you? Size is the number one consideration for many consumers, even more so then features. Computers come in various sizes, just like anything else. Many people like smaller computers because they allow for increased portability while others like the bigger screens or widescreens for watching DVD’s or surfing the net. Figure out what size you are looking for. 3. How much ram and memory do you need? Depending on what you’re doing with your laptop you will need a certain amount of memory/ ram. Each computer comes with a certain amount of memory on their hard drive. Most laptops come with around 60-80 GB of hard drive room, which should be more than enough for just a casual internet user. The more programs and software you plan on having on your device the more hard drive you should seek out. 4. Develop a budget. This is step number four on this list but it might as well be number one because price is often the deal breaker for many laptop shoppers. Laptops can run anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand so you’ll have to have a set budget before you set out to buy one. You can buy refurbished computers for quite a bit less then new (refurbished are computers that are built from parts of various makes and models) but it is advised to buy a new laptop for quality and warranty reasons. 5. Go out and buy it! There are many different places you can purchases a laptop from, including popular retailers such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Circuit City. One place you should avoid shopping is on the internet. Many consumer sites, such as EBay and Amazon sell laptops but once again, when you buy used or online computers you can never be absolutely sure of what you’re getting.

Now you have just learned how to buy a laptop- happy shopping!