Steve had recently bought a laptop and was very happy about showing it off to us for some days. Last week when I went to his place and saw that he was really frustrated with his brand new laptop. The problem was that Steve is a computer gamer and he is not being able to play some of the recent games on the laptop. When Steve contacted the computer guy, he said that the problem was due to the lack of dedicated graphic card.

For most of the buyers, laptop is a big purchase. You wouldn’t like to spend big bucks to get something that can’t be used properly by you. So a proper research about laptops is a necessity to get a value for money deal. The main difference between a laptop and a desktop, besides their size is their integration. Parts of laptops are very much integrated as compared to laptops. So getting a part replaced or added in a laptop may be more expensive and difficult or both to do. “Which laptop should I buy?” the following questions should be tried to be answered properly -

i.) Why do I need a Laptop?

Laptops can be used in a number of ways. But a user must decide, what is he going to do with the laptop that he buys. The reason behind it is that to do a particular job, laptops must be of particular specifications. On a general context, for example, if you are a graphic designer, or a gamer, you need a laptop with exceptionally good multimedia capabilities and inbuilt speakers. But if you are music addict, you will need a laptop with larger hard drive to store music files and an inbuilt good quality speaker to play the music. Again, if you are a writer and want to use your laptop for only work purpose then any laptop with standard specifications should do well.

ii.) What parts should I use to work on my Laptop efficiently?

If you need to travel a lot then you must go for a light weight laptop with hard and durable casing. But if you stay mostly on your workstation then you can look for any stylish model. If you need to work on laptop outside in broad daylight then you should look for TFT screen monitors. Screen size doesn’t matter too much. A standard size of 17 in. will do great. The power retention of the battery is very important issue. Go for batteries that can work for 3.5 hours or more. In case you are addicted to online chatting or video conferencing, an inbuilt web-cam would be great.

iii.) Connectivity of the Laptop?

Connectivity is an important issue these days. You may need to transfer files from your PDA to your laptop or vice-versa. Everybody owns a digital camera these days. You may always feel a need to transfer the pictures from the camera to your laptop. Connectivity can be achieved either with wires or wirelessly. To provide connectivity (with wires or wirelessly) the Input/Output Interfaces (I/O Interface) are required. I/O Interfaces are the numerous holes in your laptop in which you can connect the USB data cables or Bluetooth dongles.

iv.) Who let the Mouse out?

Laptops come with touch pads or track ball to perform the functions of the mouse. In a touch pad you need to move your finger on a touch sensitive area to move the pointer on the screen. Alternatively, in case of track ball, you need to rotate a small ball with your finger tip to move the pointer accordingly. Choose a laptop with touch pad or a laptop with track ball as per your comfort level. However you can always connect the traditional mouse through I/O Interface for additional comfort.

v.) Single Core or Dual Core Processor?

Dual Core micro processor is a must have for your laptop as it has additional cache and it enables your laptop to perform multitasking efficiently.

vi.) Does size matter?

Of course size matters when you are looking for a laptop. Too small a laptop and you will have a hard time typing on it for a long time. Too big a laptop is way too much load to carry around on your shoulders. Always go for an average sizes and weighed laptop.

vii.) Shall we burn it?

I am talking about burning your CDs/ Video CDs and MP3s. You should go for a combo DVD drive which will enable you to burn almost every format.

Some Common Tips

a.) Always let the sales representatives know why you want the laptop for. They being the specialists will always help you get a good laptop as per your needs.

b.) Brands should not always be matter of prime concern. Often some companies get their products manufactured by a common manufacturer and label them before launching in the market.

c.) Buy a security chain to chain the laptop to a fixed furniture, in case you need to leave it unattended in a public place for some time.

d.) The size of the hard drive can always be enhanced by using external hard drives, thanks to I/O Interface.

Now equipped with this newly acquired knowledge about buying a laptop, its time for you to get a brand new laptop!