A Guide to Buy the Best Laptop
Buying a portable laptop today is not as easy as it may seem. This is mostly due to the fact that the price of a portable laptop has dropped significantly from what it was about two years back. Moreover, the various price ranges have now been banded so closely together that they overlap considerably. Under the circumstances, the choice of what to buy and how much to spend becomes extremely difficult. Typically a US$ 30 upgrade can get you a lot more on your portable laptop today than it ever could. Hence, you need to know how to decide what is best for you. Read on to find out how to make the best choice in an overcrowded market.
The cost of laptops has come down rapidly in the recent past and you will come across brands which are neck to neck in terms of pricing. Though this means tough competition for the brands, the user is in an advantageous position as he can now pick one which suits his needs and budget.
Give importance to the screen size. The screen size in a portable laptop is the main determinant of its portability and usability. A laptop with a 13″ screen will obviously be lighter and much easier to carry than a massive 18″ laptop. Hence, you need to decide first the screen size you wish to go for. Here are the broad divisions of portable laptop screen size based on usability.
A classification of portable laptop can help you take your pick. 8-11″ segment is for the ultra-portable laptop, a perfect companion when traveling. The 13″ is another perfect screen size when on move and when the laptop resolution is high. The 14″ is neither very cumbersome nor too portable, on the whole it is extremely handy for working as well as watching movies. The 15″ range of screen size is as good as desktops and perfect for watching movies. The 16″-18″ segment and beyond is more than laptops – this screen size is more apt for entertainment.
While buying a portable laptop, another aspect that you must not ignore is the resolution of the screen. Maintain the desired ratio of screen size and resolution for a perfect viewing experience.
The most important is the basic configuration. Cheap laptops do not necessarily come with poor processors and little memory. For anything above US$700, insist on a latest generation processor such as the Intel Core 2 Duo or the AMD Turion X2. These processors give you the best in terms of both power savings as well as performance and battery life. With the advent of Windows Vista and the impending release of Windows 7, 2GB of system memory is an minimum. A small 9″ portable laptop, however, can come with the Intel Atom low powered processor and 1GB of system memory.
Battery back up is important too. The battery back up of the laptop largely depends upon the hardware installed inside, size of the display as well as the battery. Ideally, you should get over three hours of juice from your laptops. The smaller netbooks will give you a lot more than that as they consume very little power.
Configuration is primary for performation. Portable laptops these days are priced affordably. However, a low cost laptop does not mean that the RAM and processor are not up to the standard. If you find that it is worth around $700, then chances are high that it is equipped with an up to date processor from either AMD or Intel. These processors ensure that the battery lasts longer and you can do not have to charge it frequently thus saving quite a lot of energy. The span of battery backup depends on a number of factors. These include display size and the hardware of the machine. On an average most of these can work for 3 hours. Audio visual entertainment laptops are basically designed to facilitate mobility. It is not meant for the ideal home entertainment experience or for gaming. But the machines are equipped with graphic cards and therefore are suitable for playing regular games.
Making the choice about your portable laptop is important. As stated before, your needs dictate your choice. However, if you are not going really high end, expect a portable laptop with a balance of all features to cost around US$1500-2000.
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