Buying a Laptop: What to Look For

With laptops being so ubiquitous these days, it's important to know what you're looking for before heading out to the store. Laptops can vary depending on your needs, so it’s imperative to buy a laptop while keeping your requirements in mind. Here's how you can go about it!

Weight Matters
Laptops become laptops only when they can easily be carried around. Otherwise, the weight and bulk can make them cumbersome for frequent travelers. There are actually downsides to both. The lighter the laptop, the higher the price. On the other hand, the more features you want, the heavier the laptop becomes. The best way to go is to look at what you want the most and then make your final decision.



Got Juice?
Laptops are very handy, but they're no good if the battery drains out too quickly. Therefore, understand your needs and then decide which laptop has the most juice to keep you working until you're completely done. While laptops give anywhere between 45 minutes to 19 hours of battery life, they also come with a hefty price. The higher the standby time, the higher the cost will be. So, don’t just aim for a higher battery life. Figure out how much you actually require, think about your budget and then make your decision. If you work mostly from home or in an office, you don’t need much battery life. But, if your work requires you to be on the move all the time, battery life becomes critical. Also, if you thrive on loading up your laptop with additional features, they will eat up more of your memory and you'll need more battery power.



Processing Speed
If you're into gaming, your need for speed is natural. Therefore, going for a fully loaded laptop would be the thing to do. By that, I mean a faster processor, such as the Intel Core 2 Duo. But if your requirements are more humble and you don’t need such a fast processor, even a single core Celeron processor will do. Even more, if your work requires you to stay in one place, you could go for all the fully loaded features at a cheaper price with a desktop.


Product Warranty
It’s important to insure the costly parts of a laptop. That's possible without going to an insurance company, as most manufacturers offer a product warranty between one and three years. During that period, if any spare part breaks down, they will replace it for free. Therefore, insist on a warranty wherever you buy your laptop from. The longer the warranty, the better.

The Operating System


All laptops and desktops work with a specific operating system and each of the operating systems come with different prices. The newer the operating system, the higher the price and vice versa. If you're looking at the cheapest alternative to the more expensive Windows Vista, you could opt for Linux, because it’s free. The other relatively cheaper options include Windows XP and Mac OS X.

Brands Galore


Different brands are good at specific things. Some brands score on quality, but lack great customer service. Others opt for non-branded systems, because they are cheaper. It's recommended that you explore all the brands and check out reviews for each one before making your purchase. Comparing the prices and features will help you decide which brand or non-branded laptop is suitable for you. It all depends on what you really want. Happy shopping!

~ Zahid H. Javali