You know that you need a laptop. Your life is becoming more and more rushed and you need to squeeze in more time for work. You constantly find yourself forced into situations where you must wait. You see other people with their laptops and know that you need to be using your time more wisely. You need to buy one, but you don’t know what to look for. Everyone has their opinion, but you need one that is right for you. So, here are some things to think about when you are considering purchasing a laptop.
First, you need to set a budget. You can get decent computers for anywhere from laptops under $300 to $2000. Have a number in mind before you go shopping. It should be a number you are comfortable spending. Even if you have a low budget, and are only looking at laptops under $500, you will still probably be able to find what you need. You can look at refurbished or used laptops as well. Refurbished laptops are laptops that were broken then repaired, but they still usually come with a warranty.
You really need to consider RAM, also known as memory. A laptop could have anywhere between 1GB RAM to 8 GB RAM, the latter being in the higher end laptops. Most people can get away with 2GB. If you typically only run one program at a time, there is no reason that 1 GB will not be perfectly sufficient for you. If you get a 1 GB RAM laptop and end up running a bunch of programs at once, you may find that the laptop slows down. Upgrades are often available in these situations.
Screen size can be important, but if it is your first laptop, you have little to compare it to. First, all screen sizes are measured diagonally, like TV screen sizes are. If you work with graphic design, you will need a large screen size. Spreadsheets will need a medium sized screen, and text documents and email can use a very small sized screen. Screen sizes will range between 7″ and 17″. The 17″ screens will be comparable to a home computer.
You will need to check out internet capabilities with a laptop. An Ethernet LAN connection is pretty standard, as is a wireless card, which will allow you to connect to the internet nearly anywhere. Some also look for Bluetooth connections, which will allow you to transfer your files and data to other devices wirelessly.
Battery life is important. Start jotting down the times that you think you would use a laptop. If it is a five hour stretch, you will need a battery with at least a six hour battery life. If it is just a twenty minute bus ride here and there, then you can get away with a three hour battery. If you don’t know how much you need, look for the ability to upgrade if needed.
Finally, do your research. You may think that all of the factors above were plenty of research, but there is more. You need to check warranty information. If the warranty is poor, then the company does not stand behind the product. Also, find all of the reviews that you can find. This will be the most important aspect, because it will tell you what other users think, and how that laptop worked for them. Don’t forget to think about accessories, like laptop tables and DC chargers.
