How to Choose a Laptop Computer

Laptops are an increasingly popular product catering to professionals and casual users alike. However, it can be very difficult choosing which laptop is good for you and with so many specifications, as well as such a variety of choice, picking the right one can be a very difficult task. This short guide aims to help show you how to choose a laptop computer.

Think about your needs

Some people may think they need a laptop when really a desktop PC would do just as well. The benefit of buying a desktop over a laptop is price - desktops are far cheaper. However, if you need something portable then a laptop is the definitive solution.

It's important to take the time to work out what you really need to get from your laptop. There's no point in spending $2000 on a top of the range laptop when all you need to do is check emails on it.

If your needs are primarily checking emails and writing documents then a low cost laptop will be all you need. If you plan to watch movies and burn files to disk then a middle-range laptop would suit you better. Top of the range laptops are only really necessary for playing games with advanced graphics or for handling programs which need a lot of computer power such as graphical design packages.

Important features

The key features of a laptop are its battery life, processor speed, RAM memory, and hard drive storage capacity. A DVD player/burner is another popular feature, as well as the size and weight. Finally, in high end laptops graphics cards are also important. You may also want to take note of whether MS Office applications (or equivalent) are bundled with the computer or not if you intend to create written documents.

Buying the laptop

It's really important to shop around when you look for a laptop. Deals vary greatly from place to place, but as a general rule the Internet is a great place to start your search.

Michael Johnson