6 things to consider when buying a laptop

Copyright 2013 - INOTREND INTERNATIONAL – All Rights Reserved

By: AbdulCareem

6 Things to Consider When Buying A Laptop

With laptops now well established, and having a

commanding share of the computer parts market, it is

only fair to consider a few points when purchasing your

new laptop computer. When we are talking “laptops”, (or

as some prefer to call them, notebooks), buyers today

have a virtual cornucopia of extras and features to choose

from.

W W W . C A T C H . L K347, R A De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3, Sri LankaTel +94 11 7 395 900

THE

LAPTOP

BUYING

GUIDE

Copyright 2013

1)PR

Most of the laptops sold today are actually made by a handful of

Taiwanese companies. It may be surprising but none of the Big Brands

actually manufacture their own laptop's. These

laptops from an

companies (Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Inventec, and Asus) actually

manufacturer over 85% of all laptops sold worldwide. All the top tier

computer “manufacturers” (for example: Acer, Apple, Dell, HP/Compaq,

Gateway

“manufacturing” laptops, but rather contracting one or more of these

companies to manufacturer their laptops for them. Because such a small

number of companies make the majority of lapto

laptop is essentially a commodity product, differentiated by its features

and casing

news in all of this is that top tier manufacturers’ laptops pretty much have

the same rel

recent issue with nVidia video chipsets it tends to affect more than just

one computer manufacturer)

A Good Point to consider is who is giving the best after sales service?

Checkout which

from the basic manufacturer’s warranty.

1) WHO MADE WHAT?


A favorite mantra of mine to any who are

considering which laptop to purchase (really, this

would apply to desktops computers as well) is

asking yourself: What are you planning to use the

computer for? The answer to this quest

many ways dictates the direction to focus your

computer buying attention. Are you planning on

gaming or just tooling around the Internet? Is it

for the kids' homework, or is it something that

needs a bit more power to do some video editing?

A computer bought for the kids' homework may

only need a low end (basic) processor, while

something for gaming would call for a far more

PRIMARY FUNCTIONALITY



actually manufacture their own laptop's. These Big Brands

laptops from an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer). The top five ODM




Gateway, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, etc. etc) generally are not really



number of companies make the majority of laptops today, the modern


and casing – the internal components are pretty much the same. The good


the same reliability – the bad news if when an “oops” occurs, (such as the


one computer manufacturer)


Checkout which local store is providing you could get additionally apart

from the basic manufacturer’s warranty.

WHO MADE WHAT?

A favorite mantra of mine to any who are

considering which laptop to purchase (really, this

would apply to desktops computers as well) is

asking yourself: What are you planning to use the

computer for? The answer to this question in

many ways dictates the direction to focus your

computer buying attention. Are you planning on

gaming or just tooling around the Internet? Is it

for the kids' homework, or is it something that

needs a bit more power to do some video editing?

uter bought for the kids' homework may

only need a low end (basic) processor, while

something for gaming would call for a far more



Big Brands purchase their

inal Design Manufacturer). The top five ODM




, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, etc. etc) generally are not really



ps today, the modern


the internal components are pretty much the same. The good


the bad news if when an “oops” occurs, (such as the



local store is providing you could get additionally apart

Copyright 2013

Most consumers want a big hard drive to store all the family photos,

downloaded songs, movies and games they plan to buy over the life of

their PC. However, if you want your new PC to be "really" fast, then you

need to buy fast storage.

The majority of bargain-priced laptops come with

5400 revolutions per minute (rpm). A 5400rpm hard drive is cheap, but it'

also slow and it makes your new PC startup slow, launch applications

slow, wakeup from sleep slow, shutdown slow ... you get the picture. A

7200rpm hard drive is faster and will make your new laptop run faster

(usually at a slightly higher cost).

If money is no object and you want the fastest storage available then

consider buying a laptop with either a solid state drive (SSD) or a "hybrid"

drive such as the Seagate Momentus XT. These drives cost more than a

typical 7200rpm hard drive, but a SSD

7 to startup in a fraction of the time it takes a laptop with a 5400rpm hard

drive. SSDs also have better resistance to shock and

rough on your laptop then a SSD will probably keep your important data

safer than a hard drive.

3)IT’S NOT JUST THE AMOUNT OF STORAGE… IT’S THE SPEED


drive to store all the family photos,

downloaded songs, movies and games they plan to buy over the life of

their PC. However, if you want your new PC to be "really" fast, then you

priced laptops come with slow hard drives rated at

5400 revolutions per minute (rpm). A 5400rpm hard drive is cheap, but it'

also slow and it makes your new PC startup slow, launch applications

slow, wakeup from sleep slow, shutdown slow ... you get the picture. A

ive is faster and will make your new laptop run faster

If money is no object and you want the fastest storage available then

consider buying a laptop with either a solid state drive (SSD) or a "hybrid"

e Seagate Momentus XT. These drives cost more than a

SSD or hybrid drive will allow Windows

7 to startup in a fraction of the time it takes a laptop with a 5400rpm hard

drive. SSDs also have better resistance to shock and vibration, so if you're

rough on your laptop then a SSD will probably keep your important data

IT’S NOT JUST THE AMOUNT OF STORAGE… IT’S THE SPEED

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4) KEYBOARDS & TOUCHPADS ARE IMPORTANT

processor

typing unpleasant or the touchpad doesn't work the way it should. On that

note, here are a few things to watch out for when trying to find the right

laptop.

The best laptop keyboards are

entire keyboard structure. Some laptops have loose keyboards that flex or

"bounce" under the pressure of your fingertips while you type. This flex not

only feels unpleasant but it often causes typos and severe keyb

even result in failure of the keyboard over time.

5) 4GB OF RAM IS PROBABLY ENOUGHThanks to the horrible experience that was Windows Vista, PC

manufacturers figured out that 4GB of RAM is a pretty good

Windows PC.

Yes, you'll still find some bargain

even 3GB will likely be more than enough if you just want to browse

websites, check email and edit the occasional photo or movie. "Serious"

photo or

extra memory is largely a waste of money for typical laptop users.

In fact, more RAM will not only cost you money, it will cost you battery life.

All the RAM in your PC is powered on when


KEYBOARDS & TOUCHPADS ARE IMPORTANT

Although things like processors,

hard drives make a big difference in the

performance of a laptop, two of the

commonly overlooked components that are

essential to a good laptop are the keyboard

and the touchpad.

These two input devices are the two things

you're going to be using

laptop. Trust us, two months after you buy

your new computer you won't care if the

processor is a little slow but you'll be driven insane if the keyboard makes



The best laptop keyboards are the ones with firm support underneath the



only feels unpleasant but it often causes typos and severe keyb

even result in failure of the keyboard over time.

4GB OF RAM IS PROBABLY ENOUGHThanks to the horrible experience that was Windows Vista, PC

manufacturers figured out that 4GB of RAM is a pretty good

Windows PC.

Yes, you'll still find some bargain-priced PCs with less than 4GB of RAM, but



photo or video editing will be faster if you have more than 4GB of RAM, but



All the RAM in your PC is powered on when your PC is on.

KEYBOARDS & TOUCHPADS

Although things like processors, RAM and

hard drives make a big difference in the

performance of a laptop, two of the

commonly overlooked components that are

essential to a good laptop are the keyboard

These two input devices are the two things

you're going to be using most on your new

laptop. Trust us, two months after you buy

your new computer you won't care if the

is a little slow but you'll be driven insane if the keyboard makes



the ones with firm support underneath the



only feels unpleasant but it often causes typos and severe keyboard flex can

4GB OF RAM IS PROBABLY ENOUGHThanks to the horrible experience that was Windows Vista, PC

manufacturers figured out that 4GB of RAM is a pretty good foundation for a

priced PCs with less than 4GB of RAM, but



video editing will be faster if you have more than 4GB of RAM, but



your PC is on.


Even if your applications are only using 2.5GB worth of memory, every

single bit of RAM is sucking down wattage. If you’re running your laptop of

battery power, then that battery is going to run down faster on a notebook

with 8GB compared to a notebook with 3GB.

6) GLOSSY SCREENS SUCK

Speaking of new things that don't work as well as traditional solutions, let's

talk about glossy screens. The overwhelming majority of modern laptops

come with one of t types of displays: annoyingly glossy or VERY annoyingly

glossy.

Laptop manufacturers realized that they could improve color saturation and

contrast on cheap LCD panels if they used a glossy screen surface instead of

a matte screen. This indeed made the screens look nicer ... at the cost of

usability. Glossy screens reflect light. Room lights located behind you or

above you in rooms with low ceilings cause annoying bright spots on the

screen that block your view. Take a laptop with a glossy screen outside

during a day when the sun isn't hiding behind clouds and you'll find it very

difficult to see anything on the screen. If you turn off a laptop with a glossy

screen you can even use the screen as a mirror

Shoppers see the shiny screens with the bright colors and the rich contrast

and they usually buy those laptops instead of the ones that have matte

screens.

Now you get a solution for this with some models coming up with an Anti-

Glare Display. Look for this feature as this is going to save you from all

those visual problems.

Copyright 2013

TALK TO MEFor Free Buying Advise and latest Laptop Offers

CEO / Influence Marketing

INOTREND (Delighting IT solutions since 2001)

347, R A De Mel Mawatha,

Tel: +94 11 7 395 900 | Mob: +94 77 7 310 616

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TALK TO MEFor Free Buying Advise and latest Laptop Offers

Abdul CareemCEO / Influence Marketing Consultant

INOTREND INTERNATIONAL (Delighting IT solutions since 2001)

347, R A De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka

Tel: +94 11 7 395 900 | Mob: +94 77 7 310 616 | e-mail: [email protected]

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6 things to consider when buying a laptop

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