How to buy a laptop?

In this guide we shall tell you everything you need to know about buying a laptop. However, you must understand, technology is changing so rapidly, its scary! What is true today may not be true tomorrow. However, we have tried to provide you with a “general” guide that will be useful for you at least for the next few years.

Buying a laptop is a little different from buying a desktop computer. There are different things you need to know and consider before making your decision. Most people go in for buying a laptop just considering the basic things that they would think about while buying a desktop PC.

We will help you not to make this mistake. In this guide we have explained how laptops are different from computers and what are the factors you must consider when you want to go in for buying a laptop. But first...

Why do you want a laptop? Do you really need one?

You know what a laptop is. But to really understand why it exists and what good comes out of a laptop, consider these disadvantages and advantages. After reading these, you will be in a position to decide where a laptop is really right for YOU.

Advantages

Portability: The number one reason why people buy laptops is because they can take it anywhere. If you constantly have to go on trips, a laptop will be very useful. Your own laptop will have all your e-mail, software’s, presentations, sales material etc. You can store all of this and much more information that you constantly need, on your laptop without any problems.

Size and Weight: Laptops are compact. The single laptop contains, your monitor, CPU, speakers, keyboard, mouse and everything else a normal computer contains. If you do not have place at home or have little space on your office desk. If your situation is such that you do not have space to accommodate another computer, then it would be good to go in for laptop.

Un-interrupted power supply: In India, once in a while the electricity still does fail. A laptop is kind of a desktop computer and a in-built UPS. It can be charged with battery and it will stay on so long as the battery has charge. So, if you act wisely, and keep your laptop charged, you will never have the problem on not being able to work on your laptop because the lights have gone.

Image: Firstly, laptops are cool! But that not a good enough reason. A laptop also gives credibility. If you go for a presentation with your laptop, then that gives a good impression to the other party. So, if you are trying to convince people that you are a big player and it is worth dealing with you, presentations given on laptops might help you a little.

Disadvantages

Technology: Because a laptop is pretty compact, some of the recent technology that's been developed for desktops has yet to be made into thinner and smaller forms and successfully fitted into laptops. So laptops are always a step behind desktops when it comes to capability and efficiency. However, the laptop market is growing and this situation is fast changing.

Comfort: You will have to get used to using a mouse pad instead of a mouse. Your keyboard and your monitor are connected, so when you type your face will close to the monitor. You will not get “sub-woofer” quality sound, unless you externally connect your laptop to a sub-woofer.

Upgrading (forget about it): If you're planning on adding stuff onto your computer, get yourself a desktop and not a laptop. Upgrading a laptop is not impossible. But, anybody who knows anything about computers will tell you that it's impractical to purchase a laptop with the intention of upgrading it. It's often impossible to add stuff like RAM and hard drives without sending the entire piece back to the manufacturer. Even if you do decide to upgrade, you are limited in the selection of extra equipment; most laptops require you to install parts manufactured by the same company.

So, after understanding the advantages and disadvantages, what say, is the laptop for you? If it is, let us see what things you should consider when buying a laptop.

Laptops are different! - There are different factors to consider when buying a laptop!

Here we have prepared a comprehensive list of special laptop features so that you should know about. A laptop is different from a desktop computer. It has different features and functions.

You should also know about these things because, when you go to buy a laptop if the salesman understands that you do not know much, he will try to dupe you. Knowing about these basic things, you can pretend that you are technology savvy!

Weight and size

Weight: Most laptops weigh between 1 - 2 kgs. (Some heavier, some even lighter!) When you're buying your laptop, ask yourself if you'll be taking it outside your house often. If the answer is yes, you'll want to buy a thinner, lighter laptop that will fit into your bag or briefcase.

On the other hand, if your laptop is going to stay in your room most of the time, you might want to consider investing in a laptop that has more features; it'll be bulkier, but it will be packed with each and everything you need.

Size: The most common screen sizes on laptops are 12.1, 13.3, and 14.4 inches (although some really tiny laptops have screens that are as small as 8.4 inches). Again, a tiny screen is appropriate for frequent travelers, but it'd be ideal to have a larger screen if it’s convenient and you do not have to move around much.

Input devices

Instead of a hand-driven mouse, laptops come with other more cumbersome "input devices" for navigating a cursor around the screen. You have to get used to them. Hard-core gaming with these devices might be a little problematic. The kinds of devices that come with laptops are:

Touchpad: A touchpad is a square-shaped surface located below the space bar of a laptop keyboard. It is touch-sensitive and you navigate the screen by moving your finger around the box, as if you were drawing. The majority of laptops have a touchpad as their input device. A touchpad can be a bit tough to get used to (you have to be careful not to let your thumb fall on it while typing, or it'll move the cursor), but they work quite nicely.

Pointing stick or rubberized nipple: This input device is a tiny rubber dot that sticks out of the keyboard right between the G, H, and B keys, and it responds to pressure from your index finger. So you navigate the cursor by applying pressure in the direction you want the arrow to go (like a joystick). Sounds easy, but most people find nipples very frustrating to use - the slightest touch causes the arrow to go flying across the screen. However, I love the nipple. My laptop's red nipple has helped to make all the great pages of indiahowto.com so far.

Batteries

Batteries act like your laptops in-built UPS (Un-interrupted power supply!). You can charge your laptop and then you don’t need a plug point to use it. It will run on battery for a few hours. However, it is important that you check up how many hours your battery will run. Some batteries last long. Some don’t. You want a battery that lasts the longest and is still in your budget!

There are three main types of batteries:

Li+: Most people get Lithium-ion (Li+) batteries. These batteries range in quality; batteries with a high milliampere and high voltage measurements are best. These are generally good, safe and secure.

NiMH: If you want something cheap, a nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery will do. However, be aware that they'll require you to recharge them every hour or so.

NiCad: This probably won't be an option, but if a dealer does try to sell you a nickel cadmium (NiCad) battery, run away. NiCads are the worst batteries because of their requirements for constant recharging.

However, all this may not be true in the near future. Technology is changing. Things are getting better. So, if you are reading all this many years after it has been published, you might want to check up on the latest developments in the battery world.

Display

There are two types of displays (that is, screen images) to choose between: active-matrix (a.k.a. thin-film transistor or TFT) and passive-matrix (or dual-scan).

Active-Matrix (TFT): Go for an active-matrix display if you've got enough cash. It'll be worth it. Pictures come out sharper and moving images play out smoother. In fact, nowadays most laptops come with active-matrix displays because they're so commonly preferred.

Passive-Matrix (Dual-Scan): This is the older and cheaper display. Images that run on this display react more slowly. It's not a that great, but it’s cheap. If you need a laptop purely for word processing, or excel or accounts, this kind of display should be good enough. If you want your laptop for hard-core gamming and making 3d animations, then this may not be a good idea.

To figure out what type of display you're dealing with on a laptop, move the cursor very quickly across the screen. If the cursor disappears while moving, the display is passive-matrix, and if you can keep your eye on it, it's active.

Other things to look out for:

Keyboard: All laptops have cramped keyboards, but at least try to find a laptop with a keyboard with which you can comfortably type. Also, consider getting a spill-resistant keyboard if you have kids or work in a “spill” type environment.

Durability: If you plan on taking your laptop just about everywhere, you might want to consider a model with shock-resistant hard drive mounts. These are specifically designed to protect your laptop from bumpy rides and crashes.

Your Compatibility: If possible, “test-drive” a laptop before purchasing it. A laptop is different from a computer. In a computer if you don’t like your mouse or cd-rom drive you can replace it. In a laptop that is not possible. Once you buy it, you either keep the complete piece or you throw away the complete piece. (Please don’t throw it away. Give it to me!) It is hard to replace an annoying keyboard, an irritating touch pad device, or a poor display. So make sure that you're okay with your laptop by playing around with it.

Having seen all the laptop specific things you have to worry about, let us look at other things you have to worry about. Basic computer things you have to worry about while buying any computer.

Other general PC features that your laptop must have..

While a laptop is unique in it's own way, it is still a computer and there are some basic features you should know about when buying any computer. We have discussed them here.

Hard drive

A hard drive is your computer's main permanent storage unit. It holds large amounts of data and programs, and all the information stays put until you decide to delete it. The more space your hard drive has, the more stuff you can do. The more movies, games, songs etc. you can store. So it would be best to go for the highest space you can find in your budget.

Most laptops start with at least 4.3 gigabytes (GB) of hard drive space, but you might want to consider getting more.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

If your hard drive is your computer's "long-term memory," then the RAM is its "short-term memory." RAM stores information on your computer, but when you shut-down the computer, everything that's stored on RAM is lost.

Words that you type or a computer game that you're playing are stored in RAM unless you specifically request for the information to be moved onto your hard drive (by saving it).

If it's your habit to simultaneously type a paper, play solitaire, browse online, and e-mail your mom, you'll need a lot of RAM. The more applications you run at once, the more RAM you use.

Also if you require your laptop for elaborate mathematical simulations or you want to play the best 3d games or use the biggest 3d software, you will need huge amount of RAM, or your laptop will go very slowly. So the higher the RAM the better.

Central Processing Unit (CPU or Processor)

The CPU is the brain of your computer; it does all the necessary thinking and runs the programs. While the CPU speed is not as important as hard drive or RAM space, get as much speed as you can afford because it does make a difference.

Incase you are confused, the Pentium I, Pentium II, Pentium II, Pentium IV, AMD etc. are all the different types of CPU’s. Go for the latest one. If you don’t, three years down the line, no programs will run on your computer.

Port

A port is a slot or hole through which you connect external material such as microphones or web cams or mice etc. You can also avoid using the laptop's uncomfortable keyboard or input device by connecting a desktop keyboard and mouse to the laptop through its ports.

Currently, all laptops feature a serial, a parallel, an infrared, and a universal serial bus (USB) port. When buying your laptop, try to get “at least two” USB ports (The more the better!). Now-a-days, printers, scanners, mice, keyboards, everything is connected though a USB port. In fact, in the near future, serials and parallels are likely to be completely wiped out.

CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives

It’s where you put your CDs or DVDs incase your confused. You want to get a CD-Rom drive for sure! However, we highly recommend going in for a drive that is a CD writer as well as a CD reader. This is because, if you do not do this, you will have a tough time transferring information from your laptop to someone else’s computer/laptop.

Suppose you want to transfer, 100 songs or some software from your laptop to a friend’s laptop, you will not be in a position to do this without a CD writer. Taking your hard-drive to your friend’s computer is out of the question. Laptops are packed.

If you do not buy a cd-writer, your other option for transferring info is to use a USB stick. But that is an added cost and even though you may have a USB port, people to whom you want to transfer to might not have one. But, almost all computers have CD drives. So get a CD-Writer. It makes life easy. If you got the cash, even get yourself a DVD-reader and writer that also read and writes CD’s.

Modem

The modem's main job is to turn the digital information from your computer into analog signals that your phone line can understand (and vice versa). As far as you're concerned, a modem allows you to use “dial-up” Internet (i.e. Internet though your phone line!).

Modems come in all types of speeds; better modems allow for faster downloading.

However, if you intend to take a broadband connection, you will not need a modem. You will need a “Network Card” or a “LAN Card” so it would be a good idea to go in for a laptop with a built in modem and a LAN card.

And that’s it! This is everything you should know about and ask for when buying a laptop. And now....

FINAL SUGESSTION

How much can you afford to spend?

Currently, (7th June 200) you get a great laptop for Rs.45,000. And a moderately decent one for Rs.30,000. However, the prices are falling. They will continue to fall. So if you cannot afford it now, maybe you will be able to afford it in a few months.

Here are some tips, anyways to help you with your decision:

Make a budget: You can save a lot on your laptop purchase by writing out a budget of exactly what you need and want and sticking to it. Don’t buy a huge amount of hardware space and very high memory if you don’t need it. Buy it if you need it only. People tend to get a little excited when buying so I repeat, decide what you want, make a budget and stick to it!

Get a used laptop: There is definitely a risk involved in doing this. The same risk that is there in buying anything that is second hand. But you might just strike gold. So look out for a good deal.

Bargain: Don’t assume that just because it is a laptop you can’t bargain. Bargain the hell out of the deal. The truth is you can bargain for just about anything. Best of luck!

One final tip: Warranties

Always remember to ask for a detailed written explanation of the company's warranty, especially if you're shopping at some dicey “insanely low prices store”.

The warranty should cover details like:

• Who installs replacement parts
• Who pays for return shipping for major repairs
• For how long your computer is covered.

It would be a good idea to find out the addresses of the companies laptop service centers in your city. If the company does not have any service centers in your city, then maybe it’s not such a good idea to buy that brand of laptop.

Best Of Luck!

Jai Hind!