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Are you looking for a laptop? And what do you want it to be? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This post will help you choose the best laptop for your needs.
We compare different brands, sizes, operating systems, and processing power to help you make a smart decision. Laptops are an essential part of our lives, but they can be confusing to understand!
Choosing the best laptop for settled down life is pretty easy. Sure, there are so many options you could get confused on. But in my experience, there are a few key factors that factor into this decision making process.
Buying Guide For Laptop
Before you start buying your laptop, you’ll want to make sure that it has the features you want. Here are some of the things you need to think about before deciding on your new device:
What is your budget?
You should choose a computer that matches your needs as closely as possible within your budget. This will save money in the long run if you don’t buy something that is too much for what you need.
What do you want from your laptop?
You need to think about what you want your new laptop to be able to do for you. Is it mainly going to be used for web browsing and multimedia? Are you mostly planning on using it only for productivity-type activities like writing, design or programming? Or will you want something more capable like something that can work in more challenging environments?
What is your current operating system (OS)?
Every computer comes with some type of operating system to help control how it runs. If your computer doesn’t have the right one, then it won’t do what you want it to do. Look at what operating system your computer is running and make sure that it is compatible with the features of the laptop you are looking at.
Determining The Speed of Laptop
When looking at laptops, most laptop manufacturers will list the amount of RAM and processor speed in their specifications. The processor speed is often displayed as MHZ (megahertz) or GHZ (gigahertz). Generally speaking, faster is better because your computer will process faster with more power. However, this is a balancing act because the more powerful your processor, the more expensive it will be and typically the heavier it will be. Check out how to pick a laptop for more information on how to determine what you need.
Available Storage Space
Size matters when it comes to storage space. There are two main ways that laptops display the storage size on the box: storage capacity and RAM. The first number is for hard drive space (storage capacity) while the second is memory (RAM).
So, a laptop that has 250GB of storage space and 2GB of RAM will be able to hold roughly 250,000 pictures, documents, or MP3s according to our chart below. You’ll also find that large amounts of extra storage are often necessary since many of your programs may take up additional hard drive space after installation.
Is it right for your lifestyle?
You should also consider how you’re going to use your laptop. Are you going to use it mostly at home or in public? Or do you travel often and need a more durable machine so that it can stand up to the environment in which you’ll be using it?
What kind of connectivity options do you want?
You may want some type of connectivity that can be used with peripherals like keyboards or mice. You may also need some type of wireless connectivity. Or you may want to know how well the laptop is going to work with wireless peripherals like printers and scanners.
Will you be adding additional memory or hard drive space?
You also want to think about what kind of expansion capabilities you’re looking for. Will you be adding more memory to the machine? Will you need to make a hard drive upgrade in the future? Or are you looking for something that will allow you to add both memory and hard drive space at a later date?
How do you want to interact with your laptop?
Do you want to use your laptop with a mouse, an external keyboard, or maybe even a tablet PC pen input device? You may also want voice recognition capability or maybe even handwriting recognition. Many of these features can be added on at a later date.
How much do you want your laptop to weigh?
Weight is always an important consideration. The heavier your laptop is the more likely you are to leave it at home when you travel. Also, in these times of airline weight restrictions, the lighter your laptop is, the better. The nice thing is that on-board computers are becoming increasingly powerful and that often comes with weight savings. However, if this isn’t a concern for you then feel free to go hog wild and purchase the heaviest laptop you can find.
Do you intend on using any special accessories?
Often accompanying your new laptop will be many different accessories. You may prefer a wireless mouse or perhaps a handy USB Flash Drive. It’s important to consider all of these requirements before finalizing your purchase.
Tips for buying
Here are some tips you can follow along with the buying guide;
How do I choose which features are most important to me?
First, consider if it’s something you can live without. Many of these features only add cost and don’t really have any real benefit in terms of using your computer on a day-to-day basis. For example, people are often surprised when I tell them that they don’t need a DVD/CD player on their laptop. Almost everyone uses their laptops to play CDs and DVDs at some point, so why not just buy a portable CD or DVD player?
Secondly, think about whether you can add it on later. Sometimes these features can be added on at a later date if they are not available by default. This is ideal because you’ll get the best bang for your buck when purchasing your computer.
Finally, consider how important it is to you compared to other features. You should definitely consider the overall price tag as well as the value of each feature when making your decision.
What if I don’t need all the features?
If you can live without a DVD/CD player, wireless networking, or even a docking station, there are often plenty of other great laptops available for less cost. For example, you can find a great laptop that is similar to the Toshiba Portege R400/R500 series in terms of size and performance for less than $500. You can find some similar models that do everything you need for under $300. Considerations like these will also help you make better decisions when purchasing your laptop:
Search on the Internet to compare different options.
Search for laptops that you are thinking about buying. Not only will it help you make comparison shopping decisions, but it will also help you find reviews and get more ideas on what other people think about the laptops that are available.
Think about what features are most important to you.
Figure out the criteria that I listed in this article that you feel would be most important to your computing needs. You should use this first list to form a wish list and then compare the laptops on your wish list with the options available online at a local computer store or even online retailers like Amazon or newegg.com.
Try different models in-store before making a purchase.
If you are able to try different models at a local computer store, you’ll get a chance to feel the weight and see how they look on your desktop or kitchen table. You’ll also be able to check out their features and compare them with what’s available online. This will help you pick the best one for your needs.
How to buy a laptop for kids
If your children have been asking for a laptop, and you’re not sure how to properly help them avoid the world of scam artists out there, here are some suggested steps to getting your kids a laptop the RIGHT way.
Figure out what they already know how to do on a computer
Some children just need direction. Some remember from using their family computer at home while others don’t have any experience with computers other than game consoles. Ask them which one they want: something simple like Microsoft Word or MS Paint or something less basic that they might be struggling with like Minecraft? Let them choose, but get an idea of what skills they already possess before you decide where to go next.
Research where to get computers
For a kid, you want convenience over quality. In other words: get them a cheap laptop. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to wait for hours for a tech to show up at your house so you can explain the problem and then when they arrive, they respond with “oh I thought this was a simple fix”. Figure out what kind of computer your child wants and then look at purchasing it. If it’s not on sale, don’t buy it. Wait for it to be on sale. No one wants to pay full price for a laptop.
You may think that there’s no difference in the quality of laptops and you’re just buying a “name” like Sony or Apple, but you’re actually paying for good service and repair. That’s right: good repair service is worth more than you think.
Cheap means cheap parts which mean a cheaper replacement when something goes wrong with your computer. The same thing goes with warranties: get a good one if you can afford it, because the last thing you want is to buy something for $400+ only to have it broken after 2 weeks (and this happens all the time).
Ask them what they want
Let them know exactly what they want. What color, size, features, storage? You don’t have to buy a $500 computer if they don’t know anything about laptops or computers, but you also shouldn’t buy something like a $300 Chromebook if there’s no demand for it. Figure out what they’re looking for and then shop around.
Read reviews.
Read reviews on every computer you’re considering purchasing for your child. The more reviews, the better chances of finding something that’s not just good but great at the price point you are looking in. The only way to find this information is by reading other users’ experiences online with any device you’re shopping for.
Talk to friends, family, and neighbors
You’re not going to find conscious quality tech information online (the only exception is from the largest tech magazines), so you have to rely on your connections. Ask around to see if you know anyone else who has had positive or negative experiences with any of these items. If they have kids, specifically ask them about buying computers. The more information you can get , the better off you’ll be because then if something breaks or doesn’t work as well as expected, you can just return it without wasting time on an item that didn’t work in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHY YOUR LAPTOP IS MAKING THAT ANNOYING ‘BEEP’ NOISE?
Your laptop makes that annoying ‘binge’ noise as you’re doing work in the background. Is it failing? Is something wrong with it? Windows 10 is able to make these annoying noise noises on purpose to help you focus on other tasks while on the move. Open the Device Manager (right-click on My Computer and select Manage) and locate the sound card. If you see two hard drives or one hard drive and another drive below it titled “Others”; this is normal. Laptop hard drives are usually identified by the letter H — indicating High-Speed (HSD) or Hyper Drive technology.
How do I find my Windows product key?
Windows product key is unique for every customer. If you have purchased a product from Microsoft Store or fellow marketplace, you might not have known this. First of all, you should ask your local store if they have a list of keys for you. If they don’t show any, contact Microsoft, who will pass on your information to the right person. Find your Windows product key by opening the Start Menu and typing mmc and clicking on search.
How to find whether my laptop is running on Windows 32-bit or 64-bit version?
When you are searching online for information on which laptop is best to buy, it is important to know which version of Windows you are running. Many retailers will offer different specifications for the laptops they sell. It is important to know which version of Windows that you will be running as this determines how well your laptop will perform. Here are some ways in which you can easily check if your laptop is running on a 32-bit or a 64-bit version of Windows:Press the little Windows key and enter WS16. This will bring up the Word Properties window. Click on the Version column and checkbox 64-bit if you are running 64-bit Windows OS or 32-bit if you are running 32-bit Windows OS.
Is it possible to change the USB port?
Yes, it is possible to change the USB port on any computer. A majority of computers include this option as standard, but some models may require a bit of digging to find the port and reset it. Anyhow, once you have found the port and reset it if necessary, you can plug in your USB device and be ready to go again.
Can laptop’s battery get overcharged?
Can laptop’s battery get overcharged? Increasingly, laptops are charged when they are unused. Because there are no standard rules on how much battery capacity a laptop must have in order to function normally, many laptop brands offer varying capacities. The problem is that most users do not know how much charge their laptop has remaining, and so end up charging their battery at an excess rate which can cause damage or worse — overcharging it!
