Laptop

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A LAPTOP 

Here are some tips that could be useful if you’re thinking to buy a laptop. Given that the market is flooded with so many different types of laptops and the choice is vast, it is easy to get confused and not know how to differentiate between them all. Sometimes things appear to be a bargain, but in reality they may not be at all. 

Roughly speaking, there are 4 main factors to consider about a laptop: the display, the performance, the weight / dimensions, and the autonomy (...and price!...). 

1.      The display (i.e. the monitor). A display of excellent quality is essential, otherwise text and images will be slightly out of focus, colours will appear washed out and you will be unable to work comfortably, straining your eyes.

2.       Performance. This can vary according to your need. For best results, you'd better have a video card with a dedicated RAM (i.e. memory) and at least 512 RAM for the computer itself to do its job. And if you really want to get the best quality and performance, go for a 7200 Hard Drive (possibly with Intel Mobile Pentium-M processor with Centrino technology). 

3.        Weight and dimensions.  Since you’ll be carrying the laptop around, you’ll have to make sure that what you are buying is suitable for you in terms of weight and dimensions. Obviously these will differ according to personal need. However it would be a good idea to buy something below 3.5 Kg. 

4.      Autonomy (i.e. time that the laptop can run on batteries). With some current models, autonomy lasts for 3 or more hours (sometimes up to 4 hours). Unless your laptop has a reasonable autonomy, you'll be forced to use a main power point. So check this one out too.