How to Buy a Laptop

The world is fast moving on to laptops from desktop computers. And we get thousands of queries as to which laptop to buy or what laptop would be the best. Well, for most of it, you can log on to Tech2 to check out the latest reviews and suggestions for laptops. But with so many laptop companies and new variants launched every day, it’s almost an impossible task to choose the 'perfect' one for you. Besides, unlike other products, laptops in India have different configurations as compared to an exactly similar model of the same company but in a different country like the US. So it wouldn’t be all that helpful to look at the review of a laptop on the internet which is reviewed in a different country. Remember most popular brands like HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba sell all over the world.

So to combat all the mental agony and help you make a safe decision, we make you the expert yourself! In the following article we show you simple steps, with which you can narrow down the best laptop in just a couple of minutes.

Please note that the steps are in no order of importance since the criteria for selection may differ from person to person.

Step 1: Processor
This is the aspect to which most of us place the greatest importance. For general computing needs such as web surfing, email, using word and excel, listening to music and watching movies, even a Celeron processor from Intel or Sempron from AMD is good enough. however if you work entails processor intensive tasks like encoding a movie or playing 3D games or maybe rendering a image, you would require a powerful processor.

The best processor lineup is the Core 2 Duo series. Its predecessor the Core Duo series is also very able and most of the laptops in the Rs. 50,000 range that boast of Intel dual core processor will surely be a Core Duo instead of Core 2 Duo. The eternal question remains - what’s the difference ? Well, Core 2 Duo is slightly faster in general applications but you will see a considerable improvement in performance, more to the tune of 10 to 20% in 3D applications and media encoding tasks. That’s the reason why most big manufacturers like Dell and HP use a Core Duo processor in their mainstream laptops, those that come up to Rs. 50,000 laptops. And use a Core 2 Duo processors in their powerful desktop replacements laptops that cost above Rs. 70,000. So if your budget's to the tune of Rs. 50,000 don’t go scurrying around for a Core 2 Duo processor in the name of having the latest processor which unnecessarily adds to your cost (Dell gives you the option of going for a Core 2 Duo processor in their mainstream 640M and 6400 series but with a minimum upgrade cost of Rs. 5,000). Please note, if you're budget is around Rs. 40,000, it is better to go for a laptop powered by AMD’s mobile processors, most preferably the Turion 64 (MK-36). In fact Dell, which was so very pro-Intel, until recently, has only AMD processors for their entry level Inspiron laptops.

Step 2: RAM
We consider this very important. It’s better to trade in for more RAM than a more powerful processor. 512MB should be the minimum. With Windows Vista already out, we recommend 1GB.

Step 3: Screen
Now a days you have the option between a wide-screen or a regular screen for laptops. Wide-screen is good for watching movies and playing games. Another variation is the type of screen—normal or glossy. Again glossy screens are good for movies and gaming since the images looks richer with more vibrant colors and sharper contrast.

Normal Screen Type vs Glossy Screen Type—On the right hand side glossy screen laptop you can see the reflection of the keyboard on the screen

Glossy screens, however, reflect much more light and in an office environment which is very bright especially with many overhead lights, it can get irritating. So if you want to get a laptop purely for work, we recommend going for the regular ones i.e. with a matte finish. In fact manufacturers such as HP have mainstream laptops with wide and glossy screens while their business range has non-wide and regular matte finish ones.

15-inch normal screen vs a 14.1-inch wide-screen laptop

Step 4: In-built speakers
If you are relying on the in-built speakers of your laptop for listening to music and watching movies, we recommend you to do the following. Take a pen drive and load a couple of your favorite music tracks. Every laptop on display will have a USB port with the Windows operating system on it. Just plug in the drive and use Windows Media Player to play the tracks. Then push the volume to its maximum and decide whether its loud enough for you. You would also need to see whether the sound cracks at the peak volume, which means that if it does you will have to lower the volume. The loudness is particularly important with movies wherein it becomes difficult to listen to dialogs at lower volume levels. HP laptops come with in-built Altec Lansing Speakers which are very good. Some models from Toshiba come with in-built Harmon Kardon speakers, which is a superior name in the world of audio.

Step 5: Added Extra’s—Bluetooth, Card Reader and Carry Bag
Many laptops offer in-built Bluetooth and card reader. Though anything extra is always welcome don’t make it the sole, or as a matter of fact, an important basis for selection. Remember you can get a good external card reader for as less as Rs. 200 and a Bluetooth dongle for around Rs. 300. Besides these, external devices are very small in size and can be easily carried along in your carry case.

Conversely, look for deals that bundle a good laptop carrying bag. Good laptop bags can cost anything above Rs. 1500. We particularly like Compaq and HP carry cases (Compaq belongs to HP and caters to the value segment). These bags are from a popular laptop company called 'Targus'.

Step 6: Operating System and drivers
Many manufacturers sell their entry level models without an operating system. The reason is pretty obvious. Most of the buyers want to cut the cost of Windows (barring the guys who plan to run Linux) and install a pirated copy. Our take on this is very neutral. We leave it to you, whatever you want to do. But, in case you are going in for a laptop without an operating system and later plan to install Windows on it, don’t forget to take the windows drivers from the vendor you purchased the laptop. For a novice it can get difficult locating the drivers online, in fact even on the manufacturers website it can be very confusing. Another thing to keep in mind when you are going for a laptop without an OS (or in plain terms, without Windows) is that you will not get support from the manufacturer for Windows related problems. So in case you don’t know why your laptop is acting funny, you will have to reach your local PC guy to help you. In most conditions you will end up buying an annual maintenance contract worth Rs. 2000, which is more than half the cost of an original copy of Windows XP Home. So at the end of the day, the equation is pretty even. But an original copy will give you unrestricted updates and you will also get support for it from the manufacturer.