Basic Considerations When Choosing a New Laptop
For the majority, choosing new electrical devices can be a potential minefield. Manufacturers typically rely on a number of headline features that you’ll find mentioned on shiny stickers stuck to the front of the devices you are considering. Laptops are no different and it isn’t uncommon for people to buy a laptop that simply isn’t suited to their lifestyle. The below are a number of things you should consider prior to buying a new laptop:-
1) Screen Size – don’t just base your decision on the physical size of the screen but rather the actual resolution of the screen. Its pixels not inches that dictate how much desk space is actually available to you. If you are likely to need multiple windows open at the same time avoid low resolution screens.
2) Portability – If your new laptop is likely to be used whilst on the move then portability is going to be a key point. The type of laptop you need will also be dictated by the type of work you’ll need to perform, if you’re only going to be using it for web browsing and picking up emails you can get away with something really light and small but if it’s going to need to have enough power for more serious tasks you’ll need to find the compromise between size and power.
3) Battery Life -Another key consideration if you’re going to be on the move a lot is battery life. If you’re likely to be in an environment without access to mains power for a prolonged period a slower laptop with a ten hour battery life is going to be a better choice than a powerful laptop that only lasts a couple of hours. Battery and processor technology has been improving meaning that even quite powerful laptops tend to manage 4 hours of usage from a single charge but if you need a laptop that’s going to last all day you’ll need to look into low power CPU based systems.
4) Price – remember that a laptop is just a laptop and try to avoid paying for features that you really don’t need and badges that won’t improve your new laptops functionality. Take some time to visit the websites of the major retailers prior to visiting any of the high street stores as you’ll always invariable find some great laptop deals. However, be wary of deals that look too good to be true, chances are they are selling of old stock equipped with old technology.
The above is by no means an exhaustive list of things to consider and each can be broken down into many sub point but by considering the above prior to making a decision you have a better chance of picking the right laptop. Of the points above the most important by far is that you pick a system suited to your lifestyle and the functions the laptop is going to perform.