Checklist to buying a laptop

Processor

The processor determines the speed you will get out of your laptop. Depending on what you are planning to use the laptop for; if you want to use the laptop for complex activities such as Video editing, crunching numbers, playing games ,Graphic design using high end programs such as Adobe CS6 programs you need a very powerful and fast processor

A core i3, core i5 or core 2 duo Intel processors will do these comfortably. If you are not planning on spending a lot of money you can as well go for Intel Celeron or AMD processors. These low budget processors can do tasks such as blogging, watching movies, typing etc. The speed range between 2.0- 3.0ghz.

Memory –

The memory of the laptop that is also called RAM will determines the speed for loading programs thus affecting the performance. I recommend getting a bigger memory if you can afford it. Memory chips range from 2GB – 5GB depending on your budget. The advantage with laptops RAM is the flexibility to upgrade unlike processors. You can get fend up of your 1GB and upgrade with 2GB.The RAM is also very affordable to upgrade. A laptop with a big ram can load programs faster and support more Newer software that are being developed everyday i.e. the latest Windows 8 Operating system.

Graphics and Sound

A graphics card is a chip that comes embedded on the laptop to boast the video memory and improve the quality when watching high resolutions graphics I.e. videos, photos and games. Most laptops come with video graphics such as ATI Radeon HD(high definition) or Nvidia Geforce 8400.This basic graphics card will handle games that don’t require a very big memory as they come with memory ranging from 128MB – 256Mb. Remember these is memory of the graphics card.

Most laptops will come with HD audio internal sound card you won’t need to upgrade. For gamers who run heavy games you must invest on a good laptop with very good graphics card.

Hard Disk

The hard drive will determine the price for a laptop too. The bigger the hard disk the pricier it gets. If you intend to store a lot of information on your laptop you might consider getting a laptop with at least 500GB of space. If you don’t mind the size of the HDD then a laptop with 160GB – 320 GB will do the job. You can also opt for buying an external harddrive later; they come in different sizes from 160GB to 2 terabytes. You can always upgrade the hard disk if you feel that you are running out of space on your computer. If you one to store Movies, Music albums, Tutorials etc. consider getting a bigger hard disk.

Screen Size

The screen size will determine the ability of your laptop to display videos or photos on your laptop. For normal activity a laptop with 14.0’ inch to 15.4’ will do the job. But if you are looking into other uses for the machine such as Gaming, displaying Forex trade  data, watching Movies and Video editing etc.  You may need to get a bigger screen i.e. 15.6’ to 17’ inch wide screens. The only thing that you will have to bear in mind is that the screen size directly corresponds to the size and portability of the laptop.

Other laptop accessories included in checklist to buying a laptop

Wireless Connectivity

These comes with most of laptops i.e. 802.1 wireless networking (WI-FI), most laptops will have it displayed on the front face of the laptop with the wireless sign. The cards range from 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11 Draft N wireless standards. Some laptops also support Bluetooth networking and file transfer. You can use Bluetooth dial up connection to connect your laptop to the internet or transfer data.

Built in Webcam

Built in webcam on the screen is also another useful accessory that you should include for doing Skype, Video chatting, or taking photos. Most webcams have low resolutions and cannot be used to take good quality photos.

Optical Drive

Check to confirm that the laptop has a DVD ± RW that can Write or Burn data on DVDs.

If you happen to have blue ray movies you might need a optical drive that can read blue ray disks. If you want the drive to serve you longer avoid using the writer to watch or burn movies a lot as these will wear it out early by spoiling the optical reader. If possible get an external DVD writer they are available too.

Card Reader

Most laptops these days come with an internal inbuilt card reader allowing you to transfer data via Memory cards. You can transfer your phones or camera memory card content to the compute directly to your laptop

Battery

The battery is a very vital when buying a laptop since it keeps the laptop working when it’s not connected to a power source. A good laptop should be able to conserve the power for many hours without connecting to a power source. Gets a battery that has a cell ranging from 4cell to 6 cell.

There you have it.