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Laptopical's Guide to Buying a Notebook Computer |
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So it's that time of year again, when retailers slash notebook prices and bargain hunters rub their sweaty palms together in gleeful anticipation of discounts galore. In days of yore the first stop for cheap laptop hunters used to be the high streets and malls, however this strategy is nigh on useless if you haven't already formed an opinion and researched the specs you really need.....Why? Because then you leave yourself open to one of the most dangerous predators in the laptop jungle - the oily sales assistant. |
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Armed with
little more than an afternoon of on the job training, and an NVQ
in obsequiousness, these folks often display a remarkable talent
for over-selling. Indeed, 3 minutes after sidling up to you and
asking innocuously - "Can I help you sir/madam", you could be
standing outside the store clutching a smouldering mastercard, a
Josh Groban dvd deal sweetener in your back pocket, and the latest
3 grand core 2 duo multimedia monster stuffed under your arm. That's fine if cheesy baritone crooners and cutting edge dual core gaming are on your new year's wish list, but useless if you were just looking to run Excel and play Manic Miner on a ZX Spectrum 48k emulator. That's not to say stores have no part to play in the deal hunting process, but in my humble opinion they're certainly not the first port of call. Notebook Computer Comparison - Using Shopping Engines? The first place you want to check out when looking for cheap laptops are the price comparison engines. There are dozens available, Bizrate, Dealtime, Pricegrabber and Google Product search are personal favorites of mine. Pretty much all of them allow you to search using parameters such as Installed Memory, Hard Drive Capacity, Processor Speed and Type, Screen Size, Weight, Merchant Ratings, and most importantly when looking for a deal - Price! Here's a brief breakdown and guide of what to look out for: Processor Often referred to as the CPU (Central Processing Unit), most of today's cutting edge laptops sport Core 2 Duo processors from Intel, or 64 bit Vista ready CPUs like AMD's Turion X2. Understandably many of today's bargains are powered by older Celeron, Pentium 4 and Pentium M processors. You may mistakenly believe that discount hunters can't afford to purchase dual core laptops, however recently Dell's Inspiron 6400 in the U.S and Fujitsu's pi1505 Amilo in the UK have been available for under $700 and £500 respectively. Installed Memory The bare bones minimum RAM (random-access memory) is 256MB, any less and you may notice a lag in performance. Ideally you want at least 512MB or 1GB for Windows XP or Vista. Don't sweat about this too much. RAM is usually easy to upgrade, so you can install more memory further along the line. Hard Drive Capacity This is the place where all your files, music, games and other software is stored on. Some of the cheapest notebooks sport drives with only 20-30GB of capacity. At the other end of the tech spectrum the Xtreme SL Pro gaming laptop from Rock Direct boasts twin 160 GB hard drives. When looking at a discount you'll probably want to aim for something in between. Perpendicular magnetic technology is squeezing more and more space into 2.5 inch mobile drives, a case in point being Fujitsu's new 300 GB SATA drive, codenamed MHX2300BT. Size is just one factor to consider, rotational speed is another important aspect. Many affordable models will offer speeds of only 4,200 rpm, if you can afford it aim for at least 5,400 rpm or 7,200 rpm. Buffer size is another point to consider, but your head is probably spinning faster than a hard disk's platters so let's move swiftly on. Portability and Weight Do you plan on using your laptop on the road or for travel abroad? If so you'll want a notebook that is light with a small screen and compact form factor. If you plan on keeping your machine on a desk at home as a replacement for your PC a larger machine will be in order. These usually offer a larger screen, and are packed with more ports and power than ultraportables. However, they are much heavier and usually have less battery longevity than an ultralight laptop. This is all boils down to personal preference, but think hard on where you will be using your new laptop. Laptop Reviews and Opinions By now you should be armed with a list of specs and prices. You've found a new core duo laptop with a 17 inch widescreen, 100 GB hard drive and a gig of ram for under 800 dollars. Great you say, I'll crack out the credit card and buy this puppy before it's snapped up by another eager bargain hunter.....But before you purchase online.....WAIT! First visit a number of review sites and find out what they think about your prospective buy. Is it prone to overheating? Are there known issues with dead pixels on the screen? Is the battery life pathetic? Two of my favorite places to read computer reviews are Laptop Magazine and Notebookreview.com. CNET, PCMag, Epinions are a few other places to find consumer reviews and user opinions about notebooks. Also use Google, Yahoo or MSN to search for the model of notebook you want more information on. If you can't find any reviews or opinions on your affordable laptop of choice, either it's a duffer from an unknown brand, or it's slipped under the review radar. Rather than play Russian Roulette, perhaps it's wiser to err on the side of caution and move on to another model. It's less adventurous but safer sticking to the well known brands. That way if your notebook's LCD screen cracks, or if it ever needs repairing parts should be easier to obtain. Put it this way, your sub 300 euro pc from little known manufacturer ZvettyTech may seem like a great deal now, but what happens if something goes wrong? Would you feel comfortable communicating with a tech support operator based in the baltic village of Zvettynov, on a 2 dollar per minute premium phone line, who is armed only with a Boratesque command of English? Finally you find the PC you want at a price you can afford, and all is positive at a number of review sites. Now it's time to head out to the stores to see if you can find a better deal there than online. But don't be taken in by that fawning sale's assistant's attempts at over-selling. By now you should know the specs you need and how much you can afford so stand firm. I hope you find this laptop guide useful. Searching for a discount notebook can take weeks but when you find the right portable pal, all that effort will have been well worth it. Related articles: - Guide to Notebook Computer Warranties - Laptopical's Laptop Awards By Todd Gold - Laptopical Saturday, January 06, 2007 |
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