When issue is buying a new laptop/system, Everyone wants best performance in his/her device, But what about price? How big a screen can you get before you sacrifice portability? How many ports do you need, and what size storage will do the job? Do you want a hybrid? Do you need a touchscreen for Windows 8, or can you go without?
Your best weapon before you go shopping is to be informed. To help, we've created this guide with a few pointers on what you'll need to consider before buying a laptop.
Every laptop is susceptible to accidents and system failures. Keep an eye open for longer than usual warranties, and check to see if the manufacturer offers an international warranty rather than local — particularly useful for travelers.
Choosing Processor
Every laptop is susceptible to accidents and system failures. Keep an eye open for longer than usual warranties, and check to see if the manufacturer offers an international warranty rather than local — particularly useful for travelers.
First Analyze Your Usage Scenario
Figure out how much you can afford to spend on a laptop and find the best system in that price range with the features you need. Our first example above, for business use, would be a pretty cheap laptop -- you can easily spend less than $1000 on a model that will run Microsoft Office and other productivity software.
Choosing Processor
Now its 3rd generation for using modern computer systems, You probably know that Intel holds the fastest chips in the mobile space. As the performance part, Core i7 is often paired with a discrete graphics processing unit (GPU).
Keep an eye out, though — some are dual core, some are quad core and some have low-voltage chips (meaning lower performance, but also much longer battery life). These days, Intel calls ultrabooks that uses low-voltage chips.
Intel HD Graphics, and are for those who only do the basics: word processing, image viewing, music listening and internet browsing. It's a small step above the processors below, and is usually what we consider as being the minimum for hassle-free computing.
Intel Pentium and Celeron; AMD A6, A4h4> These are low-performance machines. 14-inch to 15.6-inch laptops, primarily to keep the cost down. If you're on a strict budget and have modest needs, then these may do the job for you.
Low power, low performance on Intel Atom, AMD C series, AMD E series.
If you are a programmer/photographer then I suggest you to choose core i-5 processor system. With 2.6+GHZ
If you are a student then core i3 is enough.
For business persons should buy core i7 for better performance and saving time as quit as need.
For graphics system user I will suggest core i7 third generation as smooth performance you wish.
2.8+ GHZ is better for common users. Also Allocation Cache is important.
Choosing Storage Capacity
Hard drives are split into two different types: solid state drives (SSDs) and mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs are significantly faster, smaller, lighter, quieter and use less energy than HDDs, but tend to come in much lower capacities and cost a lot more per GB. They also have no moving parts, and so are more likely to survive a drop.
Often modern PC users use 500GB or 1 Terabyte Hard-disk for their personal computers. In your laptop I will suggest you 500GB. But note
Students should have 500 GB of storage coz they will save many many books, articles, references, videos, video lectures and for leisure time movies with HD version.
Higher Class Businessman should choose SSD 250 GB for their instant access on system.
Graphics Designer / Video editing shoud choose 1TB.
Common users can choose 350 GB of storage.
With HDDs, it's all about capacity and bang for buck. If you have a choice, you'll want to select a drive with a rotational speed of 7200rpm instead of 5400rpm. The faster it spins, the faster you'll get your files.
Choosing Memory
Normal Users can choose 2GB of RAM. Students can choose 4GB of RAM. Graphics editing should choose 6-8 GB. and Higher class businessman is enough to use with 4GB to 8GB.
RAM ensure better program functional capacity in your system at a moment. So you should justify it as your need. DDR3 RAM is should prefer.
Sufficient RAM is also necessary for image and video editing, and crucial for 3D gaming. This is especially true in laptops, because integrated laptop graphics processors can have little or no memory of their own and share the main system's RAM.
We'd recommend buying slightly more RAM than you need to extend the useful life of your laptop. While you can add RAM yourself after purchase, in these days of super-slim laptops, memory sockets may not be easily accessible by the user.
Battery life
Yes, battery life is perhaps the most crucial consideration when picking a laptop that's going to be used regularly on the go. If you're in the market for a desktop replacement system -- meaning you'll mostly just leave it on your desk and don't plan on regularly taking it on trips -- battery life isn't quite as critical. Otherwise, pay close attention to how long a laptop's battery will last.
Some laptops don't have easily-swap-able batteries, in an attempt to cut down on physical size and to lengthen battery life. Be aware of this — when your battery dies, you may need to take your laptop in for a service, rather than simply swapping the battery out yourself.
On the other hand, some can take a second battery, either by replacing the optical drive or by placing a shim on the bottom. Check your accessories before you buy.
Screen quality
Screen quality is finally becoming important in laptops. Apple, almost everybody seems to be racing to release something with an in-plane switching (IPS) screen these days. This means better colour and viewing angles than typical laptop displays, which are known as twisted nematic (TN). If you can afford a laptop with an IPS screen, we absolutely recommend it.
Screen resolution
Another factor to consider is resolution. A huge majority of laptops ship with a resolution of 1366x768. While this looks fine on 11.6-inch laptops, by the time you get to 15.6-inch, it tends to make everything seem comically large, and images tend to lack detail. A new rash of Windows 8 laptops have sought to address this, offering full HD (that's 1920x1080) IPS screens on everything from 12.5-inch to 15.6-inch screens. There are 11.6-inch laptops that run full HD as well, but things tend to feel a little cramped there.
Laptop keyboard issue
Some business-based laptops, particularly those from Lenovo, also use track sticks: those little joysticks that are nestled in the middle of a keyboard. We've never been fans, as precision is tough and the little nubs can wear down, requiring replacement.
Try some simple typing exercises before you buy. The smaller the keyboard, the more creative the vendor may have been with key size and placement. Pay particular attention to the space bar, Shift, Ctrl and Backspace/Delete keys. Be sure that all are in good locations for your hand size and typing style.
Keep an eye out for backlit keyboards, as well — these help immensely when typing in dim light.
Unless you plan on travelling with a mouse, test the laptop's touchpad for comfort and responsiveness. Some touch pads include extra features, such as multi-touch capability — although, their performance in this regard can vary greatly, depending on where the touchpad has been sourced from and the software involved. Apple is class leading in this respect, touch pads used for Windows machines still haven't caught up. They might have most of the features, but the execution and responsiveness is, at best, skittish.
Hard to port!
Make sure that you have enough ports on your laptop — at a minimum, look for two USB ports (three to four is better). USB 3.0 ports would also be preferable, as opposed to the slower USB 2.0 — although this won't affect things like keyboards and mice, for storage, it can be a huge benefit.
What about Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi is an undoubtly most used feature, and most laptops ship with a standard called 802.11n. This can operate on two frequencies, with most mainstream laptops supporting 2.4GHz and premium laptops supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The difference: 2.4GHz has greater range, but lesser speed. It also has more chance of interference, either from your neighbour's Wi-Fi or from other implements that use the 2.4GHz spectrum, like microwaves and cordless phones.
5GHz has less chance of interference and higher speed, but has smaller range — you'll find your speed drop off dramatically the further you get away from your router. Your wireless router will also need to support 5GHz for you to take advantage of it. This is pretty easy to spot, as usually you'll see a reference to "dual band" somewhere.
You might have also heard of something called 802.11ac — this is 5GHz wireless, but with significantly greater speed and range than 802.11n. At the time of writing, although you can buy 802.11ac routers, this isn't supported natively in any laptops; you'll have to buy a USB wireless adapter to use it to its full potential.
Sound Issue
Laptops are notorious for having terrible speakers. While a lot of laptops these days are including some version of Dolby, THX, Beats or other sort of "branded" sound, this is usually all done in software, and often paired with such tiny speakers that it doesn't make that much of a difference. On the other hand, if you see a speaker brand like JBL, Bang & Olufsen, Altec Lansing or Harman Kardon, there's a chance you're getting better than the average — the larger your laptop, the more likely you are to get better sound as well.
Our recommendation: get a good set of headphones, or a stereo or 2.1 speaker set. You can even get speakers powered by USB if you want something portable that doesn't require a power point.
Also
You might also want to consider a docking station/port replicator, which quickly turns your laptop into a desktop. You connect your peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse) to the dock, which stays at your desk. Simply attach the laptop to the dock, and you instantly get the conveniences of a desktop, without having to unplug everything when it's time to go.
While this is mostly restricted to business laptops these days, there are some generic docks made by Lenovo and Toshiba — connect via USB 3.0, and you'll get yourself a DVI port, extra USB ports, Ethernet and more. Just be aware that that USB 3.0 offers finite bandwidth — you won't be getting optimal performance if you use all those ports on your dock at once.
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