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What To Look For When Buying A Laptop

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Consider how you plan to use your laptop before you start shopping. It should meet your personal needs as well as the system requirements set by your Internet service provider (ISP).

Similarly, before looking at system specs, decide whether features or portability matter more to you. Many students and frequent travelers consider portability a deciding factor when buying a laptop. On the other hand, lighter and smaller laptops are generally less powerful than their heavier counterparts.

More expensive laptops either offer more features or greater portability than lower-priced models. For example, "desktop replacements" have all the features you'd want from a full-sized desktop PC, but they weigh a lot, and you wouldn't want to carry one around for long. Similarly, thin-and-light notebooks and bargain notebooks have a lot of the same features, but the thin-and-light models weigh less and often cost more. If your priority is budget and features, more than portability, consider buying a bargain notebook. If you'd rather have less weight to carry, it might make sense to step up to a thin-and-light or ultraportable.
When deciding how much you can carry around day to day, consider the laptop's weight as well as the additional weight of a carrying case, an extra battery, any swappable drives you feel like bringing with you, a power cord, and networking cables.

Ultraportable laptops usually weigh less than 4 lbs. Thin-and-light can weigh in between 4 to 6 lbs. Bargain laptops can weigh from 6 to 8 lbs, and desktop replacements usually weigh more than 7 lbs.

If you are looking to buy a second computer for the house that you can take with you from room to room. You want to email, surf the Internet, and do some basic photo editing. Look for a bargain laptop or desktop replacement with at least 800 MHz processor and 256 MB RAM. If you have a wireless home network, make sure it includes built-in Wi-Fi.

As for students you want a lightweight computer that you can carry from the classroom to the library. As a starting point, find out which platform your school prefers and supports. Some universities don't care what kind of computer you have while others will provide you with a very specific list of system requirements. If your school doesn't have specific recommendations, look for an ultraportable or thin-and-light laptop with a processor in the Pentium-M family, with built-in Wi-Fi, at least 256 MB RAM, a burner (either a CD-R, CD-RW, or DVD+RW/-RW drive), and a productivity software package such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works.

For those who frequently travel you want a lightweight computer to use at the airport and in meetings. Look at thin-and-light or ultraportable laptops with processors in the Pentium-M family, built-in Wi-Fi, at least 256MB RAM, and a suite of productivity applications such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works.

For businessman you need to travel, create presentations and spreadsheets, and hook up to a network. Depending on your need for portability, look at thin-and-light and desktop replacement laptops with the productivity software such as Microsoft Office, Wi-Fi (or an included Wi-Fi card), an Ethernet card, at least 256 MB RAM, and at least 40 GB hard drive space. Frequent business travelers will probably prefer thin-and-lights to desktop replacements. But, if you spend most of your time at a desk, the desktop replacement's superior power and features may be the way to go.

Don't be too quick to rule out a listing based on price alone. You can save money by buying a "bundle" that includes all the accessories you need. If you find a deal on a laptop that meets all your needs on eBay Canada, you can also shop for additional accessories such as, mouse for your laptop, Bluetooth, extra battery, docking station, carrying case, and cable lock.

Laptops don't have a traditional mouse. Find out if the laptop includes a touchpad, nub, or both. You may even get lucky if a seller throws in a mouse.
Some laptops support a short-range wireless networking technology called Bluetooth. If you have a Bluetooth-enabled PDA or cell phone, you may want a laptop that can talk and exchange data wirelessly with your other electronics.

If you plan to plug in to a power source most of the time, battery life won't concern you too much. If you depend on your battery to keep your laptop up and running for long periods of time, ask your seller how long the manufacturer expects the battery to last. You may want to invest in a second battery to keep with you in the classroom or on the road.

A docking station allows you to connect your laptop to a standard keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer. It stays plugged in and powers your laptop so you conserve battery power.

If you plan to take your laptop out and about, you'll need a laptop carrying case.
Most laptops have a security slot, but not all of them come with a lock. If you want a lock, look for listings that include them. You can also buy cable locks separately.

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