Someone asked me for help in choosing a laptop around Christmas time. Thought I'd post my response in case others can use the tips. They said they were going to use it for internet and picture publishing applications. Their budget was $450 to $600. ********************************************************** I would recommend a Sony. Very graphic (pictures / movies) oriented hardware package. In repairs, only one Sony has been on my bench for hardware problems in 4 years. Sony is almost 20% more in cost, but, the longevity in service is almost worth that. My kid is in college, she carries a Sony. The rest of the family has cheap HP's. A Sony can be bought at the top of your price range. I watch the xmas sales and buy the first good deal, any brand, that comes out. "Don't open it." Now keep taking it back and buying a better one if it comes up. By Xmas you'll at least have the best sale deal offered. Stay away from HP & Dell Direct purchase Christmas "great deals". That's their outdated hardware being cased and sold to get rid of it. I rate laptops by the combination of processing power compared to price, standard hardware options, durability and repair history, screen quality, and warranty service. Don't be lured by software, it's inconsequential in the purchase. Here's my list: 1. Sony 2. HP or Compaq (Compaq is the budget line) great warranty service on both 3. Dell - OK warranty service 4. Acer (No formal support but an HP knock-off) * MAC - major graphics based PC. - If you've got the money $$$ and you're familiar with Apple software. ** IBM - Leveno (Business application recommendation) They all come with a one year hardware warranty. If you buy at Walmart get the extended warranty. They are the only vendor I suggest you buy extended warranties from. What to compare: CPU - Doesn't really matter?? It does, but even I have a hard time figuring out the differences. Most units come with current acceptable speeds. RAM - 2 GIG Minimum Hard Drive - 250GIG Minimum (Lots of pictures 500GIG) Screen size - 15" 'Wide screen' Minimum Wireless - They all have wireless now. Bluetooth is a +. DVD Drive - 8X Min. [Lightscribe is a +] O/S - Vista or 7 Touchpad - Scrolling capable External Jacks - [3 USB Min.] [(1) S Video or VGA (DVI is a +)] [Firewire is a +] [Std Audio jacks] [wired internet port] [Flash Card Reader is a +] Battery - 50 Watt-hours Minimum (As it goes higher, the longer it runs) Power Supply - 70 watt Minimum (90 is best) Release Date - The month and year that model was first released. Newer is typically better. Flip it over, it's on the back. PS: Go play the "touchy feely" on laptops at the retail stores. You'll develop a list of likes and dislikes which will help narrow down the choices at Xmas.
Excellent tips! Thanks ... I wish I had this info when I purchased a Dell last year. I'm saving it for future reference.
Good list! One thing I would add is to look for a 7200 RPM hard drive. Noticeable improvement on performance over the 5400 RPM drives they tend to stick in budget priced laptops.
RAM requirements As mentioned in the post, 2GB should be the minimum. One thing the buyer also needs to consider is what exactly the laptop/CPU is going to be used for. Will it be used just for basic use (e-mail, listening to music, etc.) or will it be used as a gaming machine or something to store/add files on? The more resources (RAM/memory) are used, the slower the machine may become in time. If it is going to be used primarily for gaming, the requirements are going to be significantly higher than just a basic use type of machine
