10 Things to Watch Out For When Buying A New Laptop

Buying a laptop is a worthy investment as the world is turning to Information Technology (IT). It is gradually becoming a necessity Do you need to buy a new laptop or need to replace your old laptop? If you just want to buy for the first time, some of the terms we will use in this post might be foreign to you but I will make this post as simple as possible. If you are replacing, don't make the same old mistake.

Things that will be discussed are not listed in order of performance or importance: they are just things you should know and watch out for when planning to buy a new laptop. You don’t need to take any one along because you want to purchase a laptop, get to know the basics so that you would not look like a novice when you are asked of the ‘configuration’ of the laptop you want.

CONFIGURATION refers to the facilities a system has i.e. RAM, Processor and so on. You will get to know all these in a short while.

Let's ride on, it going to be as brief and simple as possible

1. What you should consider first is the PURPOSE the laptop you are about to buy will serve, if it
just to catch fun with the PC or you are a professional that demand high quality laptop. This will help you determine whether to go a System with very high ‘configuration’ or less.

2. PROCESSOR: It is an important part of the system that processes every activity you perform on your PC as the name implies. There are different manufacturers of Computer processor which includes Intel, AMD, ATOM, and Celeron. Intel is recommended. When you open up the laptop, you'll see the name of the manufacturer on the pasted on the laptop with a sticker.

3. RAM known as Random Access Memory. In short without a RAM there is no computer. It defines the speed and graphic capability of your system. At least a RAM of 1GB is recommended but if you deal with graphics or play a lot of video games, you need more Gigabyte of RAM.

4. CAPACITY: The storage capacity of a laptop should also be considered. The Hard Disk of most modern laptops ranges from 160GB-500GB. If you need safe more files and programs which means you need a system with much Hard Disk capacity.

5. OPERATING SYSTEM (OS): This is the platform on which your PC works. The commonest OS is WINDOWS others include Macintosh (for APPLE branded Laptops ), Linux, Solaris and Ubuntu

6. BATTERY: This is highly important, you deserve a battery with longer life, in most cases, the manufacturer specifies the numbers of hour the battery can last when not plugged into power outlet: some last up to 3 hours will some do not last up to that. Because if you are a mobile person, you don’t have access to power at all times, you need a battery that lasts longer. It is also advisable to have an extra battery for back up purpose.

7. BRAND: The brand/manufacturer of your intended PC should also be put into consideration. Popular producers includes: HP, Compaq, Dell, Apple, Toshiba, Sony, Samsung, Lenovo and so on

8. DESIGN: Some people like flashing products: you can get a very beautiful laptop that has very good configuration. So don’t buy a product you don’t like but make sure that beautiful laptop has the features you are looking for.

9. SIZE: This is also important, Mini-laptops comes with 10 inches screens or there about, the larger your PC’s screen the better the visual: you do not have to strain your eyes to read from the screen. Some laptops are very heavy; some are lightweight and are good as well. Don’t buy a system that will make you feel like you’re in the gym.

10. MULTIMEDIA: These are the entertainment features in a laptop. You might prefer a system with

An inbuilt Bluetooth: some systems don’t have,

A Webcam,

A  CD Drive (in case you need to burn files to CD, install a program or watch movies),

Wi-Fi (Wireless),

Memory Card Slot

OTHER TIPS:

You should know by now that upgrading a laptop could be very expensive. So invest your money in buying that laptop once and for all.

Do not buy a fairly used laptop because it has no guarantee of serving you well: a new laptop comes with at least a year warranty, if the laptop should get faulty within this period, the system will be repaired by the Dealer or sent to the manufacturer’s factory for repair free of charge, in as much the fault is covered by the warranty.  

It is also important to buy from an accredited distributor, a trusted store or an online store with good reputation an example is Amazon

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Ishola Olajide

www.facebook.com/MrEbony1

More to come…