People fall into one of two categories: those who in love with laptops, and yearning to own one. Well, maybe that only applies to the geekiest among us, but if you're here, you're thinking about buying a laptop. Which is tricky, if you want to do it right, and get the best in laptop deals.
With desktop machines, you can narrow down the market on a few factors. Laptops are feats of engineering, cramming the contents of a desktop into something one-tenth the size. Each element adds significantly to the price (and size) of the machine. There are great laptop deals to be had if you ignore the buzz and focus on basics.
When shopping for any computer, it's a good idea to first list what you are going to use it for. This is essential when buying a laptop. You'll get the best deal buying a machine that provides what you need--no more, no less.
Using this list, first determine your processing power needs. If gaming, statistical analyses, professional movie-making or graphics are on your list, look at dual-core machines. Otherwise, choose a single processor of pretty much any speed on the market; these are the best laptop deals, with dual-core buzz lowering demand for single processor laptops. But, truth is, most of us won't even notice.
Next, size your RAM and hard drive. If using it for the activities listed above, you'll want 4GB or better. Otherwise, 1GB of RAM is plenty. In a hard drive, if you love pictures and movies, music and podcasts, try for 120 or 160GB, up to 200GB. If you don't have a lot of audio and video, an 80GB drive goes against the buzz, but gets you the best laptop deals.
Now for the screen, the most expensive and the heaviest component. That 17" is beautiful, but after lugging it through three airports, the only thing stopping you from throwing it off a jetbridge will be the cramp in your shoulder. Most people like a 13-15" screen; go lighter with 11-12." If you do go 17", consider a rolling case.
Your next decision is the graphics card. For high-end gaming and graphics, spend more for a graphics card with separate RAM. Otherwise, save $200 or more by getting "integrated RAM."
Your last decision (you don't believe me, do you?) is between a CD or DVD drive. Most machines come with DVD, but if you're not going to watch movies, there are great deals on CD-only drives. Unless you need DVD burning capability, choose a drive that burns CDs to save money.
The last item requires no decision (see, I was telling the truth!). Get both a wireless card and an ethernet card; the beauty of a laptop is going wireless, but you will want to plug in if wireless is unavailable.
You've gone from hundreds to no more than a dozen, and you know where you can save money. Just remember, don't pay extra for buzz, and you'll get a great deal!
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