Before you Buy a Laptop

Are you planning to get a notebook for the first timeor considering to do away with the outdated note-book you already have? Well, as you know it, thereis a slew of notebooks out there to choose from. Here weguide you on how to find out the best one for your need.

The Processor: There is an array of processors you canlook out for depending upon your needs. If you want a note-book for basic home use like Web surfing, then a netbookwith Intel Atom would do. If you want a larger size in dis-play then you can opt for a notebook with Intel Pentium dualCore processor that can be picked up on a modest budget.For users who want to run a lot of programs and gaming,an Intel Core i3/i5 is the best bet. For people who want thebest in performance, then Intel Core i7 is the way to go interms of processor.

Memory: One very important aspect to look out for in anotebook is how much memory (RAM) it has and what thegraphic capabilities are. If you are a light user and use fewapplications and software then you should be comfortablewith 2GB of RAM. However, most notebooks now comewith a minimum 3GB RAM if you spend over Rs 35,000.Whereas if you use applications like 3D MAX or playgraphic hungry games then go for a notebook with 4GB ofRAM.

Graphics: Graphics have slowly taken up a significantfactor in performance of a notebook. With HD content andgraphic intensive user interfaces, the GPU plays a signifi-cant part in a notebook. If you don't need image editing orgaming then we suggest a notebook with Intel onboardgraphics.

Hard disk: As we step into an era of Blu-Ray disks, ourhard disks requirements keep on increasing. The morehard disk we have the better it will be in the long run. Mostbasic laptops now come with 160GB of drive which is morethan enough for general requirment. However, if space is apriority, then you should look for laptops with at least 320GB of storage space. If performance is what you seek,then we suggest that you go for an SSD based storage as itprovides much better performance than a standard drive.

Screen Size: The bigger screen size you have on yournotebook the better it will be to view; besides it will be funto show these gigantic screen sizes off to your neighbors orto your boss in the office. You can choose from a range of 14-inch to 17-inch screen but if you have a small working spaceand like to pack it light then you can think of buying a 10-inch netbook to save on the space.

Portability: Notebooks are meant to be portable. If youare a frequent traveler then you would need an extremelylightweight notebook which canbe carried aroundeasily and yet pro-vides good batterylife. There are a vari-ety of netbooks thatweigh from 1kg on-wards depending onthe screen size. In caseyou want a laptop forhome use, then theweight factor is not of im-portance and you can gofor a heavier notebook.These notebooks usually have a larger screen and bettermultimedia capabilities, but suffer from poor battery life.

Multimedia: Earlier laptops were meant only for busi-ness use, but now laptops are available that work as a multi-media centre. Laptop with antiglare widescreen displays, inbuilt TV Tuner cards, memory card readers, web camerasand built in mic along with Blu-Ray readers are easily avail-able. Coupled with software such as Power cinema, AudioDJand Power DVD these laptops provide for an enriched mul-timedia experience.

Security: Security is one issue that cannot be overlooked-be it a desktop or a laptop. To overcome security issues, lap-tops with integrated fingerprint reader were launched andnow laptops with face recognition are available which makethe laptops extremely secure. To counter other threats suchas viruses and spyware, manufacturer provide antivirus andanti spyware software preinstalled with Windows on note-books. Shock mounted hard drives are installed in the note-books to keep the hardware secure in case notebook falls down.

Connectivity and ports:Notebooks incorporate wirelessconnectivity such as Infrared, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to trans-fer data and access Internet. Almost all laptops now comewith Wi-Fi and Bluetooth integrated. However, when itcomes to ports you need to be careful. Make sure that thenotebook has atleast 2 USB ports and USB is standard portused for data transfer and even charging devices now-a-days.The notebook should have audio in/out jacks, ethernet portas well as a display out port.

Price: Budget is one important factor you look out for.This solely depends on the type of work you're going to doon your notebook: from home usage to watch your favoriteDVDs, to basic office use for working on documents or forpure gaming action. Netbooks start from as low as Rs 18,000,whereas notebooks starts from as low as Rs 26,000 and goup to Rs 1, 50,000 depending upon the screen size, features,etc it has.

Brand: Brand is not really a major factor that should beon the top of the list as such. There are various options avail-able from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Compaq, Acer, Asus,MSI,Toshiba, etc across the price range. However, the ba-sic performance offered by each of them is almost the same.What matters is the battery life and how comfortable is thenotebook for you to use. Stick to these two points first andthen look at the brand name.

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