Essential Tips For Finding A Great Laptop
What do you know about laptops? If the last time you bought one was a few years ago, then a lot has changed since then. Whether you’re looking in a store or browsing online, you might be surprised at all of the advancements that have been made. So, read through this helpful advice to learn a little about laptops.
When you need to buy a laptop, do so with your credit card if at all possible. Since there are many laws in place to protect consumers when they purchase big ticket items with a card, your investment will be safer. Should something be wrong with your new machine and the vendor isn’t cooperative, contact the card issuer immediately.
The size of your laptop depends on how much you need to travel with it. If you travel frequently, your best option is a small, lightweight computer. The screen and keyboard are small on these computers, but it makes traveling much easier. If you are mostly planning to use your laptop at home, you can go larger.
Get a laptop that has a number of USB ports. USB ports are easily overlooked but remain quite important. Many people like to hook up a mouse, speakers, and a phone charger. Your laptop should have a minimum of four USB ports.
If you need to squeeze as much life as possible from your laptop and a recharge is far away, then set your screen to the dimmest setting possible. This will effectively double your battery life. It has been shown that the screen uses the majority of the laptop’s battery power.
When you go to purchase a laptop, determine what configuration you want. You can either buy a laptop that is preconfigured, or you can customize the computer to your specifications. Purchasing a laptop that’s preconfigured is more cost effective, but if you want to customize the laptop, you can do exactly what you want.
The LCD display drains the battery on your laptop. To keep the battery lasting longer, lower the level of brightness. Alter your laptop’s dimming display in order to give your battery more life than ever before.
Check out online reviews of the various laptop manufacturers before you go shopping. There are some brands, such as Asus, which are highly regarded, while others are considered to be lower-end and less than impressive. The more you know, the better informed you will be to make a purchase decision.
Be wary of the amount of memory that your laptop comes with. As you start pushing the envelope and getting close to maximum capacity, you will notice it gets slower. Have a portable flash drive or external hard drive to transfer miscellaneous files like videos and music to save the storage on the device itself.
Consider the software that is included in a laptop. There are some programs like word processors and spreadsheets that may be important for you to consider. Be careful as some of the included software is over-hyped. You need to know whether what is included are the full versions, demo versions, or shareware programs.
Look at refurbished laptops to find high end equipment at lower prices. The price is often great, and if you get a decent warranty, the risk is low. Most pose no problems for their owners and put the best models within reach of everyone.
Look for a laptop with a matte screen for a glare-free experience in all lights. Shiny screens reflect light from the sun and other sources. This is terrible for your eyesight. It might also be the cause of frequent headaches. To avoid this, look for the laptop model you want with a matte screen.
Before you buy from anyone, ask about any warranties, guarantees or return policies. If you end up with a computer which doesn’t work, you could have nothing more than a doorstop if the seller won’t take it back or fix it! Ask first, buy second to protect yourself down the road.
Test out the keyboard of any laptop you are considering buying. You may love the screen, the size, and the shape, but if the keyboard give is really not working for you, then you’re going to have a poor experience over time. You’ll spend the majority of your time typing on your laptop, so the keyboard needs to feel comfortable to you.
Battery life matters when buying a laptop. Although you may think that you will stay plugged in most of the time, you do not want to be chained to the outlet. Minimum battery life should be 4 hours at peak performance. If you plan on being mobile often, look for a laptop that can last 6 hours plus.
Size up the screen. Laptops are now available in sizes that range from more than a foot, to mere inches. You will want to pick a screen size that is comfortable for you to use. If you chose one that is too small, you may find yourself using the screen magnifier very often.
Think about the predicted date of upcoming models before investing your money in a laptop. There are two reasons to buy when a new model has come out: the first is that the older model will drop in price, saving you money. Second, you can get better features on a much newer model.
When you want a computer that is not heavy and priced right, look for one that does not include a disk drive. You can save a significant amount of money by going this route. Any software you want to install will need to be done by downloading or using a USB key. You could also get a portable DVD drive to connect to your laptop via USB for less than a hundred dollars.
No matter what you use your laptop for, you’re going to need to know what makes for a good one. Take the time to consider what has been told to you so that you make a good decision. This is an important choice to make, and now you have the right knowledge to do so.
