[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Three simple rules for buying a new laptop here

[nerdyleprechaun]

I usually say 4gb ram minimum too. My current PC only has 1gb and uys horrible. Memory at least 250gb. And stay away on Acer, I have a bad history with them.

[nerdyleprechaun]

Quote

I usually say 4gb ram minimum too. My current PC only has 1gb and uys horrible. Memory at least 250gb. And stay away on Acer, I have a bad history with them.

It's*

[BrandonHope]

My tip is Asus and Lenovo laptops have the best build quality, you want a 1920x1080p screen and a graphics card isn't a bad idea but intel 4ks (intergrated graphics) are more than enough for the average consumer.

[TsarNikky]

If you are any kind of serious user of a PC, buy a full-size laptop with a decent keyboard. Tablets may be fine for occasional use or as an expensive toy; but are hardly suitable for intensive data entry/content creation.

[brainout]

Yes on RAM, and yes processor SPEED matters. I learned this the hard way. My pentium 4 3.4 GHz from seven years ago, on only 1.5 GB RAM, runs faster than my 2.66 GHz Intel Xeon quad-core with again XP Prof, with 4 GB RAM. So even with more RAM, the GHz makes a big difference.

It's really hard to find a fast processor. Few laptops are at the 3 GHZ level. Then again, they usually have smaller resources, in which case the RAM makes a speed difference due to pagefile handling and switching. My tiny Acer Aspire One only has 1 GB RAM, 1.6 GHZ Intel Atom, and is nearly as fast as the Pentium 4 desktop.

I would always prefer a netbook which is tiny, to a laptop. Kinda depends on how much and for how long, you are on the road. I have dedicated keypad, USB DVD/CD rewriter, and a port to hook up an external monitor and keyboard, if desired. All that can fit into the same briefcase as holds a 15.6" laptop, which is the minimum size you'll need to get full keyboard plus full dedicated numberpad. For the monitor, you merely need a cord, as most good hotels have televisions which are already integrated to their internet, so you can just plug your netbook into the screen. Or, you don't need to use it at all, for surfing, reading, etc.

My favorite computing habit, is to lay on my stomach on the floor, and compose on my 8.9" netbook. Sometimes I attach mouse and external keyboard, sometimes not. I don't see any circumstance where a tablet would be preferable.

Laptops might be good for some people, but I find the weight and balance unhelpful, and the necessary 15.6" or bigger size, too unwieldy.

So maybe the best thing to do is try each one -- tablet, small netbook, laptop -- in Walmart or somethere like it, and see what feels most natural to you. For if you're not comfortable using your computer, you'll have buyer's remorse.

This post has been edited by brainout: 09 November 2012 - 12:06 PM

[LIEBER]

My 2 year old Vaio Z12 has 8Gb of RAM -- I find it hard to downgrade… A couple of experiences:
* for touch typists, the chiclet style keyboards are inferior to keyboards with curved key tops. E.g Lenovo keyboards make the finger slide *into* the key if you miss slightly, while the finger slides off the key with a chiclet key (Vaio, Macbook, etc).
* a small (13") screen in 16:9 shape -- difficult to work with… I have needed to increase the font size when using high screen resolution, and some programs don't handle the pop-up menu well; some items in the menu may reach below the screen and thus be unavailable
--
A good keyboard and a screen with balance of screen resolution and size is perhaps more important than the very fastest processor.

[waldojim]

brainout, on 09 November 2012 - 12:04 PM, said:

<br />Yes on RAM, and yes processor SPEED matters.  I learned this the hard way.  My pentium 4 3.4 GHz from seven years ago, on only 1.5 GB RAM, runs faster than my 2.66 GHz Intel Xeon quad-core with again XP Prof, with 4 GB RAM. 

I sure hope you didn't expect anyone to take you seriously...

[RiseAgainst94]

Honestly, the best advice someone could give you right now is that if you are going to buy a PC running Windows 8 and have enough to money, buy a touch screen laptop.

[karthiq]

''Try before you buy''.....one advice that never gets old.

[jmjohnson]

screen size!

All the 'deals' I see for laptops seem to be for 15.6 inch screens. They are too big for regular travel. Netbooks are cheap with their 11 inch or smaller screens, but too small for longer use with my older eyes. Try to find a deal on a decently equipped 12-14 inch laptop. Mostly all you find are overpriced 'ultrabooks'.

[brainout]

jmjohnson, on 13 November 2012 - 04:05 AM, said:

screen size!

All the 'deals' I see for laptops seem to be for 15.6 inch screens. They are too big for regular travel. Netbooks are cheap with their 11 inch or smaller screens, but too small for longer use with my older eyes. Try to find a deal on a decently equipped 12-14 inch laptop. Mostly all you find are overpriced 'ultrabooks'.

Two options: 1) go to Walmart and look at their 12-14 inch notebooks. Many are under $400. 2) Go to DellAuction.com and look at their laptops. Most are also in the 12-14 inch category, with a variety of OS from Vista to 7 to no OS. You can get a System Builder version of Win7 or Win8 at Amazon for about $100, for installing onto a laptop with no OS. But before you go that route, unless you like the effort, notice how the auction plays. I just bought a Win7 Pro Optiplex 780 desktop Dual Core Duo, 4 GB RAM, 3 GHz, only 12" x 13" (8 USB ports, HDMI, parallel and eSATA) for only $225. I saw another one on a laptop which was less than $250, and I wish I got it. They have i3 - i7 (probably 1st or 2nd generation) laptops, too, which usually go for about $500 in the bidding. Some are 32-bit, some 64-bit OS, but almost all of them are 64-bit in hardware. Many of them sell cheap because of small hard drives, but who wants to put data on an internal drive, anymore? Creates problems to do that, if the internal drive tanks and you have to refresh and restore.

PS: I happen to prefer an 8.9" screen to anything larger, though 11.6" affords a full-size keyboard; real easy to plug in a big monitor, if desired. The other preference (mild) is 15.6", for only at that size do you get a dedicated numeric keypad. But like you, I find that size too big, and when running around a big airport like Houston Intercontinental, I don't want anything bigger than a pad of paper. I can and did buy a dedicated USB keypad for under $30, so don't need the big laptop. Easy enough to tuck in an Apricorn DVDRW drive, too.

[reor]

All good points. But looking for traditional indicators like RAM, processor, and HDD size (and now, type) are all pretty well understood by most buyers, aren't they? If you get them radically wrong you WILL adversly affect your experience as a user - but as Rick points out, most basic configurations won't be far off in those regards.

Equipment-wise, biggest thing to watch for is an affordable laptop with an SSD, probably - that'll have the most effect on everyday use and durability.

But his best advice is to try hands-on before you buy! User experience goes so far beyond how the thing is ostensibly equipped. Keyboards vary widely, even within brands. Trackpads? You'll interact with the trackpad constantly, and a poor one can drive you nuts. And a LOT of the trackpads out there are near-junk, forcing unwary buyers to then go out and buy a mouse to schlep around, too. Hey, this thing is supposed to be portable and self-contained. I don't want to get out a do-it-yourself computer kit each time I need to fire up on a trip.

And how about the screen? Specs don't tell you much. I love those ad shots of college students sitting around the Quad laughing over their laptops. Many laptops have screens that are unreadable on a sunny day - I always imagine these students saying, "Hey, I can't see my screen - guess I can't do the assignment, haw haw! Let's make out instead!"

So "try before ya buy" is great advice. And might keep you from going nuts over the next couple of years!

[SammyMoshe]

I honestly don't think 4gb is enough. You need 8, if you're going to be doing any serious work on it.

[baggage1]

I'm not in the market for a new laptop until this one from 06 croaks but I have been watching closely what the vendors have to offer. I have read just about everything they have come up with in the last 5yrs and for the most part everything I can gleam from all the improvements is in reality pretty insignificant when it comes performance. A mid range CPU is sufficient with at least 4 gigs of suitable ram. I also prefer a smaller form than 15 but not much. I have wireless mice and keyboard which use at home or on extended visits but lug the machine in a briefcase on my bike when the weather permits. I think folks either break or get frustrated by slow machines to keep buying new ones. A little care in maintaining will keep them running for a long time.

[Geoffnc]

No one seems to mention battery life as a requirement. Is the lugging around of a power supply and being tied to the umbilical cord not important to anyone else? It is as important as speed when you want to be mobile.

[Suwanavi]

Buy as much RAM (min 4G) as you can afford. Next year it won't be enough. Huge HDDs are overrated. SSDs are great and getting more affordable. Buy as much SSD (min. 128G) as you can afford.

[waldojim]

Suwanavi, on 15 November 2012 - 01:06 PM, said:

Buy as much RAM (min 4G) as you can afford. Next year it won't be enough. Huge HDDs are overrated. SSDs are great and getting more affordable. Buy as much SSD (min. 128G) as you can afford.

I ran 4GB of ram in my machines for some 4, maybe 5 years now. To this day it is still plenty. I moved to 8GB simply because it was cheaper, and faster (raw clock speeds faster).

[LiveBrianD]

SammyMoshe, on 15 November 2012 - 06:20 AM, said:

I honestly don't think 4gb is enough. You need 8, if you're going to be doing any serious work on it.

It depends - if work involves simply running Microsoft Office, 4GB is plenty. Heavier programs like VMware, video editors, and probably AutoCAD are where more might be helpful.

[jim1474]

I was looking at some webcams, and for best performance, they wanted 2.4ghz dual core.