Having a laptop makes life a bit easier for many people. In order to know if you are purchasing the right laptop, you’ll need to know a bit about them. Read these tips to know what to look for and how to avoid the common pitfalls when buying a laptop.
If you plan to play videos games and watch HD movies, buy a laptop that has a dedicated graphics chip. Integrated graphics may not be powerful enough run the graphics on certain video games. Decide between a quad core chip and a dual core processor.
Make sure you think about how heavy a laptop you want. Lugging a laptop that is heavy can cause injury in your shoulders and back. If you have to carry your laptop with you a lot, choose the lighter weight ones. Lighter is not always synonymous with costlier. Lighter models tend to have a shorter battery life, however.
Before buying any laptop, search for discounts online. There may not be any, but make sure you do a search first. It is a rotten feeling when you buy something just to figure out at a later date that money could have been saved.
Dedicated graphic chips are better for users who will watch movies and play games on their new laptop. Without that, you may find that other laptops with integrated graphics could have trouble keeping up with your needs. Decide between a quad core chip and a dual core processor.
You will find that your laptop lasts longer if you purchase a good laptop cooling pad. People don’t often realize that many laptops end up no longer working because they were allowed to get too hot. You can purchase a cooling pad for your laptop for around $20 to keep it alive longer.
If you’re not much of a gamer, or just a light one, you probably don’t need the best laptop on the market. Most regular gamers do just fine on the average laptop. The extra money you pay for a gaming machine is not worth it since you probably won’t need all of it’s components. Instead, you need to think about saving the money.
Before you make a final decision, check to see if your potential laptop comes with a hard drive and RAM which can be upgraded in the future. You probably won’t need the space and memory right away, but it’s good to have if you need it. It’ll be much cheaper to upgrade your old machine than to buy a new one. Think about this before you finally decide and make your purchase.
Prior to purchasing your laptop, look for online coupons and promo codes. Perhaps you won’t find anything, but it can’t hurt to look. There is nothing worse than buying something full price, only to find out later that you could have saved a little money.
When searching for a laptop, consider its battery life. Even if you’re only going to be using it at home, having to constantly charge your battery gets very annoying. Your battery must provide at least four hours of use. Five is better.
Do not make the assumption that a higher price means a better computer. The more expensive the better isn’t always true. You are usually just paying more because of the brand. Buy a laptop based on specs.
When you are buying a laptop, think about spending a little more than you first budgeted. A bargain-basement laptop will be quickly outpaced by the increasing hardware demands of new software and media applications. Adding a little RAM or file saving capability may ensure that your computer is more useful for a longer period of time.
Cooling Pad
The screen display is the most power intensive part of a laptop. It eats battery life for lunch. One way to help extend the life of your battery is to turn down the brightness. When you dim your laptop display, you’ll get more hours out of the battery.
Use a cooling pad to keep your laptop from overheating. A major cause of laptop problems is due to overheating. That’s why the simple investment of $20 for a cooling pad could be such an important accessory.
Look past the brand name when laptop shopping. Well-known companies often offer great products; however, the cost can be great as well. Knowing about the hardware used in their laptops can help you shop for similar architecture in less expensive models. It is often possible to score great deals this way.
When shopping for a laptop, be sure to consider a Windows model along with a Macintosh. The Windows laptop will usually be less expensive, but there are many folks who simply prefer to own a Mac. Try them both out at the local electronics store. Then go onto the Internet to check the reviews for any specific model you become interested in.
Consider getting a laptop that is refurbished. Refurbished laptops are less expensive and often come with the same warranty as a new model. Many of them do not pose any threat to owners and put good models within anyone’s reach.
Avoid buying a laptop on brand recognition alone. Laptops from a well known manufacturer are often more expensive, even though they are the same as lesser known brands. Learn about what actually goes into a great computer in order to determine if you can get the same quality from a less expensive maker. Great low price computers are available from companies that aren’t as popular.
When making a laptop purchasing decision, consider the primary use. For example, there are models meant for business use, and others that are best for gaming. You know what you will use your laptop for so be sure to look for one that suits those needs and don’t be swayed by features that you will never use.
If you have programs that you use frequently, add the shortcuts to your Start menu. Once you find the right shortcut, right click on it and choose “Pin to Start Menu.” You can more easily access you favorite programs rather than looking in the “All Programs” folder.
Think about purchasing a laptop from a seller who includes extended warranty coverage. Make sure the warranty covers repair and replacement costs. Purchasing an extended warranty can save you a lot of money.
Once you buy a laptop, be sure to put it through its paces immediately. There is usually a policy for returns up to 30 days after purchase. Even if you won’t do certain things often, such as video editing, you should test it out to ensure that it’s what you want whenever you need it. You’ve got a window here that you can use to make sure that this laptop is really the right one for you.
If you have programs that you use frequently, add the shortcuts to your Start menu. Usually this done by right clicking the program and choosing the Pin option. This will ensure that these specific programs are on the Start menu.
Shop around, check the Internet and look at sales papers before purchasing your new laptop. Once you know which laptop you’re going to buy, go to various websites looking for the best offers or sales. Make certain you are searching using exactly the same criteria at each site.
The number of ports on a laptop is a key feature to check out when shopping. You will need several ports in order to use a printer, a mouse and a external hard drive. Make sure you know the ports that you need and that they are available.
You may just need your laptop to surf the web and check your e-mails. Perhaps you might want to think about a Chromebook. These laptops are from Google and they offer a good online experience without the bulkiness of a regular laptop. However, you will enjoy a robust browser experience along with excellent speed and performance. They are also fairly inexpensive. Many times you can purchase these for a few hundred dollars.
Once you buy a laptop, be sure to put it through its paces immediately. Most computers have a 30-day return policy. Test it with anything you might be doing with the laptop, even if the chances are small that you’ll be doing it really in the next month or so. This will let you see how everything works.
If you’re mostly going to be gaming on your laptop, you’re in luck. Every major seller has laptop models specifically designed for gamers. You can customize them if you buy from an online seller. If you are going in a different direction, you might want a laptop with different features.
Think about when upcoming models are due to arrive before purchasing anything. First, the older models will have a reduced price and you can save money. The second reason is that the new model will have a the newest features.
Always be sure you have the right type of shipping container if you have to mail your laptop. Shipping stores such as FedEx have kits that are used when shipping laptops. Consider purchasing one, even if your laptop is being shipped through the post office.
If you need to buy a brand new laptop, use the Internet to compare and contrast pricing first. If you find a laptop you want to purchase, make sure you look around to see if any other merchants are offering it for less. Match model numbers and features so you can validate your research easily.
You probably already understand how having a laptop can make your life easier. To enjoy the benefits of a laptop, don’t just blindly purchase one. That’s why you have to do your homework and find some useful ideas about laptops. The tips in the article above will come in handy when you go looking for the right laptop.
Most people that love games or to use work programs that use a lot of memory, getting a graphics card that’s dedicated doesn’t have to be something they get. A graphics card that is dedicated cuts down on battery life, sucking power out of the machine. A lot of people get their laptops because they’re sure that the dedicated GPU is needed, but a lot of the time they don’t use it beyond that.
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