Buying A Laptop Today

What I want in a laptop as of today's post:

I prefer to avoid netbooks unless I really want a small traveler and then 10 inch minimum. For $200 more why not buy a real notebook? I get it, you want small and mobile. Then buy a netbook, but it will be under powered and no DVD. Warning one.

If it is simply going to sit on a desk and not on your lap or not move around, then buy a desktop. You will get more for your money and they are immeasurably easier to fix. Warning two.

Budget:

For everyday common mortal use I target $500 +\- .

Screen:

I like wide screen. (I like glossy) (eg. 1366x768 widescreen LCD for 15 inch) 14 inch is nice but I have never used one. 15 is most common and therefore often cheaper.

CPU:

Dual core is a must. Core 2 Duo is first choice, then any old Intel dual core (commonly referred to as Pentium Dual Core), then AMD last. Speed of CPU should be as close to 2GHz+ as you can get for the money.

RAM:

Must be 2GB minimum up to 3GB if OS is 32 bit and 4GB+ if OS is 64. This stuff is cheap now so you can add if the laptop is cheap enough. Yes, 1GB will work but if you are using Vista or Win7 then more is better up to 4GB. Even 512MB will work but not happily. (I will not talk dual channel)

Hard Drive:

Like RAM hard drives are relatively cheap but get as large as possible included for the $500. 250-320GB should be easy to find.

Webcam:

1.3 pixel is commonly included. No cam is no deal breaker but video chat is cool. Get it if you can.

Graphics:

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD or better should be OK for today. Laptop video can be difficult to determine. Crazy nomenclature will keep you wondering if it is good or not. The Intel mentioned above is used a lot now and works fine. These are not extreme gaming machines.

Media Card Reader:

Also not a deal breaker but get the SD reader if you can. You can not add it later. You will need to buy a separate USB SD reader. One advantage if you end up buying an external reader is for $12 you will have muli-card capability in case SD in not what your camera uses. No big deal but the little SD slot on the notebook is nice.

Wifi:

Sure it is a must and G speed will be there. If it has N fine but for now few N routers are used and often you connect at G speed anyway because the router will not work with your N card at more than G speed. Bottom line, G is fine but N may be nice in the future when the drivers improve. If you own an N router then you will want an N card because of your supreme geekiness.

Mine:

My personal laptop is a 17 inch Gateway with 1920 screen and Gforce 9800 graphics, 4GB RAM and 2.4GHz CPU. I like 17 for the dual hard drive capability if nothing else. This will cost twice what the suggested laptop costs and most people will find it too bulky for happiness. The notebook suggested is more than most people need.

Before I buy a laptop like mine, I make sure there is a community of users that love their system and know all about it. I track the forum for awhile and learn about the flowers and warts. Then when I am sure a sufficient number of users love their machine and they are smart enough to help me love mine, I consider buying one of my own. That way I have users who can answer my question if I have trouble. There is no company support that can compete with a strong user base of technoheads. And let’s face it, often there is just NO Company Support period.

I cringe when someone asks “what laptop should I buy” because there is no immediate answer outside of what I stated above. Then the hunt begins. Today Dell may have the suggested configuration for under $500. (Seeing that they just posted a 45% drop in profit.) Next week that same machine could be selling for $700. Notebook prices are all over the map all the time. Maybe HP has one or Gateway or Asus or Acer. It takes digging and searching to find a deal.

Here is a sales circular link. It will tell you what is going on by state with prices. Then hit DealDump to check out the deal trackers. If you find something you can’t live without, Google search that item in the shopping filter to be sure no one is selling for less and good luck. Online pricing is not always the best. Sometimes Best Buy is selling a Dell for prices Dell itself will never touch. Sometimes Newegg will have the best price. Just know that if you buy from Newegg and something goes awry, you will not be sending it back to Newegg. Mr Egg treats notebooks differently than other products and you must go to the manufacturer. I love Newegg but for notebooks, if I can get the best deal at Best Buy I am happiest.

One nice thing about Best Buy is their 30 day return with no questions policy. If you hate, hate, hate the thing or it craps out you can return to Best Buy and pick up another. There is nothing worse than having your notebook for one week and then say a warranty good bye for who knows how long. Or worse yet maybe you despise some part and have to live with it. And many things can happen in those first 30 days. That is the way of electronics.

So now, we still do not know which notebook to buy, and we still do not know where to buy it. See why I hate the question.

Links:

Intel Processor Finder
Best Deal (I may have updated.)