There are few things as uplifting as getting yourself a new notebook
computer. (Not counting crack or triple Redbulls anyway.)
However, there are more options than there are brain cells in your head
so, let’s just have a nice, legal cup of caffeine and review what you
need to know to minimize the throbbing in your left eye that could
easily interrupt your acquisition high.
Thing No. 1 Write down your specs before you
shop.
Specs? What specs? What’s a spec? Here are the
biggies:
• Weight. You should decide your goal weight based on 1.)
How much you’re going to be lugging it around 2.) How big you want the
screen to be and 3.) How much you want to make your friends
jealous. If you decide to go ultralight, figure out how much your
adapter and any add-ons (e.g. optical drives) weigh.
• Screen Size. (see weight – It’s all about the widescreens these days)
• Battery Life. depends on where you’re headed. You
can have anywhere between 3.5 – 7 hours. If you go for the bigger
battery, have a look at it with that battery. Sometimes they’re
bulky and attach in a funky way that you might not like.
• Processor Speed. Faster is better. You’ll be able to open files and applications faster.
• Hard Drive Size. 100GB is top of the line, 80GB is
a lot, 60GB is often fine for the average Joe, 40GB might even do the
trick for your basic word processing/spreadsheet/email shenanigans but
seems a shame for a new machine since you never know what you’re going
to want to do with it in a year just like you didn’t know you’d be
looking at so many videos before www.youtube.com. Look for high
rpms – 4200 is low, 5400 is better, 7200 for video editing which may be
tough on a notebook.
• Memory. Forget God being in the details, God is in
the memory. The more memory, the more applications open at once
and the better the performance. 512MB is baseline. Get
1GB. If you break it up into two 512Mbs, you’ll use an extra slot
but it will be cheaper. It’s better to get it preinstalled than
trying to do it later. You should have 128MB dedicated graphics
memory unless you’re gamer, in which case, you know what you need…more,
more, more.)
• Pre-configured or not depends on what you need on it.
• Number of Ports. 2, 4 or 6 depends on what you want
to have available to plug in at the same time like cards, MP3 player,
jump drives, DVD etc.
• Built-in Wireless/Built-in Bluetooth depends on where you need Internet access.
For all the juice on specs and choice go to: cnet.com/notebooks
Thing No. 2 Go to retail first, then online.
If you look around at some models that
fit your specs and see what you like at retail (and you can gather up
some initial pricing and ask questions while you’re there) then you can
go online and read reviews on the models that you liked at cnet, or Consumer Reports. That way, you’ll streamline your
search instead of floating around reading reviews of everything on
God’s silicon earth and it won’t be so overwhelming. Search price
comparison websites nexttag.com and mysimon.com and
double-check retailer websites frys.com compusa.com circuitcity.com or bestbuy.com because sometimes your local store
will let you buy online and pick it up so you still get the online
price but you don’t have to pay for shipping. You should be able to
type in your model and all your specs and get comparative
pricing. Look for 5-star buyer ratings with 10,000+ buyers
especially if you find the best price at Joe Schmo’s PC Outlet. You
might as well read the buyer comments on the model to see if you learn
anything although you never know who is writing those things – could
very well be Mrs. Schmo or Grandpa Schmo.
Thing No. 3 Warranties are not just for the weak.
It might
come in handy although the old rule does apply here – if something is
defective, it’s likely going to show up in year one. Don’t buy
anything that doesn’t come with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. You
shouldn’t buy a 3-year warranty that costs more than 25% of the cost of
the computer. If it’s going to be moving around a whole lot or
you tend to be tough on your stuff or you’re just a spaz or you have a
machine-eating dog, see if you can find one that covers spills, drops
and other accidents. (Manufacturer’s Warranty does not.) If you can’t
get klutz coverage from the manufacturer, you can get a quote from safeware.com. You might be able to get it from a retail warranty but
generally, we’re not fans of these (they’re going to hit you up hard to
buy one) because you don’t get the tech support or the handy access to
the right parts. But, if you don’t think you’re going to be able to
handle sending your notebook off in the mail for repairs and really
prefer to hand it off to an old-school human then, maybe. Before
you do anything, check out credit card warranty upgrade options
available with credit card purchases -- American Express Buyer’s
Assurance doubles your warranty up to 5 years, MasterCard Purchase
Assurance (on Platinum and Gold cards) will double a 1-year warranty
and Visa will double your warranty up to three years for Visa Signature
purchases.
Thing No. 4 The nice thing about laptops is they’re easy to
lift and go.
Figure out if you have any insurance that will cover
theft. If you think this is a potential problem, you might cover it in
your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance (for an increased premium) in
which case, check into purchase price replacement value since
depreciation is a bitch.