Things to consider before buying a laptop.

In late 90’s the laptops were very huge, ugly and cost much higher price. But, thanks to new technology advancement, it’s cheaper and of high quality. There are lots of new branded /assembled laptops available in the markets. So which laptop should you choose?

Here are 8 things you should consider before buying a laptop.

1. Brand:

While buying a laptop, one should at least once should consider brand. If you are brand freak like me, obviously you know what to choose. There are number of shops that sell non-branded/assembled laptop. There are number of International Brand doing business here in Nepal, like Dell, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, etc. Some times the brand also creates prestige in the society.

Sometimes seller tries to sell assembled laptops, sticking fake stickers on the back side of laptop. So, it would be good idea to do some research before buying any laptop.

2. Screen:

Screen quality and size has finally became a fact to be considered before buying any laptops. Thanks to Apple for coming up with such a brilliant idea of make screen so much beautiful. Every company seems to racing to release something with an in-plane switching (IPS) screen these day.

Another factor to consider is resolution. Normally, lots of laptop ship with resolution of 1366X768. While it looks fine in 11 inch laptops, by the time you get 15 inch, it tend to make everything seem comically large and image lack details. Now, new laptop comes with full HD (1920X1080p) at 12 to 15 inch screen.

3. Memory:

Having a good amount of memory really matters in the performance of a laptop. While talking about the memory one should consider of getting memory of high capacity as much as possible. If you are in limited budget, 4GB will be work, but 8GB is recommended. Keep in mind that for 4GB or more, you’ll need to run 64-bit operating system to take advantage of all the memory – a 32 bit one won’t be able to access it all.

4. GPU:

Basically, there are two types of GPUs, discrete and integrated graphics. The integrated graphics suits most peoples’ need, whether that’s vide watching, image manipulation, web browsing or event light gaming.

But if you want to play 3D standalone games, you seriously need a dedicated graphics cards. Consider buying at least 512 MB – 1 GB of graphics cards. But, some salespersons will insists that video memory is an indication of performance, just ignore him/her. It’s not the thing that’s primarily responsible for the performance increase.

5. Ports:

Another thing to consider is availability of enough connecting port. If there are not enough ports, you will end up buying an adapter to connect your accessories. Look for the minimum 3 (four is better). USB3.0 ports would be preferable over the 2.0, it won’t affect things like mouse or keyboard but huge difference can be seen in storage. Sometime you will need to connect to external display, so make sure that there is a HDMI port also.

6. Battery:

Power cuts is very normal in Nepal, it would be better if you consider battery life before buying any laptops. Minimum 2-3 hours battery back-up seems to be good, most of the laptop available here in Nepal, can hold up.  Still, you need extra power consider buying Apple Mac Books, their battery last for longer.

7. Storage:

Normally, the storage of any laptops start from 64 GB all the way to 1 TB. 256GB is considered to be the starting point, although you take lots of video, photos and insane downloading you seriously need to buy an external hard drive.

The storage devices can be split in two different types, solid state drives (SSDs) and mechanical hard disks drives (HDDs). SSDs are faster, quieter and lighter and uses less power. Whereas the HDDS are bulky, needs more and considerably uses more power to operate. It is better to choose SSDs over the old HDDs.

8. Warranty:

What happens when a good laptop turns in very bad one? Every laptop is susceptible to accidents and system failures. One should check whether the company provides you the local warranty or the international one. Always prefer for the international warranty, which is useful for the travelers.

We recommend, paying for 2-3 years for warranty. Try getting these service directly form the company rather than dealing with in-store warranty extensions. Apple is good for that kind of warranty.

The CAN Federation CommTech is on the way, many enterprise will come up with their new products and discounts. You can hover around find something for yourself and do not forget to consider the above mentioned point.