[crucif3x]

Tips for Buying A New Laptop Extended Edition (Part One)

BY ANSON POON, MACINSIDERS INSIDERS AGENT
(awesome header provided by Andrew Kim)

Ok, I’m writing this right now as a scared, confused and mostly excited future first year McMaster student who is about to enter to world of unprecedented freedom and responsibility. And as an about-to-be university student, most of us are finally retiring our tired, old and busted up computers that have endured our rushed last minute assignments of high school, the feverish moments of typing on MSN about (insert name here) doing (insert embarrassing event here) to our friends and the colossal amount of time wasted spent on Facebook. Most of us have decided on laptops over desktops, for the simple convenience of note taking, WebCT and bringing our digital life anywhere.

But where do you start in the complicated world of laptops? I’ve spent the past year selling and repairing laptops at my local computer shop (check them out at www.pacificnotebooks. com, by the way), and have a bit of experience I’ve learned from the hundreds of laptops I’ve sold to people, combined with my small but worthwhile experience as a student. Hopefully, I can make this a simpler choice. There are a few main things to consider first when buying a laptop, which I will mark out in order of importance, in my opinion of course:

1. Screen Size: Why is this important? It will determine the type, size, specs and most of all, price of your laptop. In general, the price of laptops go like this:

10” <-------- 15.4” ---------> 17”

What does this mean? Basically, most laptops get more expensive if you get them smaller or bigger than 15.4”. 15.4” are the most common screen size in the laptop market and any smaller or bigger will increase your price.
By going lower than 15.4”, you will be paying more for the size. You will usually also get a lower configured machine with maybe less RAM or a slower CPU compared to a 15.4” costing the same amount of money. Yes, it probably seems illogical that you’re paying more for something smaller and slower, but that is the reality of the laptop market. The benefit of size and weight (which are intertwined) cost more money.

Of course, screen size versus size and weight is a general rule and doesn’t apply for every laptop in the world, but generally, this holds true at least 80% of the time. The biggest exception to this “rule” are netbooks and an upcoming sector of laptops called CULVs, but that’s for another article.
Any bigger than 15.4” and you will be paying for the specs. Usually, with a bigger machine, they are built for “entertainment” or “gaming” purposes and as such, will come with a faster CPU, more RAM and a dedicated graphics chip. This is where your money will go if you buy any bigger than 15.4”.
I usually recommend students to buy 14” or smaller. I have owned a 15.4” laptop (admittedly a larger one, but that is beside the point) and it was HELL bringing it to school or anywhere else for that matter. Eventually, I just gave up and it stayed on my desk for the 3 years that I used it.

Getting a laptop with a 14” screen will usually get you a smaller and lighter laptop with not too much compromise in terms of performance and price. Size and weight should be imperative in your choice, considering that you will be using it everywhere at campus and carrying a 5-7lbs piece of silicon and plastic in your backpack which is ALREADY loaded with your many 5-10lbs textbooks will definitely take its toll on your body after 4 years.

In my opinion, the OPTIMUM screen size for a university student is 13.3”. Not too small so that you can’t see anything on the screen, but not too big so that it’s inconvenient to carry around. But they usually are a bit more expensive than their 14” counterparts.

Any smaller than 13.3” then you usually will be paying a heavy premium over their 14” and 13.3” brethren with also a heavier hit on performance. Usually less RAM options, slower ULV (ultra low voltage) CPUs and a smaller hard drive. Only if you REALLY need the extra pound or so in your bag should you get something smaller. In addition, anything smaller than 13.3” and you run the risk of straining your eyes on the smaller screen.

If you must get something smaller than 13.3”, pay attention to the screen resolution. Anything with a vertical resolution smaller than 768 pixels will play havoc with internet browsing and your viewing experience in general, making you scroll much more to see what would be displayed as one thing in higher resolution screens. Here’s a great article explaining it better than what I ever could conjure in words, with my limited literary talent:

If you don't wan't to check out the site: here's a picture that basically explains what I wanted to say.



2. Battery Life: This is the second most important thing to consider when buying your laptop for university. To quote Chad’s awesome article (which you can check out here):

“You're going to be having back to back classes, and nothing sucks more than your battery dying in the middle of a class and having to bust out the classic paper and pen!”

Considering you might not have access to an electrical outlet all the time on campus, battery life is going to be important if you plan to bring your laptop to class. Resorting to the archaic pen and paper is not something to look forward to during a two hour lecture…

The “company estimated battery life” is usually grossly overstated and should never be believed. It’s usually better to check out a reputable site’s review on the battery life as they are usually using more realistic testing measures like looped movie playback or constant web usage. Basically, anything over three hours should be good.

Also, consider getting a backup battery or a higher capacity battery. A backup battery is a life saver when you need that extra 15 minutes to finish up those notes. A simple save, shut down, insert battery, and reboot is much better than rushing those notes, knowing you only have five minutes left on your battery in the lecture hall.

Many laptops also now come with the option of a higher capacity battery as an accessory, which will be able to run your laptop longer than the stock included battery. Six, nine even twelve cell options are on the market now and sometimes can mean a drastic increase to your laptop’s portability potential. But make sure you buy a branded battery from your original manufacturer. Buying a shady, third “uber” battery on eBay is a recipe for disaster. Usually, a simple search on your laptop’s manufacturer site will show you the options you have in terms of higher capacity batteries. But keep in mind, a higher celled battery will also mean more weight, so think about that if you want that extra hour… or extra pound in your backpack.

Well, this is a bit embarrassing but I’ve written a lot so far (at least it seems that way in Microsoft Word!) and I think I’ll have to stop here for now. Initially, this was going to be one BIG article with all the characteristic that I think are essential to a university student’s laptop. But with just two being so big, I think I’ll have to post the others later. We’ll see depending on the popularity of this article! So hope to see you guys on the forums, thanks for reading through my long rant about laptops and good luck buying the one that just right for you!

Oh and feel free to ask me any questions if your unsure about something laptop related or just need some advice.


Click here for part 2!

[PTGregD]

I'm guessing there is a problem here? I can't see anything.

[jhan523]

I'm guessing it was too long... I hope you saved it in word...

[crucif3x]

LOL woah... fast response O.O yea... it was in Word... had to copy & paste it into Notepad than redo the formatting. Sorry guys!

[PTGregD]

Good Article!

[kanishka]

great article...u have covered two most important parts according to me!!

[kanishka]

wats the next article going to be on? Operating Systems? Brand? Style? Configuration? Processor? Ram?

[crucif3x]

Probably "Type" i.e. Netbooks & CULVs vs. Laptops. Ultraportable vs. Desktop Replacement, etc etc. Since "size" is basically already covered as a general theme in the entire article LOL

Next, would be Brand (general brand quality, design, affordability, my experience with certain brands). This would also lead into Operating Systems, since Apple is also a brand... so a lot ahead. But we'll see how helpful this information is to the MI community first

On a side note... I've stayed up from 11pm-6am... MacInsiders has absorbed my life LOL I should really sleep now. Goodnight people

[Rob Mac]

Where would I be able to buy a back-up battery for my laptop. I have searched the major companies (Futureshop, Bestbuy, Walmart) and I cannot find anything. Any help would be appreciated.

[kanishka]

which laptop do u have?

[crucif3x]

What model and brand is your laptop? Most newer bigger brand laptops do have batteries you can buy as accessories. I can help you look but there is the slight possibility that one doesn't exist. BUT I will try to find one for you if it does exist.

[Rob Mac]

It is an HP brand. HP 530

[~*Sara*~]

Great article!

[crucif3x]

Originally Posted by winonakid

It is an HP brand. HP 530

I looked up the product page. Unfortunately I don't think HP makes a battery accessory for it :( That is one of the disadvantages of more consumer/budget oriented machines. Lack of accessories :(

I'll continue to look for one though! If worst come to worst and you REALLY need an extra battery, I'd recommended you call HP and maybe you could purchase one that way or you MIGHT have to resort to a third party one, but as I said in the article about those... BUYER BEWARE...only if you REALLY REALLY need it.

[Infinity]

be smart and be and buy a mac!