Good Laptops - What should I be looking for?

A laptop is not a cheap purchase (if you want one that will last!) so you need to know how to find a good one. Whether or not you buy a 'good laptop' probably has less to do with the laptop and more to do with YOU than you realise. Start by making a list in your mind of the things you will use it for i.e. surfing the internet, playing games, designing websites. If you know what you will be using it for, you could save yourself either a lot of money or the mistake of buying a laptop that just won't meet your requirements.

Once you know what you will use it for, you can get a rough idea of the kind of specification you are looking for. If you want a laptop to stay connected with all the people in your life and will basically be to check your facebook, your emails, skype your friends, watch youtube videos etc. you will be glad to know that a less expensive laptop will more than do the job. However, you will probably want it to last a while so be careful that you choose a make that can be trusted. Acer and Dell are two good makes for the kind of machine you are looking for. You don't need to spend more than £500.

Perhaps you're into gaming and movies, you love high resolution graphics and you want your games to run fast. If this is you, you will need to be prepared to spend a bit more. Make sure your laptop has at least a 1GB graphics card so you don't get disappointed. You will require 3 to 4GB of RAM and probably a 500GB hard disk. With Dell you can customise everything including your graphics card but we would recommend Asus for those who are really into gaming as they produce laptops that are built especially for this purpose. Also, a core i5 or i7 processor would ensure your gaming is always fast... and why not make it HD (High-Definition) - treat yourself! Anything between £700 and £1000 will fulfill all your needs.

Maybe your laptop is your mobile office - you want something that looks smart, will run all your software efficiently and is reliable. Look out for a good cooling system because it won't be good if your laptop overheats after 5 or 6 hours. Look for at least 2GB of RAM and a 350GB hard disk. Get an intel processor if possible as they tend to be more reliable than the AMD Athlon ones. We recommend Hewlett Packard, Sony or Acer for a long lasting laptop for business use. Between £400 and £700 is a good rough guide for your requirements.

Remember, the key to finding a good laptop is to take your time! You don't want to be dissatisfied for the next 3 years or so educate yourself, search out exactly what you're looking for, and be prepared to pay a bit more for it if you have to.