when buying laptops, how do you know which is the right one?

Question

i watch commercials and the ppl be like "mines keeps all m music since im an artist," "mines blah blah blah"

what brands are good?

anu other ways to finding out if its right for you?

getting awesome answers, didnt know it would be so complex
keep them coming

Answer 1

Dell and HP are great brands, you can go with macbook if you like, but it depends on what you are doing- think of it like a Truck

Horsepower: Fast, fast enough, don't care... Chose your RAM based on this. Best bet is 2GB (But buy any computer and upgrade for $60 to 2GB, that way you save money).

Torque: Want to be able to seriously multi task? Or will you only be typing and listening to music... Think about your processor here. Best bet is Intel Core Duo. (Or again, buy a low-end processor and upgrade.)

Paint Job: Want great visuals for gaming or internet movies- get a good Graphics Card. Best bet is an ATI Radeon or Nvidia card will suit you fine.

Sound System: Speakers are great, but without the right quality sound getting to them, you will not hear the best you can. Like music and movies? Best bet is a SoundBlaster Audigy or SoundBlaster X-Fi.

WIndshield: You're always looking at it, it's your monitor, and unless you feel like watching movie or gaming alot, go with something smallish. Best bet 13.5-15 inch screen.


Accessories are always extra, but hey, its the holiday season, treat yourself. Good luck shopping!

Answer 2

Choosing a brand is a gamble. There is always a chance that this month the manufacturer is using a batch of components that will later turn out to have an unusually high defect rate...

Also, "right for you" (meaning, having the features you need for a reasonable price) doesn't equal reliable. The computer can be perfect for what you do, but burn out in 18 months.

All in all, if you don't really know what you need, you might as well shop for the best return policy and warranty.

Answer 3

All laptops are good depending what they are used for. The best way to see which ones are the better is to compare what you have seen in a store. Enter the information and goggle the information, make and model. A lot will depend on personal preferences as to your specific needs in computing. Of course lower end laptops may not always be the best, check for availability of upgrading.

Answer 4

I would recommend getting Hewlett Packard, Sony Vaio or Lenovo. I think lenovo provides best support because I can easily install drivers after a Windows XP reinstall from the support site.

Answer 5

what are you looking for? Gaming? Buisness? Video Editing? There are a vast difference. Go to notebookreview.com they will have everything you need.