Im looking to buy a laptop, but i dont know which one to buy. I will probably be Ebaying it since i have money in my paypal account. I do not understand some of the features in the descriptions and i dont know how to compare laptops. Can some1 throughoutly explain the standards?
I know nothing bout laptops, teach me about em before i decide to buy one please!!
- Thread starter xeverex18
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m6oo
CAGiversary!
The first step in buying any computer is knowing what you want to do with it.
With a laptop, you have a secondary question about how much portability and battery life you want.
The first choice you have to make is between a larger desktop replacement type of laptop that has "desktop like" performance, but is heavy and has poor battery life and a more compact unit that is easier to travel with and has better battery life, at the sacrifice of performance. YOU CANT HAVE BOTH.
The more detailed you are with us, the more detailed answer we can give you.
With a laptop, you have a secondary question about how much portability and battery life you want.
The first choice you have to make is between a larger desktop replacement type of laptop that has "desktop like" performance, but is heavy and has poor battery life and a more compact unit that is easier to travel with and has better battery life, at the sacrifice of performance. YOU CANT HAVE BOTH.
The more detailed you are with us, the more detailed answer we can give you.
bushwaccer
CAGiversary!
Usually I think of laptops being aimed for a buisness in which you travel sometimes. So the "light" one would be better for that. But if you really want one to just have or show off get the "heavy" one that is probably not going to move much but is able to.
As far as what you want I would look at these first.
Weight- you dont want to carry around 10lb. You want light for buisness but I wouldn't care if its just for showing off.
Size- look at screen size,width of laptop,etc...They are portable, but they can be a hassle to carry.
Type of screen- I dont usually dont care about this but you might. TFT and XGA are two types.
Basic computer stuff- This includes hard drive, ram, stuff like that. I wouldn't expect to get much since its a laptop and they cant fit it all in there. You're probably going to get a Centrino and I would recommend it.
Battery life- Again, for business- lots of time. No use- Probably going to be hooked up directly.
All of this is decided on why you want it, where you will use it, and how you will use it. If you are getting one just to show off, dont. Laptops are costly and desktops are much better.
As far as what you want I would look at these first.
Weight- you dont want to carry around 10lb. You want light for buisness but I wouldn't care if its just for showing off.
Size- look at screen size,width of laptop,etc...They are portable, but they can be a hassle to carry.
Type of screen- I dont usually dont care about this but you might. TFT and XGA are two types.
Basic computer stuff- This includes hard drive, ram, stuff like that. I wouldn't expect to get much since its a laptop and they cant fit it all in there. You're probably going to get a Centrino and I would recommend it.
Battery life- Again, for business- lots of time. No use- Probably going to be hooked up directly.
All of this is decided on why you want it, where you will use it, and how you will use it. If you are getting one just to show off, dont. Laptops are costly and desktops are much better.
m6oo
CAGiversary!
[quote name='bushwaccer']
Type of screen- I dont usually dont care about this but you might. TFT and XGA are two types.
[/QUOTE]
Not quite... TFT refers to the LCD technology. XGA refers to the resolution of the display.
Virtually all LCD display these days use exactly the same underlying technology, so that's why you don't see laptop specs touting TFT Active Matrix displays anymore...they all have them. Of course, there are displays of varying quality, but the underlying technology is the same.
XGA usually means 1024x768, but there's no official standard for what the terms like XGA, SXGA etc mean. Make sure you know the resolution in x format. Most low priced laptops are 1024x768 these days.
[quote name='bushwaccer'] You're probably going to get a Centrino and I would recommend it.[/QUOTE]
I like the Centrino chipset too, but I wouldn't automatically recommend a Centrino based laptop without knowing more. Again this is best determined by what you want to do with it. If you want to be able to run the latest games and don't care as much about weight, heat, and battery life, then you'll probably be better served by a regular P4 or Athlon CPU.
Type of screen- I dont usually dont care about this but you might. TFT and XGA are two types.
[/QUOTE]
Not quite... TFT refers to the LCD technology. XGA refers to the resolution of the display.
Virtually all LCD display these days use exactly the same underlying technology, so that's why you don't see laptop specs touting TFT Active Matrix displays anymore...they all have them. Of course, there are displays of varying quality, but the underlying technology is the same.
XGA usually means 1024x768, but there's no official standard for what the terms like XGA, SXGA etc mean. Make sure you know the resolution in x format. Most low priced laptops are 1024x768 these days.
[quote name='bushwaccer'] You're probably going to get a Centrino and I would recommend it.[/QUOTE]
I like the Centrino chipset too, but I wouldn't automatically recommend a Centrino based laptop without knowing more. Again this is best determined by what you want to do with it. If you want to be able to run the latest games and don't care as much about weight, heat, and battery life, then you'll probably be better served by a regular P4 or Athlon CPU.
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