PC Tech for Hire's guide to buying a laptop

Laptop Buying Guide

Welcome to PC Tech for Hire, Montgomery Alabama's premier residential and small business computer repair and service provider.

This is the time of the year when people are looking for that perfect gift.  And what could be more perfect than a new laptop!? I'm often asked what laptop they should buy, which one is the best, etc. All models of computers/laptops will end up having a problem at some point. My opinion? Follow these simple rules and you just bought the best laptop!

1.  Figure out a budget. Remember that with a new computer, you may need to buy new software. And for those that want help setting it up, I quote 2-3 hours to get everything installed and configured.

2.  Make sure you buy a laptop in person. Buying online gives you no sense of how the computer feels, weighs or views in bad/good/extra light. If you buy online, be sure to buy from a reputable company that you know you can return items too easily.

3.  If you go to a store, here are some tips!

• Keyboard. Play with the keys and make sure you can type ok and see the keys. Some laptops today have a awkward calculator on the keyboard now, making me “off center” so if you use your laptop keyboard like I do, the calculator makes it hard to work with.
• Weight. Pick up the laptop and make sure you can carry it without problems. Many people end up buying 10 ton weight laptops and they are very hard to carry around.
• Screen. Check out the screen and make sure there is not too much glare. If you plan on working outside, many screens have too much glare and you can’t read the screen in natural light, even too much overhead light can be bothersome.
• Screen width. Many folks hate the wider screens. It is not an issue for me, but for those with the regular monitors, it’s quite a change. Test opening some stuff on the computer and make sure you like how it looks.
• Memory. Try to get at least 8 gigs of RAM if you can. But I wouldn't go less than 6 gigs.

4.  Pricing
A good work laptop is approximately $500-$900. You will pay more for higher quality (SONY) and of course for a faster processor, solid state hard drive and more options (longer battery life, docking station, etc.)

Many folks also ask about the processors and hard drive space, etc…my answer is you’ll be ok probably if you can find a computer that fits your needs with the list above. Those are much more important. Most computers today come with plenty of hard drive space.

Don't forget to include my ProActive Care services with the purchase!  Help your new purchase last longer with ProActive Care - Antivirus, and keep backups of all your data withProActive Care - Backup!

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