Laptops - Notebooks

Best Computer Laptops

Find out the latest pricing info on popular laptops and notebooks. Whether you are looking for a budget machine or the latest technology capable of running Vista and other 3D games we will have it here. You can buy it at a specialist store at a department store like (Big W, Target, Myer) or online.

Things to consider when purchasing a laptop.

Screen Size - is the display size that you would use for viewing. What is the primarily use for the computer, do you require use of web design or is it just word processing. The most popular size at the moment is the 15 inch screen size as they are the cheapest to produce. This is perfect for most families and overall general use. The size you choose should be based on how often you will be lugging the laptop around. The smaller the better. the more expensive. Smaller screens cost more because the manufacters have to fit more pixels in a smaller amount of space.

Weight - how much does the laptop weigh with the battery. If you do a lot of travelling it makes sense to get a laptop that is quite lite weight. A typically light laptop is under 1.5 kgs. Laptops can go all the way to 4 kgs, but newer technology are making them lighter and stronger.

CPU - the processing power of the computer, the speed of the CPU dermines how fast it can process information. You go to most department stores and they will tell you the faster the processor the longer your laptop will last for. This is not true as most CPU chipsets running at similiar speeds with the faster CPU in the range running at about 30% faster than the lowest spec processor. Don't be fooled into getting the fastest processor available just because the salesman advises to. If you have a few processors to choose from within the range what you should do is pick the middle spec and calculate the cost it will be to upgrade to the next level and the saving if you downgrade. Then you need to do the same for the speed of the processor calculating the percentage increase/decrease in speed. Use the one thats the most value for money. The main thing to look for is the chipset and not the actual megaherzt speed reading.

Memory - how much information can be stored to be processed by the CPU. The more memory the better the performance of the machine. Most laptops are supplied with the minimum amount of ram to run the standard applications. What buyers should do is upgrade the memory from a third party supplier. You can upgrade it at the same time you buy the machine but it will be cheaper if you source it yourself. Most laptops are supplied now with either 512 mb or 1 gb. Make sure the laptop you purchase uses generic ram and has spare memory slots. Buy the biggest stick of ram you can afford. 1.5gb of ram is what you should be aiming for running XP. If you are considering Vista then you need 3gb to run it productively.

Hardrive - how much data you can store on the computer. Most people desire more storage space, however it comes at a performance sacrifice. The bigger the hardrive, the slower it is and the more power it uses. A hardrive between the size of 60 gb and 100 gb is sufficient. Uses should make it routine to backup data and archive data to a DVD every 6 months. Most people with laptops have had the hardrive fail or machine stolen or misplaced. Hard drives typically last 3 years and get bigger in time.

Graphics Card - This is a peice of hardware that produces the graphics to be displayed on the screen, the more intensive the image the more processing power the video card requires. Most supplied graphics cards are sufficient for general word processing and movie watching. If you want to run photoshop or play games then you need a more powerful chip. This is probably the most expensive upgrade but is necessary depending on what applications you want to run. Careful consideration should be taken here as it is sometimes more beneficila to buy a desktop machine that has more power.

Warranty - most laptops and netbooks come with the standard 1 year warranty. Most Laptops should last you around 2 years of solid use before things go wrong. If you are purchasing a laptop over $1,000 AUD you may want to consider the extra warranty. Most retailers will offer you this option which can be econimical. Always opt for the manufacturers warranty as it will mean you are getting a quality service and OEM parts. E.g Harvey Norman will offer you extended warranty on laptops, however this requires you to go through them for warranty issues. Their service centre tries to cater for all makes so they require the extra time to service your laptop. Using authorised repair centres means a quicker turnaround as well as piece of mind knowing that all the delicate parts in your laptop are removed in the correct manner.

Other things to consider.

- Brand of manufacturer, some brands are reliable, others are better quality. Research the problems of the make to see if there are major problems.

- Bluetooth/Wireless Internet should be standard on the laptop, if it isn't then you need to look for another one.

- DVD writer/rom to backup all your data and play music and videos.

- Battery Life and replacement batteries, typically last about 3 years so you wanna be sure you can purchase additional batteries if required.

- Appearance of the laptop should be modern and not look like its made out of cheap plastic. A laptop that looks nice will also have better resale value.

- Toshiba laptops are know to have screen problems, relating to the light element. The new LED displays should resolve these problems.

- Hard Drives last 3 years. Once your laptop is around 2 years, you should consider replacing the hard drive. If you don't intent to the replace the hard drive enjoy you do regular backups. Hard drives are quite affordable, you can pick up a 500 GB 7200 RPM SATA 2.5" Drive for $89.

- Sound card vary between laptops. You will notice the difference when plugging in a decent set of headphones or earphones. Bring a set of earphones to test when possible, sometimes it is the actually physical jack that is of a lesser quality.

- Hinges vary between brands. I have gone through many laptops and the hinge is one of the common things that break. If you travel alot get a good laptopbag. Crumpler make good supportive laptop bags that are trendy and have all the useful functions a bag should have. Hinges get damaged because they are on corners and when youdrop your bag on a corner, there goes the hinge. Try to get a bagthat has good padding for the corners. When buying laptops, the heavier it is the stronger the hinges need to be. Test the lid in the store and see if it will last the abuse you will put it through.