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Purchasing a Laptop

My daughter called me Friday night in a bit of a panic.  The laptop that we had purchased for her almost 5 years ago has a screen that is turning pink.  It happens.  The LCD screen on a laptop is probably the part that will cause you the most problems, and it usually isn’t covered under the warranty.  The last screen I had to replace cost over $400 and that laptop was under warranty. As I was walking through Wal-mart this weekend I saw a laptop, far superior to the one we bought for her all those years ago, for less than $400.  We truly live in a disposable society!

Several people have recently asked me for help in purchasing a laptop and I find this very difficult to do.  It all depends on what you are going to use it for, how much you want to pay, and how are you going to use it.

While I cannot endorse any particular brand or model, I can offer some advice in what to look for when shopping. Take it for what it’s worth – remember my daughter’s laptop screen in now pink!

1. Please keep in mind that while Microsoft has released their newest operating system, Vista, with MS Office 2007, here at Riverside we are still using Windows XP Professional and Office 2003. There may be compatibility issues between the 2 operating systems, and any documents created in Office 2007 would have to be ‘saved as’ an earlier version. Office 2003 cannot open documents saved as Office 2007.  Of course most laptops available now have some form of Vista on it already. Just keep this in mind if your child is going to use the laptop to do their homework.
2. Keeping the above in mind, the first step is to figure out your budget. Look for the highest processor speed, most RAM and largest hard drive within your budget. (See recommendations later in the article)
3. Software costs should also factor into your budget. MS Word sometimes comes with the laptop.  Please note: Microsoft Works is NOT compatible with the school’s PCs and documents created with MS Works cannot be opened on them. Right now you can purchase Office suites directly from Microsoft at 75% off retail price if your child is a student.  To check out this offer and to order go to the following link:  http://www.iec-ia.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/05/07/463f77c0011db  For a student, your proof could be a student photo ID or a copy of a report card. The difference between the Office suites is the software included.  To learn about the differences you can go to the following link:  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/FX101635841033.aspx  Be sure to also purchase anti-virus software such as McAfee or Norton’s.  Make sure you update and run this software often. Also, if your child is in high school or getting ready for college, you might want to consider purchasing OneNote.  This is an excellent note-taking program.
4. It is strongly recommended that you purchase at least a 3 year warranty from the Manufacturer. In the event of computer failure, the manufacturer’s technical staff is your primary resource in solving the problem. Of course if you buy at Best Buy or Nebraska Furniture Mart they offer their own extended warranties. 
5. When purchasing a laptop, please be sure to check the screen for readability, comfort with the pointing device (if you don’t like a touchpad, you might want to purchase a USB mouse), ease of keyboard use and make sure that you are comfortable carrying the weight of the laptop.

For specific things to look for in a laptop, I found the following articles to be very useful.  The first is from the University of Pennsylvania.  This is their laptop recommendations for their students.  I like this article because it breaks down the kind of laptops into four groups.

Laptop Computer Purchasing Guide (University of Pennsylvania):
Recommendations for Second Quarter 2007-2008

Specifications effective October 1, 2007

Recognizing that there are a variety of laptops which meet different needs, this Information Systems & Computing (ISC) purchasing guide for 2007-2008 presents four alternative configurations.

Mid-Weight Laptop

These laptops are generally used as a primary desktop workstation or ‘desktop-equivalent’, with a need to have most drives on board. They tend to weigh between four and one half and six pounds and have medium-sized (14.1-inch to 15.4-inch) screens.

Full-Size Laptop

These laptops are generally used as a primary desktop workstation or ‘desktop-equivalent’. These laptops tend to weigh between six and eight pounds and have larger (15.0-inch to 15.4-inch) screens.

Lightweight Laptop

These laptops, sometimes called sub-notebooks, tend to weigh between two and five pounds and have small (11.1-inch to 13.3-inch) screens. In performance, they tend to be relatively close the other laptops, but contain fewer features.

Value Laptop

These laptops tend to weigh between five and eight pounds and have small to medium sized (12-inch to 14.1-inch) screens. In performance, they tend to lag other laptops and contain fewer features.

General Laptop Notes

Estimated prices for these laptops include three-year service plans from the manufacturers. Note that the three year warranty is an extra cost for some laptops (including Macintoshes) and that this cost is reflected in the estimated price. Also, this time of year many stores are running some very good deals.  Look for them - it will save you money.

The other article is from Geek.com.  It includes both desktop and laptop recommendations.  And if you click on View Details you can get information about that particular component of the desktop/laptop.

Laptop Buyer’s Guide

Thinking of buying a laptop? Make sure you know what you’re getting. Below, you’ll find our recommendations to keep in mind when buying a PC laptop and detailed information on each component found both inside and outside of your laptop.

If you want to dive right in and configure your own laptop, check out our Laptop Buying Engine where you can choose by manufacturer, processor type, screen size, and more.

Also, read through our PC Laptop Buyer FAQ and if you have comments on our recommendations, bring them to our Forums.

Last Updated: September 2007

– Click on any of the components under main components for more detailed information

From http://www.geek.com/laptop-buyers-guide/

So, if you’re planning on purchasing a laptop, good luck!  I recommend that you go to several places and ask lots of questions no matter how silly you think they are.  The more questions you ask (especially between all the stores), the more you will learn about the laptop. Don’t buy the first thing you see, look at all the possibilities, stay in your budget, and don’t be pressured by the salesperson.  You may feel overwhelmed by the process, we all do.  After all you are spending a lot of money on something that will honestly be out-of-date the moment you leave the store.  I will be doing the same this Christmas – after all, I need to find a replacement for a laptop with a pink screen!  Happy Hunting!

Cindy Beattie

Technology Coordinator

Riverside Community Schools

Email: cbeattie@riverside.k12.ia.us