So I'm always getting asked about what to look for in a new computer and what manufacturer to go with. This post is dedicated to help in answering some those questions. I will focus on laptops for now as this is what most people are looking for these days.
Choosing a manufacturer
I get asked this question more than any. What brand should I go with? I'm really not biased towards any manufacturer so it's hard for me to answer this question. I have found that the reasoning behind this question is almost always based on reliability concerns. Every major laptop manufacturer has a failure/return rate that falls between 3%-5%, within the first year. This includes Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HP, and Toshiba. So every brand is on even ground there. If you do get a lemon of a laptop, technical support is obviously important. I've found that Acer and Dell offer the quickest turnaround times and generally offer the best overall support. Keep in mind that in my field, we are always speaking with tech support reps of every manufacturer so this is my conclusion after working with countless tech support reps. Apple is by far the worst in tech support just because they don't make it easy for the end-user to get a quick fix and turn around times can be weeks.
Speaking of Apple, this is the next most common question. Should I go with Mac or Windows? Well, every manufacturer pretty much uses the exact same hardware now. So the real question is, do you prefer the Mac operating system or the Windows operating system? That's strictly a personal preference. Both are very user friendly. Windows still has an upper hand when it comes to broad compatibility.
Choosing the right hardware
So after you have chosen the manufacturer, what should you look for in terms of hardware? I would say 95% of the population would get by just fine with the lowest priced laptop they can find. Noticed I mentioned laptop, not netbook. Studies have shown that most people browse the web and check email on their computers. That's it. Any $450 laptop out there can do that. However, if you must have some specs to look for, here is what I would suggest looking for.
Processor: Any dual-core processor will do
RAM: Minimum of 2Gb
Hard drive: Any current hard drive size will meet most peoples needs. However, if you have a bazillion photos, videos, and music, look for the biggest size that is in your budget.
Graphics processor: If you're into watching HD videos on your laptop, look for one that will play HD video smoothly. Otherwise, this is not an important spec to look at. Intel's 4500 series chipsets all support HD playback. Any of the current ATI Radeon chipsets will support HD.
Screen Size: LED 14" or bigger (LCD will drain the battery faster)
If you would rather have a netbook it's really important to check them out in person. They are very small and have different keyboard layouts and trackpad features. I would only recommend a netbook as a secondary computer. It should not serve as your primary computer. I generally suggest Asus when talking about netbooks. A couple of current models I would recommend are the Asus 1201N and the Asus 1000HE. The 1201N netbook supports HD playback and boasts a 12-inch screen. The 1000HE will get you about 7 hours of battery life!
Summary
So there you have it. I believe that what I have talked about in this post covers all of the major questions when looking at a new laptop. If you have other questions, just ask me in the comments section. You really can't go wrong with any computer manufacturer these days. I recommend looking for the best deals and try them out in-store before making the purchase.
I will try and have a Desktop Computer post up soon. I believe there is a huge shift coming in the Desktop market and I will discuss that in the post. Until then, God bless and take care.
