Buying a Laptop check out the following before you buy one

The desktop PC is no more the choice of the people as they go more and more mobile.  To many of my readers have asked me to review Laptops and many who are thinking about buying one,  I am giving you a list of things you should note before buying one.

If you are thinking of buying a new PC, I did advise you to go for Laptop instead.  A Laptop has many features which a Desktop PC can't offer.  One of them is mobility, the other is saving of storage space in your room.   If you are a hard core gamer, you should go for a desktop PC but other users who generally want a PC for day to day use and to watch movies at night, a Laptop is more preferable.  Its your choice.  

In the market there are several brands of Laptops available and in several sizes.  In Laptops case size does matter.  In case you go for ultraportable laptop (10-11 inches) you did be using is only for most common works like surfing the net, writing out letter and stuff like that.  And the prices for it range from Rs.9000.00 to 18000.00 depending upon the goodies inside.

Next size is 13 to 15 inches.  This is the most convenient of all laptops available.  I will advise you to go for 14 inch one as it serves all purpose other than hard core gaming.  

17 inches size is available in the market, but if you go for these laptops remember they will be pretty heavy.  I would advise you to go for full fledged desktop PC instead of a 17 inch laptop.

This is as far as sizes go.  Now let go inside the laptop and discover what you need as a CPU.  There are two companies that make processors Intel and AMD.  Both are equally good but Intel having a better market share is more preferred.  It has launched a new series of processors from July 2012 called the Ivy Bridge.  The previous version was called Sandy Bridge.  Go for Ivy Bridge.

The Intel processors are listed as follows

i3 : Found in many budget and midrange laptops, this dual-core CPU is fine for everyday computing.

i5 : Intel's mainstream processor, found in almost all 15-inch, and even some 17-inch laptops, the best for the laptops.

i7 : Available in both dual-core and quad-core versions, expect to find this in more expensive performance machines, this is useless for a day to day user.

Pentium/Celeron :  Intel still makes these low-lower chips, don't buy laptops with this obsolute processors.  

The AMD processors are listed as follows :

E Series : This one is almost same as i3 of intel, pretty decent for day to day usage ultraportable laptops.

A4, A6, A8 and A10 : This are recently launched series with code name Trinity  offer up to 12 hours of battery life in laptops. They are available in dual-core 17-watt and quad-core 25-watt and 35-watt versions. If you want to go for AMD go for this series.

Next is the peripherals to go with a laptop.  Look for the following in a laptop you want to buy.

1. Go for a minimum 320GB Harddrive with 7200 rpm.  If you want a soundless HDD go for Solid State Drive (SSD) but remember they still are in development stage hence very costly and offer max 256GB which is very expensive.

2. Minimum 3 2.0 or 3.0 USB ports, a SD card slot, a HDMI port, Wi-Fi enabled, Ethernet port.

3. Things you don't need are VGA port for CRT monitors, Bluetooth and dvd/cd player.  

4.  Almost all processors have a built in video card, but if you are into some serious photo editing/games go for 1 GB video card from any company.

Next important question is Windows 8 or Mac OS X.  This is very hard question as both of them have their own advantages.  But the the software is available for Windows, I suggest you go for Windows 8.  Mac users always face a software problem and if they do get a software to suit their needs, there is always the compatablity problem.  This one is on toss of a coin but I advise Windows 8.

Below I am giving you a list of brands available based on the above.

HP : HP Pavillion M6 Price Rs.50000.00 to 70000.00

Specifications of HP Pavilion M6-1103TX Laptop (3rd Gen Ci5/ 6GB/ 750GB/ Win8/ 2GB Graph) (Natural Silver)
GENERAL
Series M6 Series
Part Number C0N93PA
Lifestyle Gaming
PROCESSOR
Processor Core i5 (3rd Generation)
Variant 3210M
Chipset Intel B75 Express
Brand Intel
Clock Speed 2.5 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 3.10 GHz
Cache 3 MB
MEMORY
Expandable Memory Upto 16 GB
Memory Slots 2 (Unused Slot - 0)
System Memory 6 GB DDR3
STORAGE
Hardware Interface SATA
RPM 5400
HDD Capacity 750 GB
OPTICAL DISK DRIVE
Read/Write Speed 8x
Optical Drive SuperMulti DVD Writer with Dual Layer Support
PLATFORM
Operating System Windows 8
System Architecture 64-bit
OS Architecture 64-bit
DISPLAY
Screen Size 15.6 inch
Resolution 1366 x 768 Pixel
Screen Type HD Brightview Widescreen LED Backlit Display
GRAPHICS
Dedicated Graphics Memory Type DDR3
Dedicated Graphics Memory Capacity 2 GB
Graphic Processor AMD Mobility Radeon HD 7670M
INPUT
Web Camera HP TrueVision HD Webcam
Pointer Device Touchpad with Multi-touch Gesture Support (Pinch and Scroll)
Keyboard Dura-coat Island-style Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
AUDIO
Internal Mic Dual Digital Microphone
Speakers Beats Audio Speakers
Sound HD Audio, Dual Speakers with Internal Sub-woofer, Integrated Speaker Bar
COMMUNICATION
Ethernet Integrated 10/100/1000
Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth v4.0 HS
POWER
Battery Backup Upto 3 hours
Power Supply 65 W AC Adapter
Battery Cell 6 cell
PORTS/SLOTS
USB Port 1 x USB 2.0, 3 x USB 3.0
Mic In Yes
RJ45 LAN Yes
HDMI Port Yes, HDMI Port with HDCP Support
VGA Port Yes
Multi Card Slot Yes

Toshiba Aspire V3 series Price Rs.39000.00 to 45000.00

Specifications of Acer Aspire V3-571G Laptop (2nd Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win7 HB/ 2GB Graph) (NX.RZLSI.003) (Midnight Black)
GENERAL
Part Number NX.RZLSI.003
Lifestyle Gaming
PROCESSOR
Processor Core i5 (2nd Generation)
Variant 2450M
Chipset Mobile Intel HM77 Express
Brand Intel
Clock Speed 2.5 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 3.1 GHz
Cache 3 MB
MEMORY
Expandable Memory Upto 8 GB
Memory Slots 2 (Unused Slot - 0)
System Memory 4 GB DDR3
STORAGE
Hardware Interface SATA
RPM 5400
HDD Capacity 500 GB
OPTICAL DISK DRIVE
Optical Drive DVD Writer
PLATFORM
Operating System Windows 7 Home Basic
DISPLAY
Screen Size 15.6 inch
Screen Type Active Matrix TFT Colour LCD Display with LED Backlit (CineCrystal Technology)
GRAPHICS
Dedicated Graphics Memory Type DDR3
Dedicated Graphics Memory Capacity 2 GB
Graphic Processor NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
INPUT
Web Camera 1.3 Megapixel
Pointer Device TouchPad
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
AUDIO
Speakers Yes
COMMUNICATION
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/g/n
Bluetooth v4.0
POWER
Battery Backup Upto 4.5 hours
Power Supply 65 W AC Adapter
Battery Cell 6 cell
PORTS/SLOTS
USB Port 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0
Mic In Yes
RJ45 LAN Yes
HDMI Port Yes
Multi Card Slot Yes
SECURITY
Lock Port Kensington Lock Slot
MACHINE DIMENSIONS
Weight 2.6 kg
Dimension 382 x 253 x 33.2 mm
Color Midnight Black
WARRANTY
Warranty 1 Year Domestic, Parts and Labour Limited Warranty

Dell XPS 15 series Price Rs.58000.00 to 65000.00

Specifications of Dell XPS 15 Laptop (2nd Gen Ci7/ 4GB/ 1TB/Win7 HP/ 2GB Graph) (Anodized Aluminium)
GENERAL
Series 15
Part Number DX2GN10
Lifestyle Gaming
PROCESSOR
Processor Core i7 (2nd Generation)
Variant 2670QM
Chipset Mobile Intel HM65 Express
Brand Intel
Clock Speed 2.2 GHz With Turbo Boost Upto 3.1 GHz
Cache 6 MB
MEMORY
Expandable Memory Upto 8 GB
Memory Slots 2 (Unused Slot - 0)
System Memory 4 GB DDR3
STORAGE
Hardware Interface SATA
RPM 5400
HDD Capacity 1 TB
OPTICAL DISK DRIVE
Optical Drive DVD RW Drive with Dual Layer Support
PLATFORM
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium
System Architecture 64 bit
DISPLAY
Screen Size 15.6 inch
Resolution 1366 x 768 Pixel
Screen Type HD WLED
GRAPHICS
Dedicated Graphics Memory Type DDR3
Dedicated Graphics Memory Capacity 2 GB
Graphic Processor NVIDIA with Optimus Technology
INPUT
Web Camera 2 Megapixel
Pointer Device Touchpad
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
AUDIO
Speakers 2.1 JBL Speakers with Waves Maxaudio and Subwoofer, total 20 W
COMMUNICATION
Ethernet Yes, 10/1000
Wireless LAN Yes, 10/1000
Bluetooth v3.0
Wireless WAN Yes, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Compatible
POWER
Battery Backup Upto 3.5 hours Standby
Power Supply 90 W AC Adapter
Battery Cell 6 cell
PORTS/SLOTS
USB Port 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x eSATA
s_video No
Mic In Yes
RJ45 LAN Yes
HDMI Port Yes, 1.4 with 3D Support
VGA Port No
Multi Card Slot Yes
SECURITY
Fingerprint Sensor No
Antivirus 15 Months McAfee
Face Recognition Yes
MACHINE DIMENSIONS
Weight 2.8 kg
Dimension 381 x 38.1 x 264.15 mm
Color Anodized Aluminium
WARRANTY
Warranty 1 Year Premier Service and Complete Cover Warranty

Sony Vaio E series Rs.34000.00 to 45000.00

Specifications of Sony VAIO E15123CN Laptop (3rd Gen Ci3/ 2GB/ 500GB/ Win8) (White)
GENERAL
Part Number E15123CN/W
Lifestyle Everyday Use
PROCESSOR
Processor Core i3 (3rd Generation)
Variant 3110M
Chipset Intel HM77 Express
Brand Intel
Clock Speed 2.4 GHz
Cache 3 MB
MEMORY
Expandable Memory Upto 8 GB
Memory Slots 2 (Unused Slot - 1)
System Memory 2 GB DDR3
STORAGE
Hardware Interface SATA
RPM 5400
HDD Capacity 500 GB
OPTICAL DISK DRIVE
Optical Drive DVD SuperMulti Drive
PLATFORM
Operating System Windows 8
System Architecture 64-bit
OS Architecture 64-bit
DISPLAY
Screen Size 15.5 inch
Resolution 1366 x 768 Pixel
Screen Type WXGA LCD Display
GRAPHICS
Graphic Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
INPUT
Web Camera 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam
Pointer Device Touchpad
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
AUDIO
Speakers Yes
Sound xLOUD, Clear Phase
COMMUNICATION
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth v4.0 HS
POWER
Battery Backup Upto 4 hours
Power Supply 65 W AC Adapter
Battery Cell 6 cell
PORTS/SLOTS
USB Port 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0
RJ45 LAN Yes
HDMI Port Yes
Multi Card Slot Yes
MACHINE DIMENSIONS
Weight 2.70 kg
Color White

This are some of the machines available in market today and are the top of the grade.  You should research for the make you want once you decide what goes inside and you budget.  Make a fine choice as laptops are not mobiles which you can replace every year.  There are several websites like Flipkart which will give you a basic idea of the price and specs.  After selecting the brand and the model, it is always a good idea to read reviews of the model on the net.  The C-Net review is especially good and straight forward.  

Choose wisely and save money.  Select one which is best suited for your needs, don't go by the flaunt value.  

Please post your comments on the article and give me suggestions.

Vijay Prabhu