How to Compare Laptop Computers

I used to hate buying laptop computers. My problem? I didn't understand what I was looking for. When I used to compare laptop computers, I didn't know what was good or not, or, even worse, what was good enough. If you're anything like me, you're not a "hacker" or a computer wizard; you probably just want to send some e-mail. Well, here are some tips that can help you compare laptop computers with the feeling that you know what you are doing.

The first thing to look for when you compare laptop computers is to consider the processor. Processors have two pieces of relevant information: the speed and the RAM memory. First, the speed. This is, as you might have guessed, the speed at which your computer "processes" different information or completes various tasks: how long to save, download, etc. For day-to-day moderate computer usage, anything over 2.0 GHz is probably OK, and definitely safe over 2.5.

As for the RAM memory, this is different than the amount of space on your hard drive. Imagine your computer is like a kitchen stove. Having two burners means you can cook a few things at once. Having six burners, on the other hand, means you can cook several things at once. The same goes for RAM; 1 GB RAM is a four burner stove. 2 GB is like a six or seven burner, and 3 or above is for professional chefs or computer users alone. When you compare laptop computers, you'll see a close link between the processor and the price. Understanding the differences can save you a lot of money.

You should also consider the amount of disk space you need when you compare laptop computers. Disk space is becoming smaller and less expensive, meaning newer models have more and more. This is helpful if you have a lot of music or video files. But, it can be reasoned that hard disk space will grow increasingly smaller and inexpensive. Perhaps you shouldn't pay for on-board hard disk space, when external drives, some no bigger than a small notepad, can hold two or three times as much data. If you find yourself in a position where you compare laptop computers and two models have the same processor but one has more disk space (and a higher price), I would probably suggest you get the cheaper laptop computer with less memory.