Portable PCs are the most popular today, although their heels walked tablets increasingly harder. With our tips for buying a laptop, you can choose the model that suits you, from a classic to a computer or convertible ultrabook brand
1: Focus on independence
One of the most obvious advantages of a
laptop is that you can use it wherever we go, without having it connected to the mains.
So we leave and not thrown in the middle of an important task or while watching a movie, one of the tips for
buying a laptop is missing never notice the autonomy that according to the manufacturer's ability to achieve.
Keep in mind that these values tend to correspond to normal use (web browsing, use of office suites
...) and there are many elements that affect the hours that we
utilzarlo without charging, and not just the battery capacity.
So, if we have the WiFi or Bluetooth on, with the screen brightness at maximum and hardly off at any time, or if we're playing games, it's no wonder that does not reach the promised hour.
You can always pass the laptop yourself some test or benchmark that helps you know its full capacity (at Battery Eater Pro or Powermark), so we can get a rough idea.
The latest Intel processors, the Intel Core fourth generation (Haswell) represents a major advance in energy management is concerned, and it is not uncommon to find laptops can withstand between 7 and 9 hours without using the charger
.The release has also found laptops with integrated or a removable battery, being possible in this case to resort to an additional unit to keep working with him when the main battery runs out.
Moreover, with the passage of time the load capacity will decrease as sure many you have seen with laptops that have a few years of use. If so, should buy a new one, if the model allows us to exchange.
2: Choose the ideal screen size
The next point to be discussed in this
guide to buying laptops is the screen
. The diagonal mark the total size of the team, and currently the most popular are ranging between 13.3 and 15.6 inches
.It's all about choosing that is most comfortable for what we want. Generally, one 13.3 "or 14" will have more than enough for any use, but if we use it mostly at home and carry him everywhere, the 15.6 "are an excellent replacement for the desktop.
Besides, there are also ultra portable computers with screens 11 "(which can be rather short for routine use, of course) and other large format that exceed 17 "(known as" portable "rather than portable).
In all these cases, it should be noted that with the help of an external monitor and keyboard and mouse we can use in the home as comfortable as possible, and strip them of all these extras when you need to move them from one place to another.
Furthermore, with the arrival of Windows 8, the touch of particular value, and in many cases you can choose our laptop screen has this functionality as useful (yes, the price to pay will be higher, around 100 euros on average).
Finally, it should look at the ability to swing the hinge, as it will allow us to position the screen at an angle that results we totally comfortable. The more you can bend better.
3: Monitor weight and the dimensions
Very attached to above (screen size) we find the weight and dimensions. Ultrabooks are the type of thinner and lighter notebook with negligible thickness (below 21 mm at its thinnest part less) and weights, pen (between 1 and 1.5 kg, approximately), which makes them more suitable for those who require maximum mobility.
If you look at traditional laptops with screens up to 15.6 ", there is everything, but we should evaluate purchasing one weighing more than 2.6 kg unless our budget is limited or not we planned to move away from home .
4: integrated ?or dedicated graphics?
The latest processors from Intel and AMD GPUs incorporate directly rivaling graphics cards input range , and are even able to match the performance of some mid-range models.
Its biggest advantage is that for everyday tasks and are not particularly demanding, will serve to spare and will impact both lower energy consumption and lower weight of the whole.
But if we play video games or perform tasks for video editing and photo, then compensate us buy a laptop with dedicated graphics . Moreover, in the latter case is usually possible to switch between dedicated and integrated graphics at the touch of a button, adapting performance to a time that requires a particular application.
5: Scalability and connections
When buying a laptop , we also will look at the type and variety of available connections . The acceptable minimum is that he has at least two USB ports (and possibly 3.0, that will distinguish by their blue color and are up to ten times faster than type 2.0), whereas as far as video outputs regards (to connect the laptop to an external monitor or TV), HDMI is essential today .
In the latter case, you may also available DVI or VGA output for compatibility with older screens.
Similarly, and although today's laptops are able to connect to the Internet wirelessly, you can be required to have an Ethernet connection via cable through an RJ-45 port, the thinner models (case of outbreaks) are without or offered through an external adapter.
Finally, it should be informed about the possibilities for upgrading the equipment , since many laptops incorporate RAM and storage soldered directly on the motherboard and it is very difficult (if not impossible) to increase capacity afterwards.
6: SSD ?or HDD Drive ?
As far as storage is concerned, one of the best tips for buying a laptop is decanted by a solid state drive ( SSD ) instead of a traditional hard drive ( HDD ).
Its performance is much higher, making everything run more smoothly and with a sense of immediacy, and not based on moving parts are also less susceptible to damage when dropped. Yes, its ability is significantly lower and are much less affordable , and most common to have only 128 or 256 Gbytes.
Of course we can always resort to an external USB drive to fit us all our files, but the best solution would be that the laptop would include both types of storage : a small SSD drive on which the operating system would be installed and applications and another large HDD disk (assuming a 500 GB ) which makes the functions of warehouse documents.
7: Keyboard and trackpad
One of the fundamental aspects of any laptop is how comfortable we prove your keyboard and trackpad , as we will always work with them (at least in the first case and in the second we use a traditional mouse) and agrees to be as ergonomic as possible.
and how we find it a nice touch , while the trackpad we look at the useful area and if you have physical buttons or is all of a piece (plus see if it supports advanced gestures , such as using two fingers at once to move).
Similarly, in many cases practices are incorporated hotkeys to common multimedia functions (pause, play, forward ...) or used to control the brightness, turn off the WiFi and other actions. His presence is always a plus.
8: Processor and RAM
If we want to buy a laptop that is to last, the processors Intel Core fourth generation (Haswell) are the way to go, although we opted for one of the immediately preceding generation ( Ivy Bridge ) also acertaremos and can we save us some valuable euros.
Broadly, they are distinguished by their numbers, the first digit of the four consisting of his name that tells us the generation (ie a fourth would be 4400, 3400 and third).
Sort lowest to highest performance, we have the Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 , and if we seek an affordable laptop and we would jump into the Pentium and Celeron , with fewer features and more limited than their older siblings abilities.
Meanwhile, the other major manufacturer of processors, AMD offers equivalent that are often better value. From best to worst would have the A10, A8, A6 and A4 , and options destinanadas lower budget teams would be framed in the E series .
If you look at the RAM , the minimum requirement is 4 GB , but if our laptop can not handle future expansions later, then it should be from 8 GB at least.
9: Other aspects to consider
Apart from all these tips for buying a laptop , there are some general issues that we may also be of interest. For example, although they are increasingly cornered, it may be desirable to have an optical drive to read and write CDs and DVDs (or Blu-ray discs even), but it is something that adversely affects the thickness and weight of the device.
Therefore, it is best to acquire a external recorder that plugs into the USB port and connect it only when needed (currently they are very affordable, and we can buy one from just 25 euros).
Meanwhile, the build quality of the equipment and materials used in its housing is crucial, not only in terms of a more or less striking design. The aluminum or carbon fiber are the best, while polycarbonate finish vary widely both as to strength, depending on the selected manufacturer.
Also, if given the chance is nice to see easily if heated or if the fan trips too frequently (and we all know how annoying it can be trying to watch a movie while your laptop gets noise)
10: New formats available
Among our tips for buying a laptop , we end with a summary of the available formats . In classic portable lifelong was recently joined by ultrabooks (ultrathin computers already mentioned above), but also the innovative hybrid or convertible , able to function also as if it were a tablet.
They come in many types, with screens that are folded over the rear, able to hide inside the keyboard or even allow the display completely separate from the rest of the chassis.
They may be particularly interesting in the case and we do not have a tablet and want to have the best of both worlds in one , although hardly surpass the experience of either separate machines (at least for now).
11: Conclusions
- Pay attention to the weight and dimensions of the equipment, especially if pretenders take you everywhere daily.
- The autonomy is essential, and the latest models have batteries capable of withstanding 7 to 9 hours or more without charging them again.
- Choose the screen size that best suits your needs. Between 13 "and 15.6" move the vast majority, while the 11 "or less perfect for full mobility and 17" seamlessly replace your desktop PC.
- If you're not going to play complex video games, have enough with integrated graphics included in the processor. Otherwise, or if you have to use video editing suites or design, look for a model with dedicated graphics .
- Look at the number of available USB ports , and ensures that at least two counts (ideally, USB 3.0 better than 2.0). As video output , HDMI is waived.
- The SSDs are better than HDD , although its capacity is less. Remember you can always use external short stay if USB drives.
- In situ test keyboard and trackpad , to see if you seem comfortable enough to use.
- As far as RAM is concerned, is always based on a minimum of 4 GB, and if you can choose a quantity exceeding a reasonable price, go for it. Eventually you'll thank.
- The processors Intel Core i3 are great for most common tasks, while the i5 and i7 offer superior performance. If possible, decántate fourth generation (Haswell), or in his absence by the previous (Ivy Bridge). With AMD there is plenty to choose from, and usually at a better price than their Intel equivalents.
