Laptops - What Kind of Laptop Should You Buy?

Comparable to a desktop computer in terms of function, laptops are made up of compact components that help make them powerful yet lightweight packages. Most laptops are less than eight pounds in weight so they are ideal for students, frequent travelers, or anyone who needs mobile computer access.

Which laptop is right for you?

Ultralight laptop: Also called an ultraportable or a sub-notebook, an ultralight may be too compact to house certain components but it does have provisions for storage devices and external drives through the use of a FireWire or USB port.

Notebook laptop: Thicker and heavier than an ultralight laptop, the ideal-for-home-or-small-office-use notebook laptop has a built-in floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and a network card, as well as a screen size of about 12 to 15 inches.

Media center laptop: Best for multimedia use like editing photos, listening to music, and watching movies, a media center laptop comes with a heavy-duty processor, high-end video, sound, and graphics cards, and a high-memory hard drive for optimum video and audio quality, as well as built-in CD and floppy drives, various network cards, and other connective ports.

Gaming laptop: With precision graphics chipset, a gaming laptop produces high-detailed images for computer games. It comes with a high-speed processor, top-quality operating system, an at least 100GB-hard drive, as much as 2GB memory, dual-layer optical drive, and a number of connectivity ports that are needed to use speakers, headphones, and different game controllers. Some models even come with custom-made paint jobs.

Before you buy…

When buying laptops, take into consideration the purpose for which they will be used. With different kinds available, you might get confused and end up getting a laptop with components that you don't really need or use, and conversely, without the components that you do need so be careful.

Complete information

A complete Guide to LAPTOPS is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information.