What else needs to be considered? Size / Portability – Processor or CPU – Operating system – Graphics – USB Ports – CD/DVD drive – Screen Size – Aesthetics – Laptop Role – Saving Money.

Size / Portability – the most common laptop screen sizes are between 13-15 inches, due to this it generally means the lowest prices, which is great if you are out to save some money, but if you travel around a lot then a heavy laptop could work out to be more in Osteopath fees than the total cost of the laptop, so if you travel a lot a small laptop is a real blessing, after all even if the laptop itself is not too heavy, by the time we add the mains adapter, a padded case, plus anything else you need to carry, it can start to get pretty heavy specially if carried around for a while. The same cannot really be said for 17” laptops, if your looking for something with a larger screen that is fine, but if you need to travel at all why not invest in a small laptop and put the extra money towards getting a 19” external screen which is bigger and can also be used in conjunction with the laptop screen, in effect giving two screens.

Processor or CPU – Processors have changed a lot over the past few years and now it seems many companies appear to be bolting on more and more processor cores. So at present a laptop needs to have a dual core processor or above. Dual core is the present standard with Intel’s Core 2 Duo and AMD’s Turion 64 x2, both are very good processors, but my personal opinion is AMD has the edge due to its cheaper price. If you don’t mind waiting and have the money, checkout some of the Quad core laptops coming onto the market.

The Operating system – If you want a laptop with Windows XP and you have found you can only purchase with Windows Vista (which is more common now) do not just presume that you can simply wipe away Vista and replace with XP, a lot of new pc hardware may not have XP drivers developed for it, this can create real headaches when trying to change over to XP.

Graphics Cards – it is generally not possible to replace or upgrade the video capabilities on a laptop computer, usually whatever video card is installed thats what your laptops stuck with, If you are into gaming or need other high end graphic performance the laptop will need a graphics card with dedicated memory, otherwise graphic performance of your application will suffer if it involves in depth graphics or high end gaming.

USB ports – You can never have enough, the average amount of USB ports on a laptop is 4 this may sound like plenty, but once you plug in peripherals such as a keyboard –printer– mouse – pen drive it wont seem so many, of course you could always purchase an external hub, as they are very cheap, but best option is to buy a laptop with more ports in the first place. Another point worth checking; Every laptop should have USB type 2 ports, but its worth checking this to confirm as USB 1 is around 10 times slower.

DVD & CD drive – A lot of the information given in regards to CD/DVD drives can be a little confusing terms such as Single and Dual layer – CD/RW DVD/Rom. Just about all new laptops now should have a Dual layer DVD writer drive this will do just about everything such as reading and writing to CD’s and DVD’s and reading and playing them too.

Screen size – this really covers the portability of the laptop again, the bigger the screen the heavier its going to be, there are also some nice screen technologies around such as tru brite which give the screen a glossy brighter look.

Aesthetics – what would you prefer a slow laptop that looks superb or a faster machine that looks like a brick? When looking for a laptop there is a wide choice available so you should not have to compromise on either, but as a general rule if you have to, compromise on the looks a little but not on the spec.

Laptop role – what will the laptop be used for, general Internet browsing – word documents, pretty much any laptop could do this standing on its head, so the world of laptops is your Oyster. Business applications – large spreadsheets etc, then mid power will be fine, do not need to worry too much about the graphic abilities and a shared memory type should be fine. Gaming or high end graphics require the most powerful processors and graphics cards, be prepared to dig deep if you want to play the latest games with all the extra effects switched on.

Saving Money – If you want a good laptop for a cheaper price you have a number of choices, the first of these is a second user computer, you can save a lot of money this way, but you need to know what your looking at or you could purchase a problem machine or one that is not all what it seems, plus unless it still has warranty left you simply take the risk.
Refurbished computers can offer good value for money, plus you get a warranty too.
Bargain basements – many large computer stores frequently have special offers which can be great value, check on websites for models that have been replaced by a newer model there are some good bargains to be had this way, but be quick as they sell very quickly. checkout more of our other articles at www.computer-adviser.com

With mobile wireless internet everywhere laptops have come of age. The days of them being pricey lumpy mobile word processors and a salesperson’s PowerPoint presentation box are gone forever. You can do all the stuff you do on your big desktop PC pretty much anytime anywhere. Add this to the fact that they are faster and more reliable that desktop PCs, can be hooked up to large screens, full size keyboards and USB hubs then they become a very real desktop replacement as well as mobile powerhouses.

**So how do you go about getting a power user level Laptop at half price?**

1) Buy slightly older technology

Rapid advance in technology makes it meaningless to buy the latest technology at a high price unless you’ve got more money than sense. For example, when laptops with wireless capability first came to the market they cost upto US$2500. Now just about all laptops have this.

2) Buy used or refurbished laptop

The depreciation of a laptop value is so high, that after one year in the market, a laptop can easily lose half its value. So last years top of the range power gamer laptop is now half the price. And despite technology changes 1 year is not very long even so and that 1 year old is a serious powerhouse.

So if you’re looking for a cheap laptop, look for one which is close to one year old. The main area to take care on is condition. By their nature laptops can get knocked about.

**But where to find this type of Laptop in best condition?**

Simple. You buy gamers or business power users. Buying any electronic gadgets including laptops from hard core power users or gamers is a great strategy. Why’s that?

Gamers or power users fall into the “more money than sense” or “company buys it for them” groups. They either want or need the latest and most powerful technology to run their games or power hungry applications and they don’t settle for second best. Gamers take real good care of their laptops and company users are backed up by pro IT people.

Gamers also demand the latest technology. So after one year, they will be bored of what they have and will look to sell off their laptops so that they can buy a new one.

So where to find these great people who will sell you a laptop that’s brilliant for everything apart from the high end physics?

**Friends**

If you have friends who are gamers, ask them if or when they are planning to sell off their laptop. Who knows, maybe you can get your good and cheap laptop from them. A source you can trust very much as well.

**Gamer Hang Outs**

Scan through gaming forums and local gaming community online or in gamer cafe notice boards.

If you don’t have gamer friends then scanning through gaming forums online is another way to get good and cheap deals for used laptop. Or look on eBay but make a rule only consider sellers in your own country with good feedback and a solid returns and support policy.

**Where to find gamer forums?**

Google search for gaming forums. Start basic “gaming chat forum” and if no luck find out what the very latest games are and look for forums to do with the game title.

Visit each one and check to see if they have a for sale Section. There you’ll definitely find many post from gamers looking to sell their gaming laptops.

**Local bulletin boards and classifieds**

Do scan through local bulletin boards near you for cheap deals on laptop. Craigslist.org is also well worth a look as it is by nature local.

Local boards are especially good if there are software companies around the area. They often sell their used computers or laptops for sale when their projects end.

**What to look for**

Look for cheap laptop with at least 1gb memory – This is especially important for used laptop. If the processor speed is slow, then having more memory can compensate for the lack in speed. In fact, the size of memory plays a big part in determining how fast a laptop runs an application and just by increasing the memory size, you’ll get a huge boost in speed.

A cheap laptop with at least 1gb memory will also run most non graphic intensive application easily and will run graphics fine as long as the graphics card is reasonable.

**Important. Make sure it’s from a mainline manufacturer**

Very important because if you are buying used laptop, then the chances of requiring servicing is higher than a new laptop. So if you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you will save a lot of trouble and time if your laptop do require servicing. It may well be that there is no warranty but at least, just like with a car, there will be many places you can get it looked at.

I hope this has been helpful and that you can now see that getting a good laptop need not be a wallet buster and that it is possible to get a cheap power user laptop. Just think gamers!