Buying a Laptop - 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Looking

Thinking about getting a new laptop or even your first laptop? Buying a laptop is an important decision and before you buy online you need to establish the primary purpose of your laptop as this will dictate the specifications you need.

While you may consider that all laptops are roughly the same one look at the range of prices will convince you otherwise. There is a definite danger that you will pay too much for a high performance or ultra portable laptop that you really don't need or pay too little and end up with a laptop that's not capable of performing your everyday tasks or fit for purpose. By having an idea of how you will use your laptop and ideally what programmes you will want to run, you will be closer to making an informed decision on the right model for you.

Lenovo Notebook

The following are 5 key questions you should ask yourself before looking at the various laptops on offer:

1. How portable does it need to be?

This will dictate size and weight considerations but also battery life.

2. Will I be storing lots of large files such as images, music and video?

This will determine how important the size of the hard drive is in your decision.

3. Do I want to load specialist software on my laptop such as Photoshop?

This will have implications for the processor speed and the amount of RAM you require.

4. Will it be used for entertainment purposes?

Large screen sizes, dedicated graphics cards and the quality of speakers will become important as well as the type of optical drive the laptop has.

5. How much can money can I afford to spend?

Budget constraints will dictate where you may have to compromise on features and performance.

Buying a Laptop - 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Looking