Buying Laptop Computers Guide : Basic Info and Bag Checklist

Laptops are portable, they’re stylish, and let’s face it: the opposite sex will think you more sophisticated when you’re suavely tapping out your latest blog entry at the coffee shop. Okay, that’s probably not true, but they are fun to have for both work and play.

For checking emails, surfing the web, or typing up that short story, you can get away with less power, weight, and screen size in your laptop. Beware however, as some of these are small because of the absence of a CD-RW, DVD±R or other hardware. Also, due to having less hardware to power, battery life is significantly increased in these lightweight portables.

When you’re purchasing your laptop, check for the following features:

• Memory: Your laptop should have at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM.
• Processor speed: Look for a minimum of 1.6 GHz processor speed.
• Size/weight: If you’re planning on traveling with your laptop often, a lighter weight laptop or netbook might be better.
• Price: Set a budget that you're comfortable with — you can get pretty inexpensive laptops that work for most folks these days.
• Keyboard/Mouse: Make sure the keyboard and mouse built into your laptop feel comfortable to you.
• Monitor: Laptops come with different size monitors. A 15-inch monitor is comfortable for most people, but if you do work with higher-end images or watch videos, consider a larger monitor, but be aware that the larger the monitor, the larger and heftier the laptop.
• Input ports and drives: Laptops might come with a built-in CD or DVD drive, USB ports for connecting peripherals and USB sticks, and ports to connect to scanners and printers.
• Wireless capability: To connect to some wireless devices and networks, you need a laptop with wireless capability.
• Included software: Some laptops come with utility programs such as antivirus software or productivity software such as Microsoft Works.
• Manufacturer support: Check the warranty and technical support available.
• Graphics and sound cards: If you want to use multimedia or game software, ask for more sophisticated sound and video features in your laptop.

My Basic Laptop Info

The following technical information is specific to your own laptop .Print this page and write down the information, and then save the page with the other material that came with your laptop.

1. Brand name:    
2. Make:    
3. Model number:    
4. Serial number:    
5. Laptop battery’s make and model:    
6. RAM: ____________ MB
7. Hard drive capacity: ___________ GB
8. Press the __________ key when the computer first starts to access my laptop's Setup program.

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My Laptop Bag Checklist

Here's a smattering of items you might want to stuff into your laptop case or backpack. Remember: The more you pack, the heavier the bag!

1. Laptop
2. Power adapter
3. Extra battery
4. External mouse
5. Ethernet cable
6. Phone cable
7. Pens, paper, stickies
8. Screen wipes
9. Headphones
10. Copy of presentation
11. USB flash drives
12. Recordable optical discs
13. Lock or cable
14. Tiny toolkit
15. Cooling fan
16. Business cards

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