How To Find The Best Deal On A Laptop
Getting a great deal on a laptop is a pretty straight forward process. The key to finding a great deal is to know ahead of time exactly what you are looking for. Then you can compare apples to apples and really find out who is selling the right computer for you at the best possible price. If you aren’t sure about exactly what you want, then you are going to him and haw over which model has the best features for the money.
If you take the time to read over the pages I have listed on this blog, you will get a really good sense of the types of features you should be looking for. One of the most popular questions I answer on this website is which brand of laptop you should buy. I recommend reading that.
Most of the Windows’ based laptops on the market today come with some standard features that you don’t even need to really think about when making your purchase. For instance, pretty much every Window’s based laptop on the market comes with a built in Wifi (wireless internet) adaptor. They also come standard with a DVD burner. That DVD burner can read and burn both CD’s and DVD’s. Because every laptop comes with them, you can ignore those basic factors and focus on what makes the laptops different.
The main things that are going to make a big difference in a laptop are:
1) The CPU (microprocessor – I recommend Intel) Read my page about Intel vs. AMD.
2) The amount of RAM (4GB is good, more is better)
3) Hard drive size and speed (look for 7200RPM or SSD if speed is a big deal to you)
4) The screen size (depends on personal preference)
5) The brand (I wrote a whole page about which brand to buy)
Those are really the big factors. I suggest you focus on them in that order. First you should educate yourself enough about those components to make a good, well informed decision about your purchase.
Once you have decided on the types of components that are acceptable, then you can shop the various stores to find the best deal on what you really want. Try using my shopping worksheets to make the process a little bit easier for you. There are so many different combinations of hardware components that it will take you a little while to really find the best deal for your unique situation.
What kinds of prices would be considered a great deal?
• A decent home use laptop can be purchased for under $600.00 if you shop around. Great deals can be found for as little as $400 at times.
• A laptop with the specifications I recommend for a college student can be purchased in the $600-$700 range.
• A Core i5 based laptop under $600 would be a great deal.
Where to shop for the best deal on a new laptop
I recommend checking the manufacturers’ websites of whatever brands you really like. The manufacturers sell direct to the end user.
I also recommend shopping online at certain places. All of the following places online are trustworthy places to buy from:
Hewlett Packard direct –
Buy.com
Bestbuy.com Cyber Sale, 2 Days Only, Sunday-Monday. Online Only.
NewEgg.com
Costco.com