A Beginner's Guide to Buying a Laptop - Processor, RAM and Hard Disk Choices Explained

Buying a laptop computer to make your work life more productive can be great decision but having to decide on buying a reasonable laptop can be a nightmare to many, specially now a days when the laptop computing technology is advancing at a much faster pace than ever before. In this short guide we seek to highlight a few points to remember which have proven to be very helpful and handy to evaluate a laptop deal that best fits your needs.

Knowing What You Need

In order to decide what you need, you first need to list down the activities or tasks that you may want to accomplish using your computer, such as working on MS Office, checking emails, browsing the internet, networking with friends using social sites like Facebook or Twitter, online shopping, playing games, chatting with friends using messenger, working on advanced softwares like CAD, Photoshop or any other applications that might require a lot of system resources etc.

Basic Users

We think basic computing can be defined as the set of activities that you can perform from a standard windows installation with Microsoft Office installed on it and your usual messenger etc. Since these activities does not require your computer to be highly advanced so you may rely on basic processor types such as

For Basic Laptops (13 - 15.6 inch screens usually)

Intel Celeron
Intel Celeron Mobile
AMD Sempron
AMD Athlon
Intel Core 2 Duo and Solo ULV & CULV series

For Netbooks

Intel Atom
AMD NEO
Intel Core 2 Duo and Solo ULV & CULV series

How much RAM is needed: Anything from 1GB or upwards is good enough.

How much screen size is needed: Depending on your choice and the price you want to pay, if you are a frequent traveler than a netbook with a small screen of 10-13 inches is a good choice, whereas if you enjoy watching movies and think you can't compromise on the screen size get a laptop with 14 inch or plus screen size.

How big should be the hard disk: Anything from 160GB or plus is good enough but again if you think you need a lot of space than you may want to get a laptop with more space or even getting an external hard disk can be an alternative to avoid paying for the bigger built in hard disk.

Mid Range Users

If you seek to use your laptop for doing a little more than just browsing the internet and checking emails such as playing 3D games, using image editing softwares or want to be able to run multiple applications at once for example you could be watching a movie while you are downloading music in the background and also have half a dozen browser windows active on your desktop. All such activities demand a fair chunk of system resources, so you would definitely require a computer which has a faster processor and a good RAM to support these functions.

For Standard Laptops and Premium light weight notebooks

AMD Turion
Intel Celeron Dual Core
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core Duo
Intel Core i3
Intel Core i5

How much RAM is needed: Anything from 3GB or upwards is good enough. How much screen size is needed: Screen size is totally optional depending on your needs. How big should be the hard disk: Anything from 250GB or plus is good enough but if you are in to downloading games or movies often then you should seek a laptop with 320GB hard drive or alternatively get an external USB hard disk.

Advanced/Pro Users

If you happen to be like one of us, a 'geek' then first we would like to say 'hey! its absolutely fine, you are not alone' and we should pride ourselves by thinking we are far ahead of the many who are not PROs. Anyhow another bad news is 'well the laptop that will suit your needs is not going to be a cheap one'.

For Advanced Laptops and Premium light weight notebooks

AMD Turion X2
Intel Celeron Dual Core
Intel L Series Processors with 3MB+ L2 Cache
Intel P Series Processors with 3MB+ L2 Cache
Intel E Series Processors with 3MB+ L2 Cache
Intel Q Series Processors with 3MB+ L2 Cache
Intel T Series Processors with 3MB+ L2 Cache
Intel Quad Processors
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Pentium Dual Core

How much RAM is needed: Anything from 4GB or upwards is good enough.

How much screen size is needed: Screen size is totally optional depending on your needs.

How big should be the hard disk: Anything from 320GB or plus is good enough but if you like to cut down on the cost consider getting an external USB hard disk as 500GB plus capacity laptops are quite expensive.

Laptop Deals

Five Ways to Save Money For College With Your iPhone 3G, Laptop and Other Electronics

Every dollar counts for college students who must pay tuition and various other college-related expenses. College success requires access to computers in a technologically-oriented world, but you can save money by weighing how you use the electronics you already have.

1. Sell old electronics. If you have a broken iPhone 3G, cell phone, computer or any other electronic device, get rid of it by selling your electronic gadgets online for some cash. Online companies will take your electronics whether they work or not, mail you a check or transmit funds via your PayPal account and then recycle your electronics.

2. Hold off on the iPhone 3G or Blackberry. Between my freshman year in college to graduation day, I went through four different cell phones. I dropped two cell phones one too many times and the other two simply broke. I know friends and family to damaged their pricey iPhone in a moment of carelessness. With a disheartening crack, the iPhone met the floor or cement and the advanced iPhone 3G becomes a worthless bit of plastic. If you're salivating over the new iPhone 3G or Blackberry Bold, think about acquiring a basic cell phone until you have more funds. Getting the cheapest (sometimes free) phone instead of an iPhone or Blackberry with a two-year contract can save you up to $199 in upfront costs. Consider getting a phone with only a local coverage area or a pre-paid phone that you use only for emergencies or for finding your classmates to get that group project done.

3. Limit your text message usage. It's easy to get carried away when text messaging. Almost 80 percent of college students use text messages with the average student sending and receiving 115 messages each month, according to Campus Media Group. If you're obligated to a cell phone service contract, then save a chunk of money by limiting your text messages or eliminating your text message package altogether. Assume you pay $10 per month for sending and receiving 75 messages. Slashing that expense could save you $120.00. The alternative to "texting" brings us to our next tip.

4. Communicate with your friends by using social networks more often. What do you do if you want to save money on text messages? Get on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook or the social media network of your choice whenever you pass by the school library or computer lab. Students can still keep in touch in real time through these sites without having to pay 20 cents per text message.

5. Ditch the cable TV. In the last 13 years, cable rates have increased 122 percent to a current average of $49.65 per month. Cancel your cable services and legally watch cable TV shows, such as South Park, on the Internet for free on sites like hulu.com. Stop paying those monthly cable fees by watching your must-watch shows on your computer and save an average of $560 per year.

Be creative with trimming your expenses. Your iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, game consoles can help you with your finances. Sell what you don't need and save the money you don't need to spend to pay for college expenses.

Katy Marie is a freelance writer from Reno, NV. For more information visit Cash for iPhones