If you’re in the market for a cheap laptop, there are few things you should keep in mind so that you don’t walk away with an outdated or faulty machine that won’t meet your requirement. Careful thought and the willingness to shop around and ask questions are necessary to ensure that you get what you paid for.
Know what you want ahead of time.
If you’re working to a tight budget, make a list of features your laptop needs to have before you start shopping. Think carefully about what you really need, and what you can get away with not having. For example, you may be able to get a USB wireless connector cheaper than having a laptop with inbuilt wireless.
If you’re going for a cheap laptop, you probably aren’t going to be doing anything too extravagant on it. 40GB of space should be plenty, and you can probably get away with buying a laptop with 256MB of RAM and upgrading to 1GB much cheaper than buying it already installed. Basic Intel processors are suitable for general use without buying anything too expensive.
Out of Windows XP and Vista, XP will probably suit your needs better. It works with current programs and uses less RAM to run.
The cost of your laptop will go up substantially with battery capacity. However, if you mostly work indoors you probably won’t even need much battery as you can run your laptop off the charger. Outside you’ll have problems with glare, anyway, so working inside is the better option.
Cheaper laptops tend to come with bigger screens, which is great for watching movies and the like, but may not be so good for text display. It can also make the laptop bulkier and harder to carry around or fit into standard laptop cases. On the other hand, mini laptop screens may prove too small for your needs, so it is important to shop around and find something that fits both your budget and your requirements.
Purchasing a laptop second hand.
Many people will advise against purchasing a second hand laptop, as it is quite risky. However, if you know what questions to ask and what you’re looking for, you may be able to pick up an excellent bargain.
1. The best people to buy computers from are people you know, or reputable resalers.
2. Find out why the laptop is being sold. You don’t want to find out too late that it was sold because the original owner was having problems with it. A good reason might be if they have just moved in with a partner who already has a laptop, or if they have upgraded to something better and just have no use for the old one any more.
3. Age matters with laptops. Anything older than five years will have fewer capabilities than more recent models, and will start to become incompatible with newer software products. If you find a laptop for sale that is less than one year old then you should be asking why it is being resold so soon.
4. Compare the sale price of the laptop with its original price. If the seller doesn’t give you this information, you can look up the laptop model on the internet to find out how much it was originally worth. If a used computer is close to its original price, you may as well just pay the little bit extra to get a new one. If it’s dirt cheap, find out why. It’s probably too old to be very useful any more, or there’s something wrong with it. Your best bet is to find a laptop that is a couple of years old and selling at around half its original price.
5. Does it have a warranty? If not, you may have difficulty getting your laptop repaired or replaced should anything go wrong.
6. Try and secure the original proof of purchase. You may need to provide this should you require repairs or maintenance. It also safeguards you against accidentally purchasing a stolen machine.
7. If you can’t secure a personal warranty from the seller guaranteeing a full refund if the item is faulty, don’t buy it.
Andrew Johnson is an expert in electronic products. If you would like further information about types of cheap laptop or are searching for a reputable computer retailer please visit http://www.ebuyer.com
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