NAVIGATION

Laptops are becoming very prominent in our lives; though they were first meant as a small market for the military, the IRS, and accountants, you can now see them in schools, coffee shops, and offices everywhere-- and even on airplanes and public transit systems. Because laptop computers are so common, they are becoming more affordable, but it can be difficult to find good deals out there; companies know they can make a killing by selling such popular technology, and they will go to great lengths to make sure you pay as much as possible.. This site is designed to help you find a laptop that's both inexpensive and well-suited for your needs. Don't be like all the people who spend far more on laptops than they need to!

Inexpensive laptops are sometimes referred to as "budget" laptops or "economy" laptops, and they are designed to be as useful as possible while still carrying a low price tag. Unless you're planning on using your computer to run graphics-intensive games, there's really no reason for you to spend tons of money buying a really fast computer; since most of the tasks you'll likely use your computer for (such as web browsing, typing documents, and reading your email) don't require much memory at all, you'd probably be wasting money by buying a really fancy computer with expensive hardware. In short: if you're not a gamer, don't waste money on a gaming computer!

(Note: if you are going to use your computer for games, you probably don't want to buy a laptop anyways; laptops are meant for portability more than anything. As a result, buying a laptop with "gaming-quality" specifications will be a lot more expensive than a desktop with the same specifications. That also means that if portability isn't important to you, you should buy a desktop instead of a laptop!)

Before making the final decision on a computer purchase, it's very important to know what all the specs (specifications) mean. Below is a list of specs, and what they mean to you when buying a computer:

1. Processor (CPU):  Your processor determines how many calculations per second your computer can do; it is arguably the most important contributor to the speed of your computer. Processor speeds are measured in gigahertz (GHz), though older processors are measured in megahertz (MHz); 1 GHz = 1024 MHz. Any computers you can buy today that were made in the last few years will almost certainly have enough processing power to run all of the tasks needed by your average user at an acceptable speed. On Windows systems, you can check your processor make and speed by right-clicking on "My Computer" on the Desktop (or "Computer" in the Start menu for Vista and Windows 7).


2. Random Access Memory (RAM):  RAM is another important factor in determining the speed of a machine. It is measured in gigabytes (GB), though RAM for older machines will probably be measured in megabytes (MB); 1 GB = 1024 MB. In actuality, as little as 512 MB of ram is enough to run everyday tasks at a good speed, though 1 GB or more is good for running processes that require more memory, such as Flash games or Java applets in a web browser. Interestingly enough, most computers you buy from manufacturers nowadays seem to have 4 GB or more of RAM, so if you're buying a brand-new computer you'll definitely have enough for everyday tasks. On Windows systems, you can see how much RAM your computer has by right-clicking on "My Computer" on the Desktop (or "Computer" in the Start menu for Vista and Windows 7).


3. Graphics Card:  Your graphics card is used to render and display advanced graphical effects on your computer. A good way to quickly determine how good a graphics card is is to look at its memory; this is measured either in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB); 1 GB = 1024 MB. For everyday tasks, you don't need much more than 128 MB of graphics memory; luckily, it's hard to find new computers, even inexpensive ones, which have less than 256 MB of graphics memory. The only people who really need 1 GB of graphics memory or more are gamers and people who use applications requiring advanced graphics rendering, such as 3D modeling programs. On Windows systems, you can see how much graphics memory your computer has by pressing Winkey+R or selecting Run from the start menu, then entering dxdiag into the box, pressing enter, closing any alerts if they pop up, and then selecting the Display tab).


4. Hard Drive (HDD):  Your hard drive is used up when you save files and install programs. Hard drive space is generally measured in gigabytes (GB), though larger hard drives are measured in terabytes (TB); 1 TB = 1024 GB. The amount of hard drive space needed really varies depending on the user; if you don't really install many programs or create large files, 100 GB should be more than enough for you. However, if you have a large music/picture collection or have some other reason to save large numbers of files, you'll probably want to go for a larger hard drive. Hard drive space is cheap, especially if you order the hard drive as a package with the rest of the computer. To put things into perspective, 1 GB is worth about 250 average-length .mp3 files or photos (one of either takes up about 5 MB). Keep in mind that if you order a hard drive and it turns out later you need more space, you can get an external hard drive (EHDD) for a reasonable price that you can connect to a USB port on your computer. Hard drive space doesn't really affect the speed of your computer unless you've filled it to more than 80% of its capacity; if this is the case, you might notice your computer starting to slow down as you fill up the disk.


5. Operating System (OS):  Your operating system is the software which allows you to use your computer easily. The most popular operating systems are all the Windows versions out there, though MacIntosh operating systems are becoming increasingly popular and Linux/Unix operating systems are preferred by those who want extensive customizability. I personally prefer Linux because I do a lot of programming, but I also use Windows 7 for compatability reasons. There's no definite way to say whether one operating system is better than another; consequently, the choice is up to you. If you haven't used computers a lot, you'll probably want to go with Windows; Windows OSs are simple and user-friendly.

Naturally, there are other factors which can affect how well your computer runs, but the list above summarizes the most important ones. If you use this list as a guide, you'll be well on your way to selecting an inexpensive computer that's perfect for you.