Do the proper research before buying a laptop

With many options and prices, tailor your search to your needs

With new and more powerful models debuting regularly, a laptop can be an overwhelming purchase — especially for a student buying their first.

To make it easier, the Star reached out to Alex Semine, IT specialist at Tech Guys Toronto, and Nicholas Deleon, a senior tech reporter at Consumer Reports, for their tips on buying a lap top. Think about your needs Before you make the purchase, Deleon advises thinking about your needs. For example, are you a student who will be using Google Docs, Microsoft Office and a web browser at university all day? Are you planning to keep the laptop plugged in on a desk at home most of the time?

“(If you’re a student) you probably don’t need things like a dedicated graphics card, the absolute fastest central processing unit (CPU), or other expensive ‘nice to haves’ like a 4K display,” Deleon said.

“You’d likely want to focus on things like battery life, making sure the keyboard is comfortable to type on, making sure the laptop is light enough to carry with you, and so on.”

If the laptop is mainly for home use, he added, battery life and weight won’t matter as much. But for those who plan to use it primarily out of the home should look for an eight-hour minimum battery life.

Semine agrees that your purpose should guide your laptop purchase, especially for things such as size and style.

“Many small laptops that look slim and professional end up being difficult to work on if you need to write code or work on spreadsheets,” he adds. “A bulky laptop may be more comfortable for your needs, even if it isn’t as ‘hot.’ ”

Do your homework One of the biggest mistakes first-time laptop buyers can make is buying the first model they like, Semine said. Doing a bit of research can save you money and ensure you get the best laptop for your needs, he added. “Use the internet to price check, look for laptops with similar specs and features, and wait for discounts and sales,” he advised.

Buying a refurbished computer can also be a great option for those on a budget, or those who don’t need the latest and greatest model.

“There is a large and healthy refurbished market that has amazing deals worth checking out,” Semine said. “Many reputable retailers have their own refurbished offerings which are easy to recommend. For example, Apple has an online refurbished store often offering sixmonth-old machines for half their original price, completely unused and under full warranty.”

Storage matters When it comes to storage space, Semine recommends buying a laptop with an SSD (Solid State Drive) over the more traditional HDD (Hard Disk Drive) if you want a speedy computer. SSDs may be a bit more expensive and have a smaller storage space capacity, he explains, but they can be five to 15 times faster for certain tasks.

“I would take a laptop with an SSD over a faster CPU or RAM any day,” Semine adds. “Even if you have to pay $100 to $200 more for one as an optional upgrade, or a more expensive laptop that has one built-in, the total time you save on waiting for Windows boot-ups, program loading times, and general productivity tasks is worth it over the life of the laptop compared to your time waiting.”

SSDs are also lighter physically, better on battery and shockproof (which helps avoid costly hard drive data recovery expenses or repairs). Buyers on a budget should keep in mind any IT person or tech shop should be able to upgrade a machine with an HDD to one with an SSD, breathing new life into an old machine — or making a new machine much faster.

Other things to keep in mind

Don’t worry too much about the Mac versus PC battle: so much of the work people do these days is in the browser, so it doesn’t matter as much as it used to, Deleon notes.

Look for a computer with at least a few USB ports: these are critical if you plan on plugging in an external hard drive to do backups, want to transfer information on memory sticks, or use a mouse to control your laptop.

Consider RAM, CPU and screen size/resolution. Different laptop models have different options at different prices, so do your homework to make sure you’re getting the right fit for you.

Check if your school, institution, or worksite has offers for Microsoft Office products. People often buy or subscribe to Office 365 to get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, but many schools offer this subscription free as part of their program.