Buying a laptop

Laptop or Tablet?

Tablets come into their own when you want a device for surfing, watching films and displaying information. If you want all this and the possibility of doing work you need a laptop. Laptop and notebook are pretty much the same thing, but with the notebook being smaller.

Operating System (OS)

If you are just going to surf then you can look at a Google Chromebook. If you have a big budget then look at Apple. Else you are probably best with a Windows machine. At the moment that means Windows 10.

Touchscreen

Many laptops now come with touchscreens, and Windows 10 is designed for this. These machines are usually dearer though. So you need to decide if you are willing to pay for this option. This will be the future, you have decide if you are willing to pay for it now though.

Screen Size

The one thing you can never change is the size of the screen. So make sure you're happy with it. Go to a shop and view the different sizes. Most devices now are wide screen, which works well for films, but not always for surfing. If your laptop is mostly for home I would go 15" or over. The smaller ones are lighter so good to carry, but not great for pre longed use.

RAM / Memory

Usually shown as 4GB, 6GB, etc. RAM is used by the machine to run your applications. It empties when you switch off, hence why reboots fix so many problems! The rule of diminishing returns applies to RAM, so getting 16GB is a waste. Don't go below 4GB and you will be fine for a normal day-to-day laptop.

Hard drive

This is the place where everything is stored. With advances in technology you will now see some 1T (terabyte) drives out there. Anything above 500GB is fine.

Obviously the operation system and software is installed on here. You should look at storing files online though. With an account at outlook.com you have access to Microsoft's OneDrive. OneDrive is integrated with Windows 10 meaning your files are backed up to it and available anywhere. A very handy feature when your laptop dies! There is also a OneDrive app for Android/IOS. Of course your music maybe too big for online storage, so a USB hard drive is a great back up option.

Software Bundles

Devices now come with a whole host of 'free' software. Usually I uninstall most of it!

Home users should not really need to pay for antivirus (AV) software. Uninstall what's on there and install the free version of AVG. This will automatically update and will be enough. Windows 8 also has a Firewall. Install AV before you do any surfing!

Then go to ninite.com and select all the other key pieces of software you need. Adobe Reader, Flash Player, Java, Chrome, etc. This site saves you having to visits loads of sites to get setup.

Office?

Most companies still use Microsoft Office. So you maybe tempted to use it at home too. Office is very expensive though. OpenOffice is a free application which gives you all the function and none of the cost. Plus it's easy to create a PDF in case you need to take the information to the office.

Another option is available if you did create an account at Outlook.com. If you click on the grid in the top left corner you will see the Office Suite is available for use with the files you have in your OneDrive. Although not the full version this is a very useful function and allows sharing with others. A bit like GoogleDocs, but I never made that comparison!