Big decision right? Lats of maney right? Too many variables and you get lost in the details and go for something that you'll regret? Well fear not, I created this video for fun but mostly to show laptop buyers that:
BUYING A LAPTOP = ELIMINATION PROCESS
It's as easy as that. In my video, the elimination process is only 4 steps long:
1. Graphics Processing unit (GPU)
2. Hard-Drive (HDD)
4. RAM Memory (RAM)
3. Central Processor (CPU)
I did it this way because of the future upgrade options. With hindsight, I'd swap the hard-drive and CPU positions. It's way harder to find a faster & compatible CPU than finding a larger & faster hard-drive. Even if lots of eBay sellers now sell mobile CPU from $50 to $250, it's a real pain to upgrade the CPU -- but not impossible. I know this because this is how my 4-years old laptop has managed to keep up with time. A $120 CPU injection. Unfortunately you can't upgrade the graphics unit (aka GPU) in most laptops. Even if you could, you'd need to fork out $300 to $600 (for new items), do precise soldering work with equipment that you don't have... at this price, it'd be wise to consider a brand new laptop. The GPU scene has changed a bit though, I believe Dell, ASUS, Sager and MSI sell easy to upgrade GPU. They will cost $200-$600 but are PCIe cards that are easy to slot in. Ask customer care before buying and factor that in your budget.
Most times, the laptop will run fine for years. Screen will lose some brightness but which can be repaired using the Gamma settings of your graphics driver. The laptop will definitely feel sluggish though and that's to be expected -- it's Windows fault! If you do online shopping & banking, then security must be important to you and unfortuantely, the updated firewall+antivirus (over time) will also add to the sluggishness. So double or triple layers of burden each time Windows or Antivirus Update runs.
If you ask me, it's a big price. I happened to re-install Windows after a crash. It was 2.5 years after purchase. Without antivirus-firewall and Windows service-packs, that machine booted in 20 seconds and programs launched and ran really fast. What a change! Maybe it should be a rule to re-install that crappy Windows every 2-3 years, that or install PC Tools Registry Mechanic (don't forget to set it to create Restore points before cleaning up the Registry! That's important 'coz I've seen this Registry cleaner make software stop running after cleanup).
If I had to buy a new laptop now. First thing I'd want to check is the screen. I look at that thing 98% of the time, so the screen has to be a solid investment -- both comfortable to the eyes and a rich depth of colors.Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to go in-store and check... maybe buy online at a cheaper competitor. Who makes the best screens? I have no idea, that's a good question. As for the other 4 technical aspects to consider, watch my 3-minute video :
If thanks to this clip, those greedy laptop makers sit on a pile of unsold crap (e.g. 5400 rpm hard-disks, crappy Intel integrated Graphics, 720p screens), then my work will have been accomplished.
Happy shopping! Post your tips or rant below. :)
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