Thursday, 14 July 2011

What Laptop

What Laptop

It’s now easier than ever to find a cheap laptop that will perform most tasks, though spending the same amount of money on a desktop PC or Mac will still get you more in terms of raw specification and power. This will usually only matter if you're doing something like video editing or playing the latest games.

Choosing a laptop gives you the freedom to use your computer on the move or around the home rather than find yourself chained to one room.

It also means you can take advantage of wireless networking to surf the web without being connected to a phone socket.

This buyers’ guide has advice on what to look for and how much to spend, explains laptop jargon, and gives practical tips.

To find out more how specific laptops from brands including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba compare, read the Which? expert laptops review

What type of laptop or netbook should I choose?

The best laptop for you will depend entirely on what you plan to use it for. You might need your computer to be more portable, for example, or you might simply prefer something that can be easily folded up and put away to save space when it’s not in use.

Before you buy, you need to carefully consider which type of laptop would suit you best, weighing up things such as portability against power and price. Size and weight vary considerably, with a small, portable netbook averaging around 1kg, and larger widescreen laptops weighing in at around 3kg.

Our interactive laptop choosing tool will guide you to the best laptop for you.

Entry-level and student laptops

Best for: students, novices and people with basic computing needs

Entry-level systems are a cheaper (below £450), basic option, best for those who just use their laptop for straightforward office tasks such as spreadsheets, email and internet use.

They're a good choice for students looking for something to take to lectures or for writing essays and could be a great starting point for people using computers for the first time.

These systems have less memory (Ram) than their more powerful (and more expensive) counterparts - typically around 2GB - and may not run a dual core processor. They may not have as much storage space as more expensive alternatives but aim for at least 250GB of hard disk space if you can.

For recommended models, take a look at our reviews of entry-level laptops.

Desktop replacement laptops

Best for: People looking for a big, powerful laptop to use at home

Desktop replacements are much more powerful computers that are comparable to desktop systems in terms of power and features, but in a portable format. This type of computer is best suited to those who want to edit photos or video and play games, as well as perform office tasks.

As these laptops are designed to replace a bulky desktop machine, they have big screens (typically 17-inches) and large keyboards. Thanks to their size, desktop replacements tend to be a lot heavier than other laptops, so they're not a good choice if you're looking for something to take out and about.

These models have plenty of memory (at least 4GB of Ram) which is particularly important if you're running several programs at once. They may have a separate graphics card - very helpful for playing games or editing video - and will run a powerful processor such as Intel's Core i5 or i7 chips. Desktop replacements should have plenty of storage for photos, videos, documents and programs. Permanent storage is provided by the laptop's hard disk drive, which should be at least 500GB for a desktop replacement.

All of this power is very draining on the battery, though, so don't expect to get more than a few hours' battery life out of a desktop replacement. Of course, such models tend to spend most of their time plugged into the wall so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.