Buying a Laptop!

[Greg Marra]

There is one very important detail to consider when purchasing a computer:

What will the primary use be?

If you are buying a computer for word processing and using the Internet, you have a different set of needs than someone buying a laptop for programming a robot, who has a different set of needs than someone buying a laptop to frag everyone in Doom 3. Will this be your primary computer, or complimenting a desktop?

Also, 5 to 7 years is a very optimistic lifespan to have for a laptop. If you want to avoid having to drop a ton of money every 3-4 years on a laptop, consider buying a cheap one now, and a cheap one in 3 years. The laptop you buy 3 years from now will be light years ahead of anything you can get now, and you can give the old laptop to a family member who doesn't need any extra power.

There's a lot of things to consider when purchasing a computer.