Buying a new laptop of desktop is a decision that every business owner is faced with at some point. Whether it’s buying a new device for personal use, or to outfit the office and employees with, getting the best value for the best price is always a priority.
If a new laptop or PC is in your future, then consider some of the suggestions below when looking at your available options. After all, you want to get the best performing machine within your budget, and these tips will help you accomplish that.
Look at the warranty offered.
“Check into the warranty, because there are a lot of machines that offer inadequate service and repair terms. If you just focus on price, you might be buying more laptops that you planned on. Are parts covered? Labor? Get all of the details before you make any decisions.” — Jim Epton of Dom Huga Ltd
The hardware.
“The hardware inside. Is it easily upgradable? How much Ram does it house? Is the video card capable of maximizing the value of the display you have or require? Does it have the latest version of Windows?” — Marc Webb, Founder of Real PDL Help
Keep storage in mind.
“Storage space is important for more casual users. With the amount of space video and photos take up, ensuring maximum hard drive capacity can eliminate the ‘disk is full’ issues that are common to the casual PC user.” — Shawn Schulze of HomeArea.com
RAM and graphics card.
“In general, you’ll want to focus on the processor, the RAM, and the graphics card. If you’re into gaming or video editing, you’ll want to focus on the higher end products for faster speeds and performance. As VR gaming becomes more popular, you’ll need the most powerful equipment you can afford.” — Joseph W. Belluck of Belluck & Fox, LLP
Laptop ports.
“For laptops, I look for available ports. I think Apple removing USB ports was a horrible decision, forcing users to buy dongles in order to plug in devices. It’s a major inconvenience and just one more thing to remember to pack. I need a minimum of two USB ports on my laptops.” — Tom Munroe, CEO of RugStudio
Buy for features you need.
“It really depends on what you plan to use it for. If you are editing video on the machine, then you need one with suitable memory that can handle massive downloads and compressions, but if you are just browsing the internet and doing light word processing then go for the value dollar-wise.” — Christopher Dziak, CEO of Pure Nootropics
Identify your use-needs.
“It depends on the use-case of the new PC or laptop. For everyday tasks, word processing, and web browsing, the CPU and RAM with a solid SSD will be crucial to make sure your computer runs smoothly and efficiently. For gaming, you’ll want to make sure the GPU can handle the games you want to play.“ — Sean Christman, Founder of Slamdot
Go for the bigger screen.
“Spend the extra money for the bigger monitor, for both laptops and desktops. The difference between a 13 inch and 17 inch laptop isn’t huge when comparing size for traveling, but the larger screen gives you such a better work area. It’s well worth it in my opinion.” — Michael Herron of The Law Offices of Michael R. Herron, P.A
Processing speed.
“The most important feature I look for when I am shopping for a new laptop is processor speed. Because storage is pretty much all online now, I look for the fastest processor so I can have whatever I need up and running simultaneously.” — Ben Walker, Founder of Transcription Outsourcing, LLC
Look into battery life.
“Make sure you read reviews and feedback about the battery life. There are a lot of budget laptops out there, but they have thin batteries that don’t have a long charge or they simply don’t hold a charge well. This can be a major disadvantage of you travel often and need to constantly charge it.” — Ari Evans of AAA Handbags
The user drives all decisions.
“The most important feature to consider in the user. This drives every other decision. Once you know who is using it and what they are using it for you can quickly determine the most important factors to look into storage, RAM, portability, etc. and figure what works best for your life/work.” — Shawn Freeman, Founder and CEO of TWT Group
Multiple monitors.
“If shopping for a PC, consider multiple monitors and a quality monitor stand. Multiple monitors can drastically increase productivity. Two to three should be considered standard. Also, a quality stand will help increase the ergonomics of your workstation.” — Matthew Kolb of All High Schools
Look at the actual storage space available.
“Look at the storage you are receiving. A lot of the discounted or entry level machines have very low storage capabilities. So, after you load up your favorite programs and software you are left with almost nothing. External hard drives can be a pain, so get enough memory.” — Andrew Tran, Founder of Therapy
