Choosing your ideal portable computer purchase can be a nightmare. There are dozens of different manufacturers, and hundreds, if not thousands of different laptops with different specifications, so it’s always best to choose the right one that’s tailored to your needs.

With that in mind, we’ve created a handy guide which will allow to you pick the perfect laptop or netbook (don’t worry, we’ll explain the differences between the two also) for you. If you have any queries about anything in this guide, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales team either via email or by calling us on 0121 202 0030.

Choosing your perfect laptop.

When choosing your ideal laptop, there are a few things to really consider:

Screen

The screen needs to be large enough for you to use comfortably, but if weight or portability is an issue, consider opting for a smaller sized laptop as these are generally lighter in weight, and more manageable if you need to carry the laptop around with you.

Hard Drive

This is the component within the laptop which is where all of your files (photos, videos, music, and even programs) are stored. The larger the hard drive capacity, the more space you will have for storing files. Laptops now usually come with a minimum of about 80GB, and can go up to 1000GB on the larger, higher end models from some manufacturers. If you think you will be storing a lot of digital media on the laptop, you should ensure that the hard drive capacity is enough to accommodate your files.

Processor

The processor is the brain of your laptop purchase. Obviously the faster the processor is, the more complex calculations it can carry out per second. This means that faster processors will allow you to carry out any tasks you utilise the laptop for in a shorter period of time. This is one of the components which can’t easily be changed on a laptop, so it’s worth getting the fastest processor you can afford.

Memory

The memory within a laptop is a very fast data store and is much faster than the hard drive is. For this reason, programs which you are currently running on the laptop will be stored in the system memory (RAM) to maximise the speed at which you can work at. Ideally you should be looking at a very minimum of 1GB, but having 2 or 3GB is ideal. If you will be doing very memory or processor intensive tasks such as video editing, photo manipulation, or even playing games, it is worth opting for a minimum of 2GB or 3GB.

Graphics Card

The graphics card is the component within the laptop which will power many of the tasks that you carry out on the laptop on a day to day basis. If you intend to play any 3D games at all on your laptop, you should opt for a dedicated graphics card as these are much faster than their integrated counterparts. However, if your laptop is going to be used for the usual day to day tasks such as web browsing, or word processing, you can opt for a laptop with an integrated graphics card as these laptops are generally cheaper. Selecting which type of graphics card you require is essential as these can’t be upgraded.

Netbooks.

Netbooks are a new type of computer which have been designed and engineered to be as small as possible whilst giving excellent battery life. In a nutshell, these are ultra portable computers which usually have a screen size of about 10”, and weigh on average approximately 1-1.5Kg. Do note that these netbook computers are designed to be energy efficient and are slower than normal laptop computers. General uses for the average netbook include for example, internet browsing, word processing, and spreadsheet manipulation. They’re pretty much computers that are designed to be used on the move, and to provide you with a battery life that should last you through an average day. They aren’t really designed for playing games however so if games are your thing, it’s best to go for a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.

Now you know what to look out for, check out our laptop chooser at the top of the homepage to start finding your perfect laptop or netbook purchase.

Glossary

3G HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access) – High Speed Internet on the move. Computers with built in 3G HSDPA modems will have a SIM card slot like those found in mobile phones. If you insert a SIM card, you can use it to access mobile broadband using the phone company’s network.

Bluetooth – A short range radio signal which allows you to connect other Bluetooth devices to your laptop. A common example of this would be connecting your mobile phone to your laptop to wirelessly send and receive pictures to and from the laptop/mobile phone.

WLAN/WiFi – Having a computer equipped with a wireless LAN or Wifi card will allow you to join networks both at home and whilst outdoors. These networks usually allow access to the internet so you can catch up with your emails or just surf the internet whilst you walk around your house, or are sitting enjoying a coffee while you’re in a cafe.

HDMI – The High Definition Multimedia Interface is a new form of technology that can carry digital video and audio signals down a single cable. This technology provides the best quality video and audio, and can be plugged directly into nearly all HD-Ready TV’s.

VGA – The VGA-out port on your laptop will allow you plug your computer into a larger screen TV, but does not have the same image quality as a HDMI cable would allow. They also don’t carry sound signals so you will require a separate cable if you wish to transfer sound from your laptop to your TV.

USB - (Universal Serial Bus) enables users to plug their peripherals into an available USB port and have it automatically recognised and installed. USB 1.1 is the older variation and transfers data at up to 12mbps (megabits per second), while USB 2.0 offers faster speeds of up to 480mbps.