Choosing a laptop

Experts agree that the most important consideration when shopping for the best laptop is deciding how you're going to use your computer. If you just need a basic laptop for surfing the Internet and composing documents, a cheap notebook under $800 (covered in a separate report) might suit your needs. If you don't need much processing power, an inexpensive and lightweight netbook might be worth a look.

Frequent travelers and business users should look first at ultraportable laptops, which weigh less than 5 pounds and are easy to tote. Performance was once a shortfall with these machines, but upgraded technology has made them far more capable. With their integrated graphics, these laptops aren't a good choice for high-end gaming, but they are more than powerful enough for most other tasks.

If you do plan on using your laptop for 3D gaming, a dedicated gaming notebook is your best bet. These high-powered laptops are usually heavy and bulky, but they combine fast processors with dedicated graphics chips to ensure games are smooth and realistic. While most gaming laptops have displays of 17 inches, some smaller, more portable (and cheaper) designs are becoming available, and a few are bigger still.

Finally, if you plan on watching a lot of movies, listening to music or editing photos, experts recommend multimedia laptops. These notebooks put a lot of emphasis on features that media junkies will appreciate, such as high-resolution displays, Blu-ray drives and quality speakers. Like gaming laptops, many multimedia laptops are on the heavy side and usually don't have a very long battery life. If you just want a powerful laptop to replace a desktop, gaming or multimedia notebooks will fit the bill.

In addition, experts say to look for the following when shopping:

  • Look for a second-generation Intel Core processor. Except for budget options, most new laptops are now shipping with Intel's second-generation Sandy Bridge processors. Reviewers say these new CPUs bring significant speed and performance improvements. Laptops with last-generation processors seem slow and dated by comparison.
  • Get at least 2 GB of RAM. If you plan to do more than basic tasks such as surfing the web or composing documents, experts recommend 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM. Many laptops have the option of adding more memory, which can help applications run more quickly and smoothly. It will also allow you to run multiple applications without system drag.
  • Get used to glossy displays. Many -- but not all -- new laptops have a glossy display, which makes graphics and movies look saturated. However, these glossy displays can create glare, especially outside or in an office environment. Some laptops, especially business-focused laptops, offer an anti-glare or matte display, but that's not as common an option as it used to be.
  • Get the biggest hard drive you can afford. Photo, music and video files take up a lot of space. Adding a larger hard drive when you configure a system is a worthwhile upgrade if you collect media files. You cannot add an additional internal hard drive to most laptops, so allowing room for growth can be a good investment. Many ultraportable laptops have only a very small solid-state drive. With those, options to store files "in the cloud" can be valuable.
  • Think about wireless connectivity. Just about all laptops come with integrated Wi-Fi. Some also come with an antenna to access cell-phone carrier wireless networks, including higher-speed 3G and 4G ones, but you'll need a separate data plan to take advantage of that. Some laptops include technology -- WirelessHD or Intel's WiDi -- to stream content in HD to a compatible TV or one equipped with a third-party adapter or receiver.
  • Take note of service, support and warranty. Warranties range from one to three years. All manufacturers offer warranty upgrades, and prices can vary by model. Tech support is generally free during the warranty period, but not thereafter. Manufacturers such as Dell and HP are adding extras such as theft insurance to warranty upgrades to make them more attractive.
  • Beware of bloatware. Consumer laptops are bundled with software; unfortunately, it's often not the software you want or need. For example, you won't get Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint) without paying extra for it. Instead, you get bloatware that consists of expiring trial versions of programs, crippled software (unless you pay to unlock full functionality) and adware. Many find bloatware to be a minor nuisance, but sometimes it's more than that -- slowing down boot-up times and performance until offending programs are uninstalled.

Should you plan for Windows 8?

The next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system will probably launch sometime in 2012. If you're in the market for anything other than a cheap laptop, you don't have to worry if Windows 8 will make your notebook obsolete. Every laptop covered in this report runs on a version of Windows 7. Microsoft has publicly said that any computer that can use Windows 7 will be able to run Windows 8 as well. To catch up on all the changes coming down the pipeline and stay up to date on the latest Windows 8 developments, point your browser to the Building Windows 8 blog.

What about Apple?

Apple is an alternative for laptop buyers. Apple laptops use the OS X Lion operating system but can run Windows 7 as well. However, Windows 7 is not included with Apple laptops and must be purchased separately. More information can be found in our report on Apple laptops and desktops.

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