You will find a lot of Laptop computer buying tips on the internet. Some of those resources that you will find can really help you and most of them will just waste your time. Some buying tips that you will find on the internet fails to include hardware related details that a buyer should also consider before they buy a laptop or a notebook computer. This post aims to give you a simple notebook buying guide written on layman’s language and not written to sell you anything.

Notebook AC Adapter

When buying a new laptop, you should always make sure to check the size of the AC adapter included in the package before paying for it. When you are in a shop you can ask someone to assist you or ask them to check the AC adapter. But if you buy it online, you do not see the AC adapter before you buy the laptop and open the box at home. You’ll be very surprised to see that the AC adapter included in the package is half-size of your computer. The AC adapter wasn’t designed for a portable computer at all which can be problematic especially when you need your laptop immediately.

Physical Volume Control

If you are fond of listening to music a lot then you should buy a laptop with a physical sound volume control. Laptops with sound volume buttons or sound volume wheel located on the laptop are a good choice. You can easily adjust the sound level of your laptop without the need of adjusting it in the sound volume menu of your system.

Sound System

This is for music and movie lovers. Look for laptops with a good sound system. Some forums advices to get a laptop with Harman/Kardon system because it is one of the best like those on HP Pavilion zv5430us.

Laptop Memory Location

The motherboard of your laptop is one of the most important and expensive part of your notebook computer. You can save a lot of money and get an advantage if you know what kind of the system board is installed into your laptop. There are laptops that have memory integrated on the mother board and offer only one extra memory slot for memory expansion in the future. When the onboard memory fails you need to replace the entire system board. You don’t need to worry if your laptop is still under warranty but this will surely give you a big head ache when the memory of your laptop goes bad and it is no longer under warranty. There are also mother boards that offer two memory slots and don’t have any onboard memory. You will only have to replace the memory stick when it fails. Mother board with 2 memory slots can accept up 1GB memory stick in each slot and expand it. Do not hesitate to ask the sales person for any details especially if you plan to upgrade your laptop in the future

USB Port Location

For those who usually use USB devices such as wireless mouse, flash drive and other external devices, you should always check how USB ports are located on your laptop. It is preferable to have couple of USB ports on the side of your laptop and not only on the back. There are some laptops that do not have USB ports on sides and you need to turn the laptop first before you will be able to connect an USB device.

You should also check if the USB ports if it is placed too close to each other. Older USB devices usually has USB ports placed too close with each other which makes it unusable when you plug or use one of the USB ports for your device.

Laptop Keyboard

If your work requires a lot of networking like a network administrator then you probably want a keyboard that has Window key located in the lower left corner. Network Administrator usually uses the (Window Key + R button) shortcut for their tasks and they can easily do it easily using one hand. Some laptops this key is located in the upper right corner and you need your two hands to start the run box application. Window Key position might not be a big thing for some people but what if you need to use this shortcut many times a day?

Laptop Parallel Port

One laptop parts that is often overlooked. If you plan to use your laptop and print documents then you will need to connect a printer to your laptop via a parallel port. There are many laptops today that are designed for modern USB printers and they do not have the parallel port at all.

Laptop Warranty

There are some stores that offer extended warranty for their product. If I were you I will grab it because it can surely save you a lot of money in the future. A $300 for 3 years extended warranty can save you more money for future repairs when your laptop fails. A mother board repair will usually cost $400 for the part plus around $60/hr for the labor while LCD usually cost around $550 for the part. When your laptop fails after the 1 year warranty then you need to shoulder both the part cost and repair fee.

These are just few of the things that you should consider when you buy a laptop and to some this maybe not a big problem at all but for those who want to spend their hard earned money wisely this can surely help them a lot in making the right decisions.

It’s a very busy day and you have tons of work to do. You turn on your trusty laptop to start getting things done. But just an hour has gone by and you notice that your laptop’s power is fluctuating. You immediately open your laptop bag only to find out you’ve left your trusty AC adapter.

Having a reliable AC adapter could spell the difference between beating a deadline and explaining to your boss or professor why you weren’t able to submit your work on time.

All new laptops come with AC adapters, which are used for charging laptop batteries and to supply power directly to the laptop. If you travel frequently to other countries or own more than one laptop, you would definitely need a universal AC adapter.

Here are some tips on how to pick the right universal AC adapter:

• For laptop users who travel a lot, particularly to Europe and Asia, finding the right input voltage is important. Universal AC adapters can be used with multiple devices and are compatible with 100-240 voltage input.
• Laptop and notebook AC adapters are composed of two ends – the power outlet, which you plug into the wall socket, and the tip, which you connect to the “DC IN” part of your laptop. Though laptops have different connectors, it’s easy to find the right tip for your unit. Remember: your laptop will not work if you’re using the wrong tip. Do not try to force the wrong tip in to avoid damage.
• Laptops were designed to consume power based on the requirements of its components, such as the DVD-Rom, LCD and CPU. Check your laptop’s output voltage to find out which AC adapters match the voltage of your unit.

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