Laptop buying guide

1. What are you going to do with it?

All-Purpose: If you want to do a little bit of everything or plan to share your laptop amongst family members, you can consider anything from an inexpensive 15-incher that mostly stays in your living room to a lightweight 11- or 13-inch system you carry around the house. Depending on how much gaming and graphics work you want to do, expect to spend between $400 and $800.

2. Choose the Right Size





3. Check That Keyboard and Touchpad




The most impressive specs in the world don’t mean diddly if the laptop you’re considering has bad ergonomics. Ask yourself a few questions to test this important quality: Does the keyboard have solid tactile feedback and enough space between the keys? Is the touchpad smooth to operate, or is it jumpy? Do the mouse buttons have a satisfying click, or do they feel mushy? How well do multitouch gestures work? Can you zoom in and out with ease, and select text using the touchpad without the cursor skipping around?

4. Know Your Specs

• Hard Drive/SSD
• RAM
• Flash Cache
• Display
• Touch Screen
• Graphics Chip
• DVD/Blu-ray Drives