Consider Your Needs, Then Use This Guide to Buying a Laptop
For years, I have focused my twice-a-year computer buyer’s guides on desktop PCs, with less-frequent columns focusing on laptops. Now that the latter are outselling the former, though, I am going to center my main buying guides on laptops. Many of the specs I recommend will also apply to desktops.
As always, this is a general guide aimed at mainstream, nontechnical consumers who dwell on common tasks such as email, instant messaging and surfing the Web; managing and lightly editing photos, videos and music; and using basic office applications. It is not intended for heavy gamers, video producers or corporate buyers.
There’s a vast variety of laptop models, but this guide is meant to cover the most common types of laptops, those with screens from about 12 inches to 17 inches, and weights ranging from around 2.5 pounds to 7 pounds.
For this column, I’m not including the category of tiny machines now called netbooks, with screens under 10 inches. I am also ignoring the huge, heavy laptops with screens larger than 17 inches that are primarily aimed at gamers.
Even the remaining mainstream machines range wildly in price, from bargain-basement models at $350 to high-end ones that can top $3,000. In my experience, the top brands for technology and reliability are Apple and Lenovo’s ThinkPad line, but various models from Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell are also worth investigating.
So, here is a quick guide to the key factors you should consider when buying a laptop.
Size: If you are a constant traveler, think about the subnotebook models, which generally weigh 3 pounds or less. There are two types of these. The classic subnotebook has a small screen, 12 inches or less, and a cramped keyboard. This year, a new type emerged, with a full keyboard and a normal 13.3-inch screen packed into a thin, light body. There are two of these: the MacBook Air from Apple and the Lenovo ThinkPad X300. All subnotebooks are relatively costly, typically ranging from $1,500 to over $3,000.
If your laptop will mostly stay at home, the office, or in class, a 5-7 pound machine with a screen of either 13.3 inches or 15.4 inches is the best bet. A well-equipped model in this class is likely to run you between $800 and $1,200. Typical models in this class are the Dell Inspiron 1525, the HP dv6700 and the Apple MacBook.
Windows vs. Mac: This is the eternal question. In my view, Apple’s Leopard operating system is faster, better and far less prone to malicious software than Microsoft’s Vista operating system. And the Mac laptops also come with better built-in software. The $1,099 MacBook is a solid, fairly priced machine, and the $1,999 MacBook Pro is even better. Both also can run Windows.
But Windows laptops are often less expensive, tend to have a greater variety of ports and slots, and come in more styles and sizes.
Apple’s MacBook
Operating system: If you are buying a Windows laptop, be aware that Vista is slower than Windows XP, in my experience, and still has compatibility issues with add-on hardware and software. If you’d prefer to stick with XP, you will find that many fewer models are available with it. And Microsoft has decreed that after June 30, mainstream, name-brand laptops will no longer come pre-equipped with XP.
Video: I recommend getting an LED-powered screen, which is brighter and saves power. Also, if you are choosing Vista, or if you do a lot of converting video for use on portable devices, consider getting a laptop with a separate video card inside that has its own memory.
Memory: If you’re buying an Apple laptop, two gigabytes of memory is plenty. If you’re using Vista Home Premium, I’d consider three gigabytes for best performance.
Processor: Any dual-core processor will be fine. Don’t pay a penny extra for faster processor speed.
Storage: In a mainstream laptop that will be your main computer, look for a 160-gigabyte hard disk or larger. A new kind of storage, called SSD, or solid state disk, is now available. But it is still way too costly for most users, and at the moment is available only in smaller capacities.
Battery life: Many laptops today rarely spend time away from an electrical outlet. But if yours will, look for a battery life of at least three hours between charges.
Wireless: Make sure your new laptop has the new, faster “N” version of Wi-Fi built in. Many cheaper laptops don’t. You can also get a cellphone modem built in, but they are costly and carry a monthly fee. You can always add an external cellphone modem later.
Other features: A built-in camera and microphone can be quite useful, and so can a feature on some Windows machines that allows you to play music and videos without fully booting up the computer.
Don’t let yourself be swayed by sales pitches, or by fanaticism for or against Windows or the Mac. Think hard about how you use your computer and what your budget will allow, and stick to those priorities.
- Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online, free, at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.
Comments
The perfect “travel” computer is my AirBook.
Posted by Dave Barnes at April 9th, 2008 at 7:23 pmAnd, yes, I am an Apple fanboy.
We could go round and round on this, but my Gateway Core 2 Duo (1.66 GHz) with 2MB RAM (not 3MB) runs Vista quickly and smoothly. I’ve had NO problems with hardware, as long as they include Vista drivers, and NO problems with recent editions of the software that I use.
The early days of XP were plagued by user complaints that their old peripherals and old software wouldn’t work. People forget this. Nothing changed with Vista.
This computer was originally loaded the XP then upgraded to Vista Home Premium, and though it takes about 15 seconds longer to boot, since the upgrade it is FASTER - responses are snappier and smoother. And that is with Aero enabled.
As good as it was, I would never go back to WinXP. I would not recommend that a purchaser of a new Windows laptop purchase XP, unless they were unable or unwilling to upgrade their peripherals or third-party software.
If they can afford only a low end machine, they one loaded with Vista Home Basic would probably be best.
Posted by David Prozzo at April 9th, 2008 at 8:11 pmApologies for the typos in the first post.
One other thing; please check out this article, as it pertains to Mr. Mossberg and his justifiable complaints about a Sony Vaio loaded with Vista.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=399&tag=btxcsim
Draw you own conclusions. Are the problems in this case with Vista, or with its implementation on a particular model laptop.
Posted by David Prozzo at April 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pmWhat about service plans? In the fall I’m going to law school, and I’m leaning towards Apple b/c they service right in their Apple store.
Could you comment, Walt, on service plans? I purchased an HP several years ago and it had to be shipped from Richmond to the West Coast. In law school, I can’t really wait that long for my laptop to be repaired.
Posted by michael stewart at April 10th, 2008 at 7:19 amWalt, congrats on the laptop focus - finally(!) I work at Intel, so take with a grain of salt. Your review is a bit naive, or maybe too desktop influenced. Set aside amd or intel, the processor is arguably the biggest buying factor for laptops, well beyond performance because it can drive style, thin-ness, weight, noise, price and most important battery life. 30-60 minutes more battery life is a MAJOR buying factor. You’re being too narrow to just focus on performance alone, though even ‘mainstream’ users - most much younger than we are these days - are doing heavier video, audio and pictures today. Also, check out solid state drives…too pricey for most today, but super-quiet, and up to another 30 minutes of battery time.
Posted by Bill Kircos at April 10th, 2008 at 10:01 amGreat basic guide!
It’s amazing how the prices of laptops have come so close to desktops these days.
Posted by paul merrill at April 10th, 2008 at 10:48 amVery good guide for the average notebook purchaser. Obviously anyone with a need beyond the guide’s caveats (Extensive video editing for example) will need to do a bit more research. Walt and David Pogue, NYT, are two of the best tech reiewers available.
Posted by Tom Stephenson at April 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pmThanks Walt -
Again, a very concise look at the currently available laptops, and I always admire your ability to look at it from the average consumer’s point of view.
One thing I think is worth adding is that laptops (and desktops, for that matter) don’t last forever. So, when considering a purchase, I always estimate a 3 year lifespan for a corporate notebook, and a 4 year lifespan for a personal notebook. In my experience, batteries tend to need to be replaced (or perform very poorly towards the end) within either of those periods, and generally its not surprising if hard drive needs replacement during those periods as well — but not as consistently at the batteries. I can’t really comment on the new SSD drives on the market.
When considering lifespan of components, I haven’t really found that any manufacturer who excels in this regard — most manufacturers (Apple included) tend to use common manufacturers for hard drives, memory, chipsets, etc., so there’s not real way to predict whether a laptop or subnotebook will stand the test of time.
Hopefully this will improve in the future, particularly where batteries are concerned, as there is an enormous interest in these technologies among those involved in the energy independence movements.
Posted by Justin Pinder at April 10th, 2008 at 10:38 pmWalt- This is the article I’ve been waiting for. I need something between my recently rebuilt DeskTop and my old 6 lb. LapTop.
Posted by Jerry Gropp at April 11th, 2008 at 10:33 amFrom what you’ve just written, it looks like a new or refurbished MacBook is the affordable answer. Jerry Gropp Architect AIA
One thing I think should have been looked on little bit further is the operating system Windows Vista. I don’t doubt the speed of vista on a computer with the right specifications, but there is a lot of software that won’t work with it.
Professional cad/cam software for example are very expensive and to replace an older version with a new one will be a big factor when looking at new computers. It would mean an additional cost of several thousand dollars.
Also when using a laptop in a network environment such as schools, Vista might not even be supported.
I don’t doubt that Vista eventually will evolve to a good product just as XP did, but in my personal opinion there should have been a crossover version that allowed present software to work with Vista.
I wish Microsoft would have released Vista to bigger software developers beforehand so they could have had time to develop compatible software from the start. Maybe they did but it sure doesn’t seem like it.
Still looking forward to the day I can say that Vista is if not excellent atleast useful.
Posted by Petri Asikainen at April 11th, 2008 at 10:39 amPetri - Vista and XP computers coexist nicely on the same network. It is done all the time.
Posted by David Prozzo at April 11th, 2008 at 10:35 pmBuying a computer with a new OS ALWAYS means checking one’s favored software and peripherals (drivers) to be sure that they work. Sometimes they don’t and newer versions have to be purchased. Fact of life. No OS upgrade has been any different - from 95 to 98, 98 to XP, and so on. SOME older software will work, but not all. This is deja vu. People had the same comments as yours when XP came along.
I’ve been on Mac forums and people there complain about the same thing.
It is a given, your HP printer you purchased in 2002, or Nero version 6, AREN’T GONNA WORK. And no one should expect that they would.
So, of course the added cost of upgrading software is an important consideration, as you mention.
I don’t know what you mean by “evolution.” All OSs have fixes and service packs. But, in my hands, Vista is already better than WinXP.
I work n 3ds and graphics, so you can assume that I do the nitty-gritty on a desktop. What is your guide if we buy a Laptop as our other working pc for presentation and when traveling?
Posted by Joel Mataro at April 12th, 2008 at 4:36 pmWalt: Great advice! I recently bought the MacBook Black and it is a dream machine. Fast right out of the box. With websites running more things like flash and processor intensive multimedia my old iBook G4 was just too darn slow. Walt, you should recommend this machine to the casual user who’s looking for power and ease of use. The MacBook fits nicely in my book-bag or my attache case for easy carrying. The Leopard OS X is quick and slick but it’s most important feature is Time Machine which automatically backs up everything! I think I’ll be happy with my Macbook for the next few years. Thanks for the help Walt!
Posted by Joseph Paluh at April 21st, 2008 at 6:48 pmInteresting guide. Do you have any opinion on the pros and cons of RAID 0 as a hard drive performance improvement. It costs a little more but if it significantly improves performance, particularly boot time for Vista, it may be worth it.
Posted by Art Fitzgerald at April 25th, 2008 at 7:11 amIn this article, you note that you publish a twice per year buyer’s guide for desktop PC’s but I can’t locate a guide since 10/18/07. Can you let me know if there is one after that date?
Posted by Scott Ellis at September 25th, 2008 at 10:35 amThanks, Scott Ellis