How to get a cheap laptop - Buy cheap laptop with older technology - Rapid advance in technology makes it meaningless to buy the latest technology at a high price. When laptops with wireless capability first came to the market, a unit with this technology can cost up till US$2500. Now after just 2 years, you can get a relatively fast centrino laptop for less than US$1000
How to get a cheap laptop - Buy used or refurbished laptop - The depreciation of a laptop value is so high, that after one year in the market, a laptop can easily lose half its value. So if you are looking for a cheap laptop, look for one which is close to one year old. Not all used laptop are in bad condition. You will be surprised to find that some used laptops are still in good condition because their owners are power users or gamers.
How to get more laptop battery life - The simple fact of laptop life is that notebooks simply don”t run as long on their batteries as they should–even long-lived notebooks, such as the IBM ThinkPad X31, last only 8 hours on two batteries. So, what can you do if you”d like to boost your battery life by anywhere from 4 to 10 hours? One of your best options is an external laptop battery made by a third-party company. These devices weigh between 1.6 and 3.3 pounds and range in cost from $150 to $500. In some cases, they can also power your cell phone or handheld device. If you don”t mind lugging a few extra pounds, these batteries are easy to use because they simply plug into the notebook”s AC power port and require no software. Pack one of these, and you”ll never look at a wall outlet the same way again.
Why buy a laptop not a PC? They are cheaper in the long run and way less frustrating! The reason of laptops being more expensive than desktop computers is not, as many people think, that desktop ones are better or more reliable (in fact the majority of computer failures have been reported to happen on desktops), but resides on the laptops need to be manufactured with components that must be small to fit into a small case, and at the same time be resistant to high heat levels and reduce power consumption to a minimum. I own both a laptop and a desktop computer, and although this last one was cheaper to buy and its nominal speed is bigger, it fails some times for apparently no reason, while my faithful laptop has never had any problem and is just as fast as my desktop PC with a lower CPU speed.
Why buy a laptop not a PC? They are cheaper in the long run and way less frustrating! The reason of laptops being more expensive than desktop computers is not, as many people think, that desktop ones are better or more reliable (in fact the majority of computer failures have been reported to happen on desktops), but resides on the laptops need to be manufactured with components that must be small to fit into a small case, and at the same time be resistant to high heat levels and reduce power consumption to a minimum. I own both a laptop and a desktop computer, and although this last one was cheaper to buy and its nominal speed is bigger, it fails some times for apparently no reason, while my faithful laptop has never had any problem and is just as fast as my desktop PC with a lower CPU speed.
How to get a cheap laptop - Get cheap laptop from reputable manufacturer - This is very important because if you are buying used laptop, then the chances of requiring servicing is higher than a new laptop. So if you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you will save alot of trouble and time if your laptop do require servicing.
How to get more laptop battery life - Shut down unnecessary programs - When you”re running your laptop on battery power, turn off devices and programs you don”t need. When not connected to a wireless hot spot, turn off the Wi-Fi hardware. If you access wireless networks with a PC Card, remove it when not connected. Listening to music via the CD-ROM drive and watching DVDs are also big battery drains.
Buy used or refurbished laptop -
The depreciation of a laptop value is so high, that after one year in the market, a laptop can easily lose half its value. So last years power user super laptop is now half price. And despite technology changes 1 year is not very long even so and that 1 year old is a serious powerhouse.
So if you are looking for a cheap laptop, look for one which is close to one year old. The main area to take care on is condition. By their nature laptops can get knocked about.
So how to make sure you get one in great condition?
Buy from power users or gamers.
Buying any electronic gadgets including laptops from hard core power users or gamers is a great strategy, why’s that?
Gamers or power users fall into the more money than sense or company buys it for them groups. They either want or need the latest and most powerful technology to run their games or power hungry applications and they don’t settle for second best.
They also have the tendency to chase after the latest technology. So after one year, they will be bored of what they have and will look to sell off their laptops so that they can buy a new one.
So where to find these great people who will sell you a laptop that’s brilliant for everything apart from CAD?!
- Friends who are gamers
- Scan through gaming forums and local gaming community - look for “for sale” sections
- eBay but be sure to only buy from sellers with good feedback with a solid returns policy.
- Local bulletin boards and classifieds - especially good if there are software companies around the area
- Craigslist.org is also well worth a look as it is by nature local.
How to get a cheap laptop - Buy cheap laptop with older technology - Rapid advance in technology makes it meaningless to buy the latest technology at a high price. When laptops with wireless capability first came to the market, a unit with this technology can cost up till US$2500. Now after just 2 years, you can get a relatively fast centrino laptop for less than US$1000