Buying an entry-level laptop
Over the past year the market has been all abuzz with news about ultra-portable netbook computers but there is still a lot of value to be had in the entry-level notebook market, particularly for first-time laptop buyers.
One of the major advantages of standard entry-level laptops over netbooks is that they usually offer a great deal more functionality, power and storage than netbooks at a price that is usually not much more than a good netbook machine. And in some cases, an entry-level laptop could even cost less than a high-end netbook which makes it a very enticing opportunity.
Netbook or laptop?
The first consideration for anyone entering the market is to decide exactly what it is they want to buy and avoid being drawn in my market hype. Choosing between a netbook and a laptop depends on the use the machine will be put to. Simply put, anyone who wants a PC that they can transport with ease but that is expected to replace a desktop PC is clearly in the entry-level laptop market. Users that already have one laptop, or only need to check email and the occasional website and can do without complex wordprocessing or gaming, falls into the netbook market. Pocket-sized netbooks give users access to full internet connectivity, and most desktop applications, but working on the smaller keyboard and smaller screen for any extended period of time will become difficult.
An entry-level laptop on the other hand is heftier to transport but it sits equally well on the desktop or on a coffee shop table when on the road and is everything a desktop PC is without the bulk.
Users in the market for an entry-level laptop then need to know what it is that their R5 000 to R8 000 is going to buy them. It’s not going to buy an Apple PowerMac or a R30 000 Lenovo x301 so hankering after the solid state storage, the ultra-thin profile and the wide screen is pointless. What it ought to buy is a good solid machine with tons of storage, a solid keyboard and a good, big, screen. More specifically it should be enough to buy a laptop with at least these specifications:
Big screen
Unlike netbook PCs which typically have small 8.9-inch, or even 7-inch, screens an entry-level laptop should be expected to have a significantly larger screen. Most laptops under R8 000 will have a 15.4-inch WXGA screen which is capable of wide resolutions such as 1366×768 pixels. Occasionally smaller resolutions can be found but 15.4-inch is the standard on machines of this type such as the Toshiba Satellite, Acer Extensa and Dell Vostro.
Capacity
An entry-level laptop should be expected to have a DVD-RW drive as a minimum. Typically that should be a 8-speed DVD reader and writer. One thing that some machines in this price range include is an integrated card reader. Most Asus laptops include a 4-in-1 card reader which adds a lot of value to the laptop, but only some of the Toshiba Satellite machines do and the entry-level Acers don’t. It’s worth looking around for a machine with a built-in card reader, especially as they often don’t cost a great deal more than those without.
Most laptops in this price rage will ship with a 120GB to 160GB hard disk, which ought to be more than enough for most users. It’s worth keeping an eye out for the 160GB hard drives as the 120GB ones are slowly disappearing and new, higher-capacity, drives are making it into the entry-level market. Very few laptops include anything higher than 160GB as standard but if you’re prepared to spend a few hundred rand more then a 250GB hard drive is what you could expect in a machine just above the R8 000 mark.
An entry-level laptop should not have any less than 1GB of RAM and in most cases 2GB should be expected. So many of the laptops in this price range ship with 2GB of memory that it could be considered the de-facto standard and buying anything less is a waste of money.
Networking
Built-in wireless (WAN) and Ethernet (LAN) connections as well as Bluetooth are a minimum for any PC these days, even entry level laptops and nothing less should be considered. As far as broadband connections go most users will have to settle for USB-connected 3G devices for now as most entry-level laptops don’t include an ExpressCard (formerly PCMCIA) slot for this purpose. There are a few laptops on the market with these slots built-in and they are worthy of seeking out for the convenience of card-based 3G over the extra USB dongle approach.
Entry level laptops – what would you suggest?
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