The last couple of years I have experienced a significant drop in the quality of laptops from name brand providers such as Sony, HP, and Gateway. A number of laptops have hit my bench with built in problems ranging from poor manufacturing to cheap, low performing parts that either break down or cause significantly increased response times when attempting to use the computer normally. I do my best to address these issues, as such I still feel bad when I have to tell a client that the Laptop they have purchased is suffering from problems related to physical defects, or poor craftsmanship/quality of components. The results of these defects usually become apparent a year after the warranty has expired, resulting in total disappointment on my part and the client as well.
I feel a certain responsibly to educate my clients as best I can on some possible approaches to making good buying decisions when purchasing a new Computer or Laptop.
The first thing you want to do before a new Laptop purchase is to get an idea of what physical aesthetics you are going to need. That does require that you visit a store and take a look at some of the models that are on sale. You can look at laptops, pick them up, feel them and get an idea of how heavy they are before you decide to buy.
Once you decide on one you like, make sure you write down the model number. Then when you get home, go online and look up the specifications:
1. Screen Size
2. Memory (at least 512mb of ram for Windows XP)
3. Weight
4. Battery Life
5. CPU Speed (The faster the processor the better)
6. Hard Drive Speed (5400RPMs or better)
Once you have those specs you can used them to price out other brands. Scott Larson Consulting is recommending two Laptop manufacturers that sell only to online distributors. One is Asus, and the other is Clevo. Both of them maybe unknown to you, but in the technical field, they are very well known in quality, performance and reliability. Asus, and Cleyo approach quality with more focus then most manufacturers since they cater to professionals, as such It will be more likely that these Laptop’s will be problem free out of the box and over time. For more information on specifications and purchasing please visit http://www.xoticpc.com/ or http://www.microexpress.net. Please be aware that it will be much harder to obtain the kind of support you are accustomed to with major manufacturers such as Dell or gateway. Lately, technical support for these products has been less than satisfactory anyway; as they have been offloading their support divisions internationally resulting in communication problems and not very competent resolutions with these support call centers. Scott Larson Consulting also offers support contracts for these products. It’s better to have someone locally that you can call or have over to address any issues.
If you have any questions please contact us at:
Scott Larson Consulting
707-542-8590 – Cell: 415-425-5962
www.scottlarsonconsulting.com | slarson@scottlarsonconsulting.com