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Step 1
Be careful about how much you pay for a laptop. You do not get as much for your money with laptops as you do with desktops because smaller parts cost more. So when buying a laptop look for one which has only your bare minimum needs. If all you'll do with the laptop is surf the Internet, you may only need a inexpensive, low-end laptop.
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Step 2
Get a desktop for high-end needs. If you have high-end needs in a computer, such as picture or video editing capability, consider getting a desktop to use as your primary computer and use a laptop only when you need portability. A low-end laptop and high-end desktop may actually cost less than one high-end laptop.
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Step 3
Look for a laptop with easy-to-replace parts. Another disadvantage of laptops is their parts are often inaccessible and therefore hard to replace. However, laptops over time have improved in this area. Look for a laptop which makes the RAM, hard drive and processor easy to access through the bottom of the laptop.
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Step 4
Protect the laptop. Laptops are far more fragile than desktops. They break more easily than desktops and can be ruined by liquid spillage. It's best to never place a laptop in range of liquid of any kind. Also, laptops should be stored in a laptop bag when traveling.
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Step 5
Purchase a second battery. The portability of a laptop is not an advantage if the battery is dead. Most new laptop batteries can last for four to five hours, but as the batteries get older they will last for shorter and shorter periods of time. To avoid this disadvantage, purchase a second battery and switch back and forth so you'll always have one fresh battery.
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Step 6
Set up a desktop workstation. Laptops can be difficult to use because of their small keyboards and hard-to-control pointing devices. You can't do much about this while traveling, but a workstation set-up at a desk helps to avoid this disadvantage when you're home. Set up a mouse, regular keyboard and monitor at a desk and plug the devices into the laptop.
