Difficulty: Moderately Easy
How to Compare Models of Notebooks
Step1
Determine the highest amount you are willing or able to spend. Most sites that sell notebooks offer a search option with price ranges. For instance, if you don't want to spend over $1,000, then you can click on a link that will take you to notebooks that fall in your lower price range.
Step2
Decide what you will be using the notebook for the most. This is one of the most important aspects to keep in mind when comparing notebooks. Whether you plan to use the new computer mainly for word processing or for storing a lot of photos, for instance, determines the hard drive capacity you will need.
Step3
Compare hard drives. An 80 GB (Gigabyte) hard drive should be more than sufficient if you will use the notebook mainly for word processing. If you plan on storing a lot of videos, games, and images on your new laptop, however, consider getting one with a higher capacity hard drive.
Step4
Compare the notebook model’s weight with other similar models. Six pounds might not sound like much, but it gets heavy if you are toting the notebook through a crowded airport. Weight won’t matter much if you plan to use the notebook exclusively at home. It will matter significantly if you plan on traveling with the notebook.
Step5
Check out the notebooks' screen size. If you intend to watch movies on your notebook, you might wish to invest in 17 inch screen. The 15 inch screen size is not overly small, however, and you should find a better price on a notebook with the smaller screen.
Step6
Make note of the microprocessors. If you intend to surf the internet and download anything, get the fastest processor you can find for the money you are willing to spend. Currently, dual core processors are among the fastest processors marketed for consumer use.