Find The Best Laptops

HOW TO CHOOSE = One of the most important decisions to make when selecting among the best laptops is the size and type of the screen. Experts and laptop owners agree that larger screens of 15 to 17 inches are more efficient to use.

Sometimes you can choose between a coated screen (brighter and sharper) or uncoated (which some prefer for work applications because it minimizes glare). Backlit LED displays are the newest improvement.

Get at least 2 GB of RAM. This won’t be an issue at the high end, but might be when shopping on the budget level. Computers run smoother and faster with more RAM. Larger hard drives will allow more capacity for music, photos and videos.

Think about wireless connectivity. Some laptops come with an antenna which allows you to connect to the internet if you are within range of the provider’s data network (mostly large cities). Cards and other options are also available.

Pay attention to service and support help available from manufacturers. These “Help Desks” can come in handy. Also look for the best warranty.

Even the best laptops have few user-replaceable parts, so experts recommend that you get the best warranty you can afford. Some manufacturers like Dell and HP are adding extras such as theft insurance as warranty upgrades to make them more attractive.

THE REVIEW = The Best General-Use and Gaming Laptop is the Dell XPS M1730. It works very well for 3D gaming, includes a video card in its base configuration, and can be customized to use up to two cards.

Experts praise the 17” widescreen display. This model is not very portable (at 11 pounds). It comes in red or blue and costs approximately $2000.

Other top performers include:

Best Gaming Laptop = Alienware M17x @ about $1800 + upgrades.

A close runner-up = Dell Studio XPS 16 @ $1000 and up.

Best Mac Laptop = 13-inch MacBook Pro @ 1200 and up.

Best Business Laptop = Lenovo ThinkPad T61 @ $1150.

Best Budget Laptop = Dell Inspiron 15 Notebook @ $300.

Best prices found in Dec., ’09 and again in Apr., '10 = Amazon.com They also offer several pre-owned models at about ½ the price for new. Once you link to Amazon, use the search bar at the top of the page to type in the model you want - the appropriate page will appear.

Anything else you'd like to ask regarding best laptops, click here.

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