Laptopical’s Guide to Buying a Notebook Computer

Reporter Todd Gold offers prudent advice on locating cheap laptops, and warns us against the danger of oily sales reps, and purchasing from little known manufacturers such as Baltic based ZvettyTech.

In days of yore the first stop for cheap laptop hunters used to be the high streets and malls, however this strategy is nigh on useless if you haven’t already formed an opinion and researched the specs you really need…..Why? Because then you leave yourself open to one of the most dangerous predators in the laptop jungle – the oily sales assistant.
Armed with little more than an afternoon of on the job training, and an NVQ in obsequiousness, these folks often display a remarkable talent for over-selling. Indeed, 3 minutes after sidling up to you and asking innocuously – “Can I help you sir/madam”, you could be standing outside the store clutching a smoldering MasterCard, a Josh Groban DVD deal sweetener in your back pocket, and the latest 3-grand core 2 duo multimedia monster stuffed under your arm.

That’s fine if cheesy baritone crooners and cutting edge dual-core gaming are on your wish list, but useless if you were just looking to run Excel and play Manic Miner on a ZX Spectrum 48k emulator. That’s not to say stores have no part to play in the deal hunting process, but in my humble opinion they’re certainly not the first port of call.

Notebook Computer Comparison – Using Shopping Engines

The first place you want to check out when looking for repairing parts should be easier to obtain.

Put it this way, your sub 300 euro pc from little known manufacturer ZvettyTech may seem like a great deal now, but what happens if something goes wrong? Would you feel comfortable communicating with a tech support operator based in the baltic village of Zvettynov, on a 2 dollar per minute premium phone line, who is armed only with a Boratesque command of English?

Finally you find the PC you want at a price you can afford, and all is positive at review sites. Now it’s time to head out to the stores to see if you can find a better deal there than online. But don’t betaken in by that fawning sale’s assistant’s attempts at over-selling. By now you should know the specs you need and how much you can afford so stand firm. I hope you find this laptop guide useful. Searching for a discount notebook can take weeks but when you find the right portable pal, all that effort will have been well worth it. ´