Business Laptop Computer Recommendations
We created this page to educate customers about what to look for when purchasing a good laptop. These specifications are geared toward a machine that will be used primarily for business purposes. You can be assured that this is an unbiased professional opinion. We do not sell laptops. Therefore, we have no incentive to mislead you in any way. We do repair many laptops. So, our opinions are partially the result of what we have learned about the various manufacturers over the years.
Laptop Hardware Specifications
Look for these three most important hardware specifications, primarily responsible for the overall performance of the laptop.
- Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessor running at 2.0Ghz or faster
- 1 Gigabyte of ram for Windows XP, At least 3GB of ram for Vista-- more is better
- 80GB SATA Hard Drive -- larger is better -- Most business people will not need a drive larger than 80GB -- Opt for one running at 7200RMP if it is available
We recommend purchasing an Intel processor based laptop because of their overall performance and durability. In general, the Intel Chips outperform the AMD.
Make sure the microprocessor is an actual Core 2 Duo. Do not buy an Intel Celeron microprocessor based laptop. If you see the word Celeron, do not buy it. You will be very unhappy with the speed of the unit. You must see the actual words Core 2 Duo.
If you have an option of getting a 7200RPM or faster hard drive, get it. Hard drive speed makes a large difference in a computer's overall performance.
Almost all laptops now come with an integrated wireless G network adaptor and DVD burner. These are both important. Double check that the laptop includes them before buying it.
If you are still using dial up, make sure the laptop comes with a 56K modem. Many manufacturers are leaving these out now.
Pay attention to the battery. You want as many hours of battery life as possible.
Choose a screen size that is best for you. We personally prefer 15.4" lcd screens. The 14" seems too small. The 17" are nice to look at, but they are very bulky to carry around or travel with. Expect to pay an extra $100 or more for a larger screen. The 17" will be more than the 15.4" which will cost more than the 14".
Windows XP or Windows Vista?
In general, if two computers had identical hardware specifications, but one ran Vista while the other ran Windows XP, the one running XP would appear to perform faster than the one running Vista. There are other factors involved that could affect speed. Most people who bought Vista based computers when it was first released were convinced that their previous Windows XP based computers were faster.
Support and updates for Windows XP will be discontinued at some point. You will then be forced to upgrade to Vista or whatever else is out. Choose carefully here.
What brands of laptops to buy
- Hewlett Packard / Compaq - in our opinion, the best quality for the price
- IBM - makes excellent laptops but are usually more pricey
- Sony - excellent quality construction but are usually a little more costly
- Toshiba - excellent value line of laptops
- Dell - quality varies drastically among models - Vostro series is a good value for business use.
- Gateway / Acer - quality now equals that of Dell - You might have a hard time finding an Intel Core 2 Duo
In general, all of the major brands of laptop manufacturers are pretty close in quality these days. There are not the huge quality differences that there used to be.
What laptops not to buy
- "No name" laptops - If you haven't heard of the name before, then the components are of the lowest quality, cheapest Chinese manufacturer out there. This is why they are so cheap. We get a ton of these no name brands in for repair. Most have bad motherboards and are uneconomical to repair. Do not waste your money.
- Do not buy an Intel Celeron based laptop - As mentioned above, you will be very unhappy with the speed of the computer. It will seem very slow even though it is brand new.
- Do not buy a Windows home version if you want to use it on your office network. If your network server is configured as a domain controller, it may require that you have the XP Professional or Vista Business in order for you to properly connect to the network.
- Avoid getting a laptop preloaded with a bunch of software you will never use. This software consumes too many computer resources and will make the laptop perform far slower than it otherwise would.
