Branding and the resulting quality is a thing of the past, a $500 laptop is about the same no matter who assembles the parts and yes laptops are nothing more than assembled, they all have similar if not the same components. A $2000 computer is the same story, all in it’s class are about the same. What makes a difference is warranty, how the computer is loaded and how it is serviced.

I am not a fan of HP because each one comes with so many companion programs and I am not interested in most of them and most of my clients are not either, so I have to spend time and clients money uninstalling trial and pointless programs, there is not even an option during Windows setup to see if the user wants dozens of games etc. This does not happen with a great number of other brands.

That said, this is a pathetic reason to bad-mouth HP, so I won’t.

HP’s are reliable with a good warranty support network. I don’t believe that there support is as good as DELL and for that reason you will see DELL in an awful lot of business and government offices.

I tell people to find a laptop that has a keyboard they can type on, they are not all the same size, the keys are not all in the standards QWERTY position and if you can type a standard width keyboard is important. So, try before you buy, type on the keyboard, use the glidepad, feel the computer. Specifications are numbers on a page, to be honest you won’t use a fraction of what the specifications have to offer, but the tactile experience, how the screen looks, do you like it reflective or matte, these things are more than just important.

Work out how much money you want to invest, find a good deal, and then play with the hardware to make certain that it fits your hands.

Buying a new computer is exciting, feel the excitement, find a new friend.

Chris …