Buying a laptop

When buying a laptop or computer suitable for the applied psychology course, there are many factors which have to be taken into account. Firstly, you have to buy one which works otherwise it would be pointless. One that works quite efficiently would be even better - preferably one which has a recent OS such as XP or Vista (though 7 was just released, which is vista but without the bugs). Alternatively you could buy an Apple Mac with it’s self-named OS, but I personally prefer windows OS as they are more user-friendly (Mac is more for industrial use due to it’s many hotkeys and incompatibility with many recreational programs). The next thing to consider would be to consider the specifications of the computer, such as RAM, Hard Drive space, graphics card, processor and other such specs. A RAM of 1GB would suffice, but any higher would be better considering that it‘s important for running programs simultaneously or very powerful or large programs, such as Photoshop, which we use in our course. Hard drive space should be AT LEAST maybe 15-20GB, but preferably a lot higher e.g. 100GB.With graphics cards there are so many that you’d be best to ask your computer retailer about the latest models. The latest processors that I know of are Intel Centrino 2’s, but something earlier would be alright, like a Pentium 4 processor. Another thing to consider would be appropriate internet protection, because most if not all computer’s will be connected to the internet at some point. There are many free online downloads for anti-virus software, and I’ve found that AVG and Avast are quite adequate, and also mean that you’re not spending lots of money on software that you can’t afford (being a student). Another major thing to consider is make and price. The make of computer will tell you how efficient it will be before you buy it from it’s reputation - I’ve found Acer’s to be quite reliable, as are Sony’s and Dell’s, though Dell computers cannot be upgraded. Price wise, there are many cheap computers available now due to the recession and also because of the competition between companies - the cheapest I’ve seen so far is an Acer laptop for €299. If buying a laptop, I would suggest buying a wireless mouse to make it easier to use - I myself find that the finger pads on laptops are quite awkward to use and after prolonged use can cause friction burn to your fingertips. Mice nowadays are cheaper than they were, but wireless one’s normally start from about €15 upwards. There’s also the price of batteries, so if you’re really stuck for money either buy a desktop computer with a mouse, or buy a wired mouse for your laptop, which is even cheaper but can get in the way when trying to move the mouse around. Finally, if buying a desktop computer make sure you have the space in your dorm or wherever you’re staying for it - if not, and you don’t want to be carrying a heavy laptop around, buy a smaller model such as an EEPC, which are notebook sized and very light, but low on battery power and memory. Whatever you decide, at least make sure that it works, isn’t expensive and has a guarantee in case it breaks.