Yes, this is my mission for the month of March. The I.T. Show is looming and I am frantically researching the prices and models so that when the time comes, my hands will be all over the lovely machines.

Since this will be my sticky and guide for myself, I present to you, Mephala's Tips for Buying a Laptop.

1. Decide what you want your laptop for.

Is it for work, school, design, gaming, or just surfing and email? Each function requires a slightly different configuration.

If you need it for work or school, you'll probably carry it around. So portability is a concern. You'd probably want to look at the laptops with a weight under 2.5kg (including battery pack - ah this they don't always tell you in the specs).

If you want it for design, get one with a large screen and the best graphics card you can afford.

Similarly for gaming, you'll want a large screen (minimum 14" - come on, how are you going to PvP on a 12") and a good graphics card.

In fact for the above two categories, get a desktop if you can afford the space and don't need the portability. The price you pay for a laptop can buy you two desktops already. Or else just get an external 20" screen. I have one. It is very very nice. :)

Finally, for just surfing and email, and probably photo storage, get a basic model.

2. Decide on a budget.

Sigh... this is the part when reality bites. Perhaps I should retitle this, "decide on a realistic budget".

Laptops are expensive. As mentioned before, you can get 2 desktops for the price of 1 laptop, and usually with similar specs.

But there is nothing like a laptop nice and warm on your lap, beside you while you sleep, and greeting you with a startup when you wake.

Okay, I digress.

Yes, decide on how much you can afford and then match it to your needs.

3. Do some research.

So now you know roughly what you want, visit some review sites to see what you can get for that price and range. Then isolate your selection to let's say 3 models and search online to see what peeps are saying about them. Read in particular what users say.

CNET Reviews
Epinions

4. Go touch them.

This is what I call the "touch test".

With technology, you can read the reviews and be absolutely certain you want something but then at the store, when you handle it for the first time, you become sorely disappointed. It is almost like having an online romance (not from personal experience but I can relate) and then meeting that person IRL.

Anyway, be prepared for this shocking experience. I did so with my first digital camera purchase. I spent a month and a year deciding to get the Canon A70 but the moment I touched it I cringed. It felt so heavy, chunky, and plasticky. Vincent immediately passed me the Panasonic Lumix F1 and the moment I touched it, I was in love. Never mind I never read a word about it before the "touch test". I bought it and spent many wonderful months with it.

I digress again.

Okay, so head to the store and touch the laptops. See if you like how the keyboard feels when you touch it. See if you like the touchpad or prefer the pointer (little nub thing). See if you like how it looks in real life.

5. Sleep on it.

If you have some self-control (don't worry if you have none - I buy my tech stuff on the spot), sleep on it and see if you can sleep at all. If you can't, get up and surf a bit, look at its picture, and return to get it tomorrow.

When you are there, see if you can haggle for extra bits like DVDs, SD card readers, a mini-mouse, and other peripherals. And then pass them to me.

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