If you are in the market for a cheap laptop, I am sure you will be asking yourself that question. As prices for laptops continue to fall every month, Laptops become cheaper yet more powerful and this is really good news for cheap laptop buyers. However if you have not been following computer technology, you can easily be swarmed by too much information. This guide aims to give you an idea what features you should look out for when you buy a cheap laptop that cost less than US$1000.
Processor
Most laptops have the capability to go wireless these days. Wireless allows you to sit far away from a network point and yet be able to surf the internet. With wireless capability, you can be surfing your favorite sites in the living room without all the ugly looking wires. At this price range, you can expect a laptop with mobile Pentium processor with speed from 1.4 GHz to 1.8 GHz. So aim for at least a 1.4GHz when you shop for a cheap laptop.
Graphics Display
Graphics display is important because it directly determines how fast a laptop displays information on the screen. Most laptops at this price range come with integrated graphics with memory size ranging from 64Mb to 128 Mb. You should always look for higher memory size so try to buy a cheap laptop with integrated graphics with at least a 128mb ram
Hard Disk
Most cheap laptops at this price range come with 60GB hard disk. A bigger hard disk means you can store more files in your laptop.
Memory
This is an important feature to look out for. Modern applications require a lot of memory resources to run. Look for at least 512 MB ram. Fortunately most cheap laptop these days come with at least 512MB.
Optical Drive
Expect your cheap laptop to have at least a CD-RW drive. CD-RW drive allows you to backup your files by writing onto a CD. As prices fall further, expect cheap laptops to include DVD / CD-RW drive in the near future. With DVD/ CD-RW drive, not only can you backup your files easily, you can even play DVD movies.
With this information to prepare you, I hope you are clearer now when you shop for a cheap laptop.
