Overlooked Needs when Buying a Computer

What should the average consumer wanting to upgrade a laptop or computer actually focus on?

How key features actually perform directly relates to feeling good or bad about a purchase. As a frequent purchaser of laptops / computers — here are the performance areas I've found to be important and often lacking: keyboard, wifi, operating system pros and cons, speakers, and processors. IF you are going to stream video to a television then the graphics card also needs to meet some basic requirements. It does come down to how you want to use your computer.

I type a lot. If you are willing to use an external keyboard, then the built in laptop keyboard is not an issue. However, most of us want a laptop keyboard that works well. I currently have 3 laptops. Only one of the laptops has a keyboard that performs. It keeps up with my speed of typing and the letters I hit are the ones recorded on screen. Yes, it seems I am describing baseline expectations. However, two of my laptops do not meet meet those. One keyboard consistently jumps around on the page, inserting letters I type in lines above or below the intended target. The other has a pressure issue. Push hard and dead on or get no letter at all. I cannot even use that laptop keyboard to type. It is now relegated to a streaming device hooked up to a tv. How do you avoid getting a laptop with a lousy keyboard? Local stores that have display models set up are one option. Find a program you can type in, such as notepad.

Let's move on to wifi performance. I spend 45 minutes each morning cramming in quality work time prior to dashing out the door. This means I want to login and create what I've laid out the night before. I was finding with a new desktop and laptop that there was definite lag when working online compared to my older machine. I evaluated this from several angles. A straight-forward result was testing download speeds on each of the machines. The newer desktop and laptop were reporting speeds of around 11 mbps. My older laptop was still hitting the 40 to 50 mbps consistently also using wifi.

All the machines showed the same wifi spec types yet were clearly getting different results. I began hardwiring the slower machines to evaluate if I could work more quickly compared to relying on wifi. I could. But why would I want sub par wifi in a newer machine? Note that the average consumer would believe they need to purchase a higher tier of faster internet service. That is throwing money away when the real issue is an inferior wifi card. There are online retailers that have customers who post detailed reviews on performance after a purchase. Reading some of these can reveal some of these issues pre-purchase. Reviewers who test out a computer also are helpful for narrowing down a list of potential purchases.

Operating systems are becoming a differentiator for me. The average consumer will use the operating system installed at the point of purchase. I relied on the Microsoft systems for years. Each release had its pros and cons. I am less enamored with having my options managed for me and this is the current trend. I also perceive, rightly or wrongly, that Google docs is performing more quickly on my Chromebook compared to my two laptops running Microsoft operating systems. This is a big deal for me. I am an efficient worker.

The Chromebook also has its inefficiencies, such as making printing so difficult. Even having purchased a printer that was supposed to be compatible with my Chromebook, it was not. I invested lots of time to try to set up the printer compatibility. I still work in an environment where the print option is needed a few times a week. I tend to get all my work done, then fire up my Microsoft-driven laptop to print.

I would not have included volume or sound in previous years. However, streaming video and listening to music online has become a bigger part of my life. There are distinct differences between my laptops / computer and the level of volume output. My all-in-one desktop was promoted as an entertainment package and the great sound quality reinforces that.

Processors are always going to be important to core performance of any computer. The trend is to offer less and to tell customers that it is enough for what you do. The prices have come down on computers to reflect this trend. However, the only computer I bought that had less than an Intel i3 processor was a huge disappointment. Even surfing on the web was clearly slower than my other machines. If spending less is the priority, then a well-chosen Chromebook would be my choice. Yes, the processors are less powerful but much less computing power is required as no onboard software is loaded into a Chromebook.

Reality is that performance in any of these areas is best assessed after the purchase is made and the computer is being used by you. For this reason, careful attention to return policies is important. Customers should not be stuck with a product that does not meet reasonable performance expectations. The option of a local return without a restocking fee still plays a big part in my purchase decisions.

In my household I alternate between my Microsoft products and my Chromebook products, depending on the task of the day. I gauge my satisfaction based on the performance I receive relevant to the cost. Doing some legwork pre-purchase has always been worth the time.