How to Choose a Dell Laptop
- 1). Select a computer that matches your needs. Dell laptops come in four primary categories: light-portables (often called ultra-portable), thin and lights, moderate / mid-level versions, and desktop replacements. If you need a laptop for casual browsing or simple word processing, you might select a light-portable like an Mini 10. If you download off the internet or watch movies or videos online, you might need a mid-level Inspiron or Vostro model. If you use your laptop for gaming and videos and have multiple windows open at the same time, the desktop replacement of choice might be a Precision model.
- 2). Determine your storage space requirements. Hard drives store your data, software, games and music. Manufacturers measure storage capacity in gigabytes. Hard drives with more gigabytes can store more information. If you need lots of storage space for videos, music or software, select a Vostro or an Inspiron model. Vostro models offer 320 to 500 GB of storage. Inspirons offer 250 to 320 GB hard drives.
- 3). Match your viewing needs to the monitor size. If you watch movies or play games, you might want a laptop with extra-large viewing capabilities. The Inspiron and Vostrol models have 10-inch to 17-inch monitors. The Precision models have monitors up to 21 inches.
- 4). Match your software requirements to the processing speed. If you use your computer for graphic design, you might need a lot of space. Models like the Inspiron e1505 offer 1.6-gigahertz (GHz) processors. Vostro models offer dual core processors that almost double the processing speed over single core laptops. The Precision models offer the fastest processor speeds, at over 2 GHz. Precision models also offer multiple cores that increase speeds tremendously.
- 5). Select the laptop with the most random access memory (RAM). RAM provides your computer the ability to make multiple calculations at once. The Vostro 1220 and 1320 offer 2 GB to 8 GB of RAM. The Latitude E6400 and E6500 comes with 2GB to 8 GB of RAM. Precision models offer up to 16 GB of RAM.
- 6). Match your budget to the right laptop. In April 2010, Mini 10s cost $279 to $329; Vostro and Inspiron cost $249 to $550; Latitudes cost $549 to $800. Higher-performing models, like the Dell Precision, cost $1,000 to $1,800.
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