There’s a great deal on a laptop whose manufacturer you’ve never heard of, but it promises so much. Should you take the chance and buy a laptop that is priced lower?
Sometimes, a good deal really isn’t anything to write home about. In fact, if you are not careful, you may not be able to write home about anything if the product is inferior and will not even connect to the Internet.
Why Quality Matters
Image via Flickr by jasko
You get what you pay for when it comes to laptops. If you purchase a product with a low price, you have to wonder why the price is so low. After all, the manufacturer is still turning a profit. How is that happening if the price is half of what the competitor is charging for something similar?
There are plenty of ways competitors can trim back pricing. One way is to use inferior quality products. Though the outer case may look durable, the hinges may not withstand even basic movements. The memory may seem to be ample. If the operating system doesn’t work, though, it is worthless. Before you buy, find out why the price is so low. The bottom line is, buy quality.
What’s On Board May Not Make You Happy
Image via Flickr by xjieke
You get your new laptop home, you open it up and your smile fades. This didn’t come with Windows? It doesn’t have Microsoft Office installed? Where are all of the programs you need to use on a regular basis?
As you fume over how much it will cost to invest in these programs separately, don’t forget that you’ll need to upgrade the memory to hold it all. The cost of separately buy these additional programs and features adds up quickly, so your cheap laptop may end up costing more than buying one with all the bells and whistles.
Often, to cut back on cost, manufacturers leave out those all-important programs you thought were onboard. Some may even use word tricks to make you think it’s on the system. For example, it may say, “Windows Ready” on the box. That doesn’t mean Windows is already installed on your system, though.
Kiss Streaming Media Goodbye
Image via flickr by dinolatoga.com
Another common problem many consumers have is in the quality of the media and entertainment features on the system. You thought the graphics were going to be fantastic. It said it created a great picture and you believed the manufacturer. Now, your system is running slowly and you cannot even get the picture to stop glitching.
If you want to invest in a laptop for gaming, movie watching or intense Internet searching, you need the right one. Pay a bit more for a high-speed ultrabook instead of buying one with basic features. It will be worth it when you can actually hear a full sentence in a movie before it pauses to load again.
There’s no doubt about it that paying for quality will give you a better experience. Cheaper laptops don’t include what you need and definitely don’t make your life easy. You get what you pay for and often you get nothing more than that.
Author:Â Emily Green is a freelance tech writer with more than 6 years experience in blogging, copywriting, and web content creation. You can follow her on Twitter @emgreen85.
