Used Notebook Inspection Guide -- Part 4

By: The Editor
Used laptop computers are everywhere these days. How can you sift through the mass of available used laptop computers to narrow your search down to the right laptop for you? This fourth and final article strives to give you a few suggestions for your next laptop purchase.

Wireless Connectivity

Built-in wireless used to be a luxury. More and more now though, it really should be seen as a necessity. If the laptop you're considering doesn't have built-in wireless, you should at least have an external wireless card thrown in. Connecting to the internet and your local home network is something you'll find yourself doing a lot of in the future. If you have a choice between 802.1b and 802.1g, make sure you choose the 802.1g as it has more range and greater speed. (continued...)

USB Ports

How many USB ports come with the laptop? Older laptops may not have any. Some have only one. The more USB ports you can get, the more convenient it is. You should also ask if the laptop comes with USB 2.0 or the older original version 1.

Hard Drive: Choose a large one

In this day and age, anything less than 20GB is way too small. In fact, you should always choose a laptop with as large a hard drive as possible. Storage space fills up fast especially when you consider all the songs and movies people store on their laptops these days. Go as large as your budget allows.

User Computer Laptop Warranty

If you have followed my advice and are looking to buy from a reputable dealer, what kind of warranty do they offer? Don't buy a used laptop from someone that offers you no warranty of any kind. At the very least, you want to get a 30 day warranty. The more the better. You never know if the hard drive is near failure or some other catastrophic problem in near. Reputable dealers offer warranties. Stay away from anyone that doesn't offer one.

While I haven't gone over every possible thing you need to look for when purchasing a laptop, I have covered the main things that should make sure you make a used computer laptop purchase you're happy with.