L O R I N L . H A L L

Momma’s Laptop Buying Guide

Momma Motherboard Teaches You

How To Shop In Plain English

© 2009

About Momma

Lorin L. Hall aka Momma Motherboard has been fixing computers for over 12 years. She currently owns and operates Momma Motherboard: Computer Care & Repair in Orlando, FL. She is an expert in the field of Information Technology and holds the highly coveted certifications below. More important than her knowledge to repair however, is her keen ability to help her clients really understand the computer, technology, and the world we live in. She believes learning the computer is about doing simple, fun tasks in real life and then seeing how technology makes them easier. It is not about memorization and boring step-by-step manuals. She understands your need to be able to relate to something completely foreign and that means bringing concepts to your world. Her clients tell her day after day, she just has “a way of putting things...”

This guide is all about empowering you to understand, decide, and purchase a laptop that is right for you. Momma holds your hand through the web of sales and traps so you are up to the challenge. You can do this. Afterall, no one knows what you need better than you. Be a part of Momma’s family! Follow me on:

Introduction

If you're thinking you have no idea where to begin, look no further. You've found it! The "Mother" load ;) I know you're excited about going out to get that new computer so let's get started. I know it seems like everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks they're always right about everything….what else is new? People listen to everyone. Friends, family, TV, and the Internet tell you all the time what THEY think. Problem is...most of the time the information is wrong, especially when it comes to computers. People are just spinning with information nowadays and facts get mixed up like a game of telephone. Technology moves fast and changes almost instantly. It's my job as a professional to keep up with the pace and guide you correctly; much like a doctor keeps up with new medicines and cures. Let’s begin with what you really need.

What Do You Really Need?

Establishing a Base Model Ok, let's open a newspaper ad just as you would on any given Sunday. I know the computer section seems ridiculously complicated. Why are some $399 and some are $1999? Excellent question. Don't worry we're gonna break it down. Let's talk specs. That means specifications. Specs means what's under the hood. How much power does this thing have?

PROCESSOR (The engine) This is our most important number in the laptop. Looking above, the first thing we see is "Athlon X2 64 Processor." Ok whoa! What does that mean? Simply enough it is the processor or our "engine." How fast can we do stuff? Well, with this laptop... quite fast. See, up until just a couple years ago, we only had one engine in a computer. Now we have TWO! Fast fast fast. Athlon is just a model name like Accord. X2 means times 2. TWO processors. Two processors is the current standard. One is barely usable and much much slower. They still sell one engine only to dazzle you with the extremely low price. It WILL be slow from day one.

How do you tell the difference?

***Common single processors have model names like Atom, Celeron, or Sempron. Stay away.

***Words to look for are Core2, X2, Duo, or Dual. Anything that means TWO is what you want. If it only has one….move on...NEXT PLEASE...

RAM (Multi-Tasking) This is our second most important number. This is our multi-tasking number. How much can we do at one time? RAM doesn't make us "faster" like our engine, but not having enough will be like piling 8 people in the back of the car. You will be asking it to do more than it can handle and it will be slower overall. Most people today like to listen to music while they email, surf the web, or type a school paper. RAM lets us do all of that at the same time quickly.

How much do you need? This one has 4GB (Gigabytes is just fancy computer measuring). Today, 3-4GB is standard. Just a mere 2 years ago, most people had only a quarter of that. Crazy, I know. Get 4GB. It's the higher end now and will be more future proof.

HARD DRIVE (Storage) This is our storage unit or garage. How much stuff can we hold on this thing? How much music, pictures, movies, papers, and games can we shove inside? This number gets confused with RAM all the time because it's measured the same…in Gigabytes. But it's entirely different. Remember: Hard drive is not how much we can do at the same time (RAM), it's what we can store inside.

How much do you need? Well, this one has 320GB. That works out to storing over 100,000 songs! Nuts, I know. Obviously, space is not an issue. 250GB or higher is a good rule. Trust me, you'll never fill it!

Standard Features

Other STANDARD included features these days are: DVD+RW/CD+RW ---which is just fancy words for DVD

burner. That means this computer will play dvds, make dvds, play cds, and make cds. It's a 4-in1. Awesome.

Built-in wireless----The ability to use the internet

wirelessly for free where internet service exists like in your home or at Starbucks or McDonalds. This is not the same as an AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon wireless "card" that works even when you're in the woods. Those cost $60 per month and a have contract like a cellphone. Don't be confused. This one is free so you can surf the web on your couch.

USB ports----How many cameras, phones, printers, iPods you can plug in at once.

Windows 7 ----This is your operating system. It always

comes with a computer as you would not be able to use it without one. Almost every computer sold comes with Windows 7 Home Premium Edition and 99.9% of people will not need any other version. Stick with this. (Note: Mac computers don't have Windows, they come with OSX instead---Operating System 10)

So now we've covered the power of the computer and a nice base model. A machine with the above is approximately $450-$600 at the time of this writing. You can expect $450 on the extreme sale end and $600 on the normal price days. It is not until we start adding things that the tag jumps higher as we're about to see.

Making It Your Own

Next comes the fun stuff like screen size, color, weight, and bells and whistles. It's very similar to buying a car in this sense. The base model has a lovely price, but power windows and heated seats get real expensive real quick. Let's take a look... Bells & Whistles

17" screen size will always throw the price up about $100. Bigger screens mean more money. Average screen size is 15.6"

Webcam--- a built-in camera for having a video conversation with someone

Fingerprint readers or face scanners---- Just as it sounds, it reads your fingerprint or face to authorize you to use your computer. Not worth the money at all. What is this, the Matrix? You are using this at home, not at the pentagon.

Weight---lighter and thinner means more money

Battery life---goes hand in hand with lighter and thinner and will be more money. 3-4 hours is average.

Blu-Ray player---This is very high definition movie player and will throw the price up about $200. Then, take into account that a Blu-Ray movie is $34.99 and forget it. Extremely expensive. My regular DVDs look pretty awesome to me.

Storage---bigger hard drive means a little more money, but not a lot.

HDMI---This is a special high definition kind of plug that will hook your computer to your TV. Some people like this and sometimes it's included. Nice bonus.

Media card reader---A special slot to put the card from your digital camera into. They are quite pointless as every camera can be plugged directly into the laptop.

"Special Editions" --- Just like Eddie Bauer made that edition of the Ford Explorer some years back, manufacturers like to release these with all the upgrades and in special colors to get more money.

Color----If you have to have the only model that comes in pink, it will be more…probably a lot more. Good news is manufacturers are making more color choices available these days.

Graphics---This is the biggy!! Very high priced computers contain a very pricey component for video that is for extreme game play and video editing. It is by no means necessary for the everyday user. Your picture will be beautiful, trust me and the games will be just fine without the high tag.

Pushing The Envelope----If you have to have the newest and fastest, it's gonna cost ya. We spoke about 1 processor being old and 2 are current. Don't be surprised to find "Quad" or 4 engines lurking about in the $1800 range. They're out there, but no one has that yet. It will be a few years before it's standard and affordable. It's just there to tempt the Jones’.

I think you’re ready for some real world shopping. Let’s take a look at what’s out there.

Real World Comparisons

Let’s do some comparisons, shall we? Remember: We’re looking for 2 engines, 4GB RAM, 250+GB hard drive, then extras. Example 1 – Our Gateway vs. Front Page Ad Toshiba

Our model $479 Front page ad $329

Athlon 64 X2 --- 2 engines Celeron – 1 engine

4GB RAM -- multi-tasking 2GB RAM

320GB hard drive 250GB hard drive

15.6” screen Same

Webcam, card reader --- extras

None

Are they crazy?! The sale item is not even half the computer. It is literally 4 years old in tech terms. But, you'd be surprised. People see $329 laptop and go nuts. They immediately grab the sleeping bags and setup camp at the nearest Walmart. Don't fall for it! This Christmas you're bound to see $299. Don't do it! Now, on the other hand, $479 for the Ferrari on the left is a steal. You could pay $600 and still feel great about it. Deals like that are few and far between. Just to illustrate this point; our model pictured is currently backordered in both red and black for months. If they have one in stock by you, grab it. You’ll be happy you did.

Example 2 – Our Gateway vs. Special Edition Dell Netbook Let's do another. Let's compare our model with a Netbook this time. Wait till you see what a ripoff Netbooks are in general. Quick note: Netbooks were invented as a compliment to a laptop, not as a replacement. Watch… *****Again, we're looking for 2 engines, 4GB RAM, 250+GB hard drive, then extras.

Our model $479 Dell Netbook $379

Athlon 64 X2 --- 2 engines Atom – 1 engine

4GB RAM -- multi-tasking 1GB RAM

320GB hard drive 160GB hard drive

15.6” screen 10.1”

Webcam, card reader --- extras

No extras and no DVD/CD player

On full laptops, DVD players are included so here, $100 to add a separate DVD player to lug around is ridiculous. That's $479, the same as our Ferrari. These little netbooks are 8 year old computers in an 8" box. Just putting anti-virus on make them come to a screeching halt. Nothing will frustrate you more than this. Netbooks were made to surf the net only, hence the name "Net"book. It is not a full computer. It just barely has more power than a Blackberry or iPhone. So why are people buying this? It's cute. We just can't get over how cute they are. Don't fall for it. Trust me.

Example 3 – HP Pavilion vs. MacBook Pro For our last example, let's take a look at a little higher priced Windows machine and a Mac. Wait until you see how pricey Macs are… Again, we're looking for: 2 engines, 4GB RAM, 250+GB hard drive, then extras.

HP Pavilion $699 MacBook Pro $1699

Core 2 Duo --- 2 engines Core 2 Duo – 2 engines

4GB RAM -- multi-tasking 4GB RAM

500GB hard drive 250GB hard drive

15.6” screen 15.4”

Webcam, card reader --- extras

Webcam

You Might Be Thinking: Eventhough the HP specs look very similar to our Gateway from earlier examples, you may be asking yourself why it is roughly $200 more. This is due to the speed of the engines. We have the two processors, which is right on, but the HP also has more speed to each one. Our Gateway engines go at 1.6, these go at 2.2. Doesn’t make much of a difference for $200. Don’t get too bogged down with this, all engines will be in this range. Back to the comparison...

Well, this is just plain highway robbery. You could have almost 3 HP laptops for the cost of 1 Mac with the same power!!!! It's just like Gucci or Prada. The name is what you're buying. I know people say, "Macs are better, Macs never crash." If that’s so, why are there Mac service centers at all? Mac people are loyal to their brand and are overall very happy consumers. They like way they look, feel, and always claim, "Macs just work." Personally, I have never owned a Mac and all of my computers work beautifully. I have always loved Windows. For me, nothing about a Mac is a good enough reason to add $1000. Now, my husband on the other hand, would disagree. He loves his Mac, although he loved his Windows machines too. Sadly, he does find that occasionally he needs to do something on my computer because his Mac is not capable. Most recently, he wanted to do our budget with Quicken financial software and there is no version for the Mac currently that is at all helpful. Interestingly, a recent study just conducted showed that most Mac owners live in $100,000+ income households. Hmmm…I wonder why? The study also showed that 80% also own Windows machines. Ok, I've said my piece. Mac vs Windows is the debate of our century. You decide. Test one out and see if you feel Mac is worth the money. On paper, it is not.

The "Out of Date" Debate

Perhaps the thing that people fear the most is the thought that whatever they buy today is going to be out of date when they get home from the store. I hear it all the time, "I'm just gonna wait." Honestly, wait for what? Technology is always changing. Think about cars…if you buy the 2009 Civic today, the 2010 will be here tomorrow. It doesn't mean the 2009 is not still great. It goes just as fast and is still brand new. It takes years for computers to be "out of date." Out of date is something that is too slow to use at all. The day you have to take a shower while the computer boots up is probably a good time for a new one. A good lifespan for a machine is a solid 3-5 years. In that time, new technologies will demand more and more power. Prices will also decrease from what you paid. Then we buy new again. It’s all a cycle. I'll leave you with this…I bought a laptop 2 years ago just like our beloved $479 model. It cost me $749. It was a special edition and has 2 engines, 4GB RAM, 250GB storage, webcam, DVD burner, and it's still as fast as can be. It just cost a little more then. Now, you tell me…is it "out of date?"

Copyright

All material in this guide is, unless otherwise stated, the property of Lorin L. Hall. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law. A single copy of the materials available through this course may be made, solely for personal, noncommercial use. Individuals must preserve any copyright or other notices contained in or associated with them. Users may not distribute such copies to others, whether or not in electronic form, whether or not for a charge or other consideration, without prior written consent of the copyright holder of the materials. Contact information for requests for permission to reproduce or distribute materials is listed below: Lorin L. Hall Momma Motherboard, Inc. Momma.motherboard@gmail.com www.MommaMotherboard.com

Shopping Chart

Write in the specs of models you like as you shop. I have written in the averages for you as a reference.

Price $500-$600

Brand/Model HP,Gateway

Processor 2,Duo,Dual,X2

RAM 4GB

Hard drive 250+GB

Screen size 15.6”

Battery life 3-4hrs

Extras Webcam,etc.

Price $500-$600

Brand/Model HP,Gateway

Processor 2,Duo,Dual,X2

RAM 4GB

Hard drive 250+GB

Screen size 15.6”

Battery life 3-4hrs

Extras Webcam,etc.

Price $500-$600

Brand/Model HP,Gateway

Processor 2,Duo,Dual,X2

RAM 4GB

Hard drive 250+GB

Screen size 15.6”

Battery life 3-4hrs

Extras Webcam,etc.

Momma Is Here For You!

If at any time, any of this is just too much and you want to leave the work to someone else, I am here for you! Book Momma Time Now! Momma does full service computer care & repair including: Personal shopping for you or with you Custom in-home setup Computer, camera, iPod lessons Printer setup/troubleshooting Virus prevention and maintenance Virus removal Data recovery Broken screens (laptop/iPod) Wireless setup/repair Home Office Setup And so much more...

Planning to buy yourself or someone you love a computer this holiday? DON’T buy it only to have it collect dust! ....Remember that treadmill? So many shoppers buy wonderful tech gifts for people that simply do not know how to use them. Bring it all together with the gift they’ll REALLY use... Lessons with Momma! Call and book Momma Time Now! ***Currently for Central Florida residents only (407) 557-2764 Momma.motherboard@gmail.com

A Quick Note About Laptop Batteries & Chargers

Plain and simple --- laptop batteries and chargers fail over time. How we handle the failure is what really matters. Let’s say our charger fails...the worst thing we can do is run out to a retailer and buy one of those “universal” chargers. They cost an obscene amount of money and they claim to work on all of these different models. It will....for a while. See, each model of a laptop requires a different amount power. Too much or too little power can damage the computer. It has to be just right. Imagine what would happen if we tried to charge our cellphone with our computer charger... not good. The wrong power would be put out and then the problems would start. Then Momma gets the crying phone calls. So...before you pay $120+ dollars for one of these “universal” chargers, call Momma and see about ordering one for your model exactly. No need to pay the manufacturer some crazy amount. Same with batteries. Retailers don’t sell them at all and the manufacturer is extremely expensive. Momma can “hook you up” with batteries and chargers FOR LESS! Call today and have it shipped to your door! 5 minutes with Momma could save you hundreds! Momma ships anywhere in the US.

Order Now!

Call (407) 557-2764

Have A Comment or Thought For Momma?

Momma loves to hear from you! All insight, thoughts, suggestions, and comments are welcomed and encouraged. Momma is here for you and listening to what you need is how I improve my products and services. Thank you to everyone that has written in and commented so far. I am glad you are finding this guide helpful and I look forward to providing more “plain english” guides in the very near future. Remember, Momma’s always here for you! Happy Computing, -Momma Please use my testimonials page below for any thoughts you would like to share. http://mommamotherboard.com/testimonials.html Or you may always contact me at: momma.motherboard@gmail.com Website www.MommaMotherboard.com