So, again recently, I had a friend who wanted a new laptop. So I did a good search to suggest some pieces to him. Here I will compile a shortlist on what you need to pay attention.


PRIMARY THINGS

1)Brand
Some brands are better than another. Brands in laptops are important because you are buying a machine where you can't tweak many things and will be with you for about 3 years at least or better say 5. Therefore you need a good brand to ensure this lifespan.

What makes a laptop defective is poor temperature airflow. Branded manufacturers generally use better materials and have better airflow. This is why it is better to give about $50 more and get a branded laptop.

The brands I recommend out of personal experience are the following (in order):
a)Dell
b)Hp
then for a cheaper solution
c)Acer

I would avoid Fujitsu - Siemens.

2)CPU
The cpu is the heart of the laptop. You need a good cpu because generally laptop cpus are weak and a cheap laptop cpu is like rubbish. AMD generally falls into this category. Go for at least i3 or even better i5. i7 is not really needed except if you are a professional.
Use http://cpuboss.com/ for CPU comparisons.

SECONDARY THINGS

3)Graphics card
I would recommend a graphics card. Even if you intend to do just browsing. Google Maps for example already requires a good graphic card. In the next 3 years this is going to become more intense. Do note that that graphics cards are what usually rise the price of a laptop. You could avoid it but consider it deeply before proceeding. AMD/ATI radeon cards should be preferred.

4)Hard Disk
I hear SSDs are great. I have a friend pestering me to get one. I still run on a simple sata 2 hdd on my laptop. No problems and I do all sort of things on it. If you have money to spare, get it. If you got like a lot money to spend, go for the 512GB Samsung pro series (note the pro). If not, stay with a simple one.

I would recommend getting one with an operating system although sometimes you can find a better price otherwise and put it yourself (if you know how).

Conclusion

What is important is getting a special offer/discount. When you want to buy a laptop, DON'T rush. Wait till there is a good offer, like $100 off or something. Such discounts are common in laptops. These $100 could be a worthwhile difference.

After you buy a laptop
The best advice for a laptop longevity is to maintain good temperature. I usually put two small levers (steps, how to call them) on the two back foots to elevate the laptop back a few centimeters off the surface. This really helps airflow.

A laptop base is most of the time waste of money although it could be useful if you want to use it on your bed. Generally, avoid placing the laptop on surfaces where its fan cannot breathe freely.

If the fan starts making noise, then you only need to clean it. You can blow some air on it to clean it (when it is turned off). It really helps.

You should turn off power supply when you go to sleep. Laptops are more durable to this than desktops but still it is a good precaution.

Finally, you can run it without battery if you are using it casually, when at home. This way battery life is maintained. I usually ignore this, I always have battery on to save my work in case of a power outage. However this results in like no battery life after a year or two.

One thing I found most buyers make a mistake of is they dont know what they need to start with.

Make a list of things you want to do with the laptop. Then find out the system requirement for the stuffs. look up laptops meeting those requirements.

Dont go shopping not knowing what u want. that way you would end up buying something you probably dont need.

unless you have ample money which i never have you need to be careful about what is put on the display and what you actually need.

after that what zorg said about how to pick the best item off those matched lists.

SPY speaks the truth

AMD CPU's have gotten much better over the last few years Zorg. I am currently using an A8 AMD on an HP laptop, and i can vouch for how well it works.

Zorg wrote:So, again recently, I had a friend who wanted a new laptop. So I did a good search to suggest some pieces to him. Here I will compile a shortlist on what you need to pay attention.

That's a good list. Your hardware specs won't really apply to everybody (I use my laptop almost exclusively for writing documents or posting online, so there's clearly no need for a powerful graphics card) but for someone whose laptop is their primary or exclusive computer this is really good. Specifically and especially, I've never heard of (anyone else) propping up their laptop to increase airflow. I usually use a paperback novel.

How long have you been able to keep a laptop going? I'm typing this on an 8-year old model.

Great list. Well put together.

The rule of the thumb I personally follow for airflow is to keep it at a position where the fan will slightly operate or will not operate at all. This way I get near zero noise and good temperature.

The most I had a particular model was 4 years, I changed afterwards. Still, 4 years completely without any problems, including a hard disk issue. Hard disk issues are after all the first victim of temperature problems. Same with my current one, I have it for 4 years now and I will have it for about 3 more.

Regarding SSDs, they definitely worth their money by now althouth their price might still be steep if you can fit only one hdd in there. You should keep in mind that nearly all 17" models can fit two hard disks and there you can go for a small storage (256gb nowadays I would recommend) ssd at one slot and a big storage hdd at another slot.

Nowadays, I would prefer a nvidia graphics card rather and an amd (radeon) one. Still, something to research almost every time always comparing with the price. Always remember that a great graphic card should not be among the requirements. Better go for a desktop pc if this is what you primarily want.

For CPU, I would still go for Intel over AMD for better architecture which results in better temperature and power consumption.

Finally, if desktop needs and browing is what describes you, don't give much for a laptop. These tasks can be carried by virtually ane laptop on the market today so go for the price. Give the extra bucks for an external monitor, external keyboard and mouse to use it as a desktop while at home.