Laptops Every 4 years...

So every 4 years, our PC tends to act up and give us the last leg signals....like the blue screen of death, weird Atari-like sounds, overheating problems etc. So we began to scrolling online stores and researching computers within our self created parameters. 

I knew I wanted to get an HP computer simply because of history and familiarity. Every printer, scanner, mouse and keyboard, I own are part of the HP family, so I figured I would keep things simple. The other important feature I wanted was to make sure that we had a larger screen (17 inches) to deal with because Hubs and I are near and far sighted respectively and we prefer not to fuss with a small screen monitors (and we prefer to watch movies and skype on a big screen)

So on Saturday, we visited Best Buy/Walmart/Costco/Office Depot and a couple more, I forget their names. We did learn a lot and I will like to share.

First, my first PC was from Circuit City in 2000 and I paid about 1500 for an HP computer with 13 inch screen. The computer lasted about 3 year before thing took a turn for the worst. The next couple of PC since then have all lasted about 3-4 years each. The funny thing is that the prices since then have come down dramatically each time I bought a new PC. 

Secondly, with each PC purchase, I have noticed that the sizes of PC are getting small. I will attribute this to how folks are using smart TVs to watch TV online/Skype and fact that market for tablets is still relative strong. During my search, I noticed just a few 17.3 laptops compared to the 13 inches PCs

We made a list of what is important to us and basically went with that. We are not techy people but use PC everyday.  
1. We wanted a large laptop -- 17.3 inches
2. We wanted stay under 500 bucks -- we us expect the PC to die in about 4 years--so we would avg about $100+ a year.
3. I needed to get a PC at least 5 GB
4. Built-in HD web cam and microphone let you keep in touch with others via video and voice messaging.  
5. Integrated numeric keypad speeds data entry and calculations. 
6. Provides up to 4 hours of battery life on a single charge. 

Things that were not to important to us included that following
1. Any programs or specs with Graphics/Music/Photography  Emphasis
2. Speed
3. Warranties







So in the end, wewent with a Gateway 17-3 black laptop with 6GB for $349 from Office Depot and we love it for now...

Besos
Me.