When money is tight, a $350 laptop is a seductive alternative to a full-powered machine that might run anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. And, indeed, there are plenty of options out there around $350, like this or this. But with Black Friday season right around the corner, there’s an increasingly strong case to be made for at least considering a higher-end model.
For one thing, the price premium for premium computers is shrinking fast – and we’re projecting that you’ll be able to get a souped-up laptop for as little as $750 if you play the holiday sale madness wisely.
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But we’ll get to that in a minute. First, you might need to be convinced that those premium features are worth any extra money at all. (Does “quad-core processor” mean anything to you? Didn’t think so.) So we’ve put together a quick guide to explain why you might want to super-size your configuration.
Sight and Sound
We’ll start with something almost every computer user will notice and appreciate: A bigger and more refined the screen. Today’s premium laptops usually feature a 16-inch or 17-inch LED-backlit display, although larger 18-inch displays (with 1080p resolution) are becoming more common.
These laptops also offer much better audio than their 11-inch and 15-inch counterparts. Many premium systems feature Harman/Kardon speakers or built-in Dolby Sound, which deliver an easily noticeable improvement over the tinny speakers that come standard in most basic laptops. HP’s premium laptops, in fact, have top-of-the-line Beats Audio built in.
Pure Processing Power
Intel‘s Sandy Bridge processors — in particular the Core i7 processor — are widely considered the CPU of choice for laptops, dusting anything and everything rival AMD throws its way (as seen in these benchmarks). It’s the first mainstream Intel chip to integrate graphics silicon directly onto the processor, and also the first based fully on Intel’s 32-nanometer manufacturing process.
What does that mean in practical terms? Core i7 CPUs are mainly available as “quad-core models,” though a few lower-end dual-core versions also receive the i7 label. Each core is like adding an additional processor to your system, so either option will increase overall system responsiveness. For gamers this means new titles will run smoothly with no delays or lag. For movie fans, it means full-screen HD video will look crisp and run jutter-free. And for everyday use, it means you’ll be able to run multiple programs simultaneously without experiencing any system hiccups.
Another benefit of the Sandy Bridge Core i7 is that it sips less power than previous CPUs, giving your laptop additional battery life.
Remember the Memory
Premium laptops aren’t just about raw horsepower. They typically have up to 8GB of RAM and hard drives with storage capacities of up to 750GB – versus the 4GB of RAM found in most mainstream systems or the 2GB of RAM found in budget systems. Likewise, those systems typically top out at 500GB and 320GB hard drives, respectively.
Of course, a larger hard drive gives you more room to store files such MP3 audio and HD video libraries. But the additional RAM – think of it as short-term memory – significantly increases system speed and keeps memory-hungry apps, like Adobe Photoshop, from clogging up your system.
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And laptop with 8GB of storage might sound like overkill for today, but just a few years down the line it might be the bare minimum you need to run 3D-intensive tasks.
Graphic designs
Whereas budget and most standard systems rely on “integrated” graphics for image rendering, most premium laptops come with a dedicated graphics card. Even today’s integrated graphics are way ahead of what was found on older laptops. But a dedicated graphics card will give your laptop extra processing power to render 3D images (such as those you’d find in high-end games or on apps like Google Earth) while your main CPU focuses on other tasks.
Dedicated graphics cards also come with their own built-in memory, so it’s almost like having two engines inside one car. Heavy gamers and video editors benefit the most from these cards. But anyone who enjoys watching HD videos on their computer will appreciate the difference between an image that stutters and one that runs smoothly.
Graphics cards are generally an add-on, so you’ll often need to make a decision about which to buy. Those interested in gaming will want to look at Nvidia’s GeForce GTX series or AMD’s Radeon HD 6000M series chips, the top-of-the-line offerings from these companies. Non-gamers will generally be happy with a mid-range card like Nvidia’s GTS/GT series or AMD’s 5000 series.
Now, Back To That Black Friday Pricing
So, let’s say that some or all of these fancy features appeal to you, but the price tag still makes you do a double take. Luckily, we’re approaching the best time of the year to buy a fully loaded computer.
A model like the Alienware M17x far surpasses the average computer. But since we first posted this laptop on dealnews in November of 2010, we’ve seen its price drop by about 35%. And as we approach Black Friday, we expect the price to fall further.
In fact, we expect many premium systems will fall well under the $1,000 mark. Our reasoning? Well, as of August, the average price of a premium laptop had dropped 45% from August 2010, according to data we’ve collected. Add to that the kind of additional discounts we’ve historically seen around Black Friday. The result: We’re predicting prices on some of these laptops will get as low as $720 — one of the greatest values you’ll see this shopping season.
Louis Ramirez is the senior feature writer at dealnews.com, an online aggregator that lists top deals on consumer electronics, gadgets, computers, apparel and more.