The MomApproved.ca Blog

We’ve all seen back-to-school laptop deals advertised in the local paper at amazing prices. But once you add in the taxes, warranty, software, and setup, that $399 super-deal doesn’t look so super anymore.

The question is… what exactly are you getting?

When it comes to computers for kids, you need to look deeper than just the price and performance. So to help you out with your back-to-school shopping, we’ve put together a quick yet comprehensive cheat sheet to help you cut through the clutter and narrow down the options when buying a new computer for your kid.

(Just a little note before you read on: Although this article is reasonably thorough, we couldn’t possibly fit a whole book’s worth of computer-buying tips into this article. So this list is just a summary of suggestions to serve as a general guideline when buying a new computer. For the purposes of this particular article, most of the commentary and suggestions will focus on laptops. The final hardware and software  you choose will ultimately depend on your specific preferences, needs and budget.)

Here’s a list of the top 13 things to keep in mind:

1. Mac or PC –  There are numerous reasons to go with either Windows or Mac depending on the features you want. Sometimes it just comes down to a matter of preference. However, if you are willing to spend more than $1000, Mac laptops have very solid construction, long battery life, and less risk of virus infection than PC’s. But if you want a brand new laptop to fit under a $1000 budget, then you may have to go with a Windows system, since it might be tricky can’t get a new Mac laptop for less than $1000 all-in. (The term "all in" refers to taxes, software, and setup being included as well).
    
2. Operating System (also known as the "OS") – “Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit” is the operating system  currently shipping with most student-oriented laptops for 2011 from retail outlets. On the Mac side, “OS X Lion” is currently being shipped in the 2011 Macbook Pro lineup. If you have specific operating system needs, you can inquire with your computer vendor about alternatives to the above mentioned OS’s (such as getting other versions of Windows, OSX, or even Linux or Solaris). However always make sure that the OS you end up choosing will be compatible with your kids needs and their required software.
     
3. Size and weight – Sure, portability is great. But portability is useless if the system is hard to use and your kids’ hands are cramped on the keyboard. This brings up the eternal question of “should I get a laptop or desktop?”. Let’s change that question to “Do you want the computer to be portable or ergonomical?” If you want portability, go with a laptop. If you want true ergonomics, go with a desktop and a good mouse, keyboard, chair and desk with the monitor set at eye level. If you want portability and ergonomics, you can get a laptop and then use an external monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc. when using the laptop at home. In terms of weight, your child has enough heavy stuff to lug around all day, so try to get a laptop that is as thin and light as possible without resorting to lousy construction, which brings me to the next point.
    
4. Construction – If you’re getting a laptop, flimsy construction means it is more likely it is to crack or warp while your child puts the system through a beating during the school year. If you have a chance to physically see the laptop before buying it, make sure the system has strong hinges and a tough cover and base. Try opening and closing the lid and see if the whole unit flexes a lot when you test the lid. Whether you get a laptop or a desktop, make sure the system is well ventilated so that it doesn’t overheat. For laptops, lots of venting (preferably side-venting) is ideal if you can get it.
    
5. RAM – Once you open up a few Word documents, a few web browsers, iTunes, a Picassa photo gallery, two or three games, and a few more apps thrown in for good measure, 2 gigs of RAM seems to fall flat pretty fast. Try to get at least 4 gigs of RAM. If you can squeeze in more, then great. There are also different speeds of RAM, so make sure that if you do get 4 gigs of RAM, that it’s the fastest RAM capable of being used in the laptop that you are buying.
    
6. Storage capacity – Storage capacity (Also known as Hard drive space) isn’t much of a concern if your kid is only working on spreadsheets and word documents. But once you factor in mp3’s, videos, and games, that 250 gig hard drive will get eaten up as soon as you load on all those files. Hard drive storage space is not one of the most expensive aspects in today’s computers. If you’re getting a laptop the difference in price between a 250 gig and 500 gig hard drive isn’t that much. Also make sure the drive speed is 7200 RPM instead of 5400 RPM. 5400 RPM drives are slower and may be counter-productive to having a fast processor and lots of RAM.
      
7. CPU Power –The CPU is a chip inside the computer that handles all the main processing tasks. Think of it as the “brain” of the computer. The two main CPU manufacturers that you will come across in your hunt for a new computer are likely Intel and AMD. Both are good brands, and much like the Windows vs. Mac debate, you will hear a lot of people side with one or the other. As a general rule-of-thumb, for a student computer, try to get a CPU that has 2 cores or more. This will allow your child to run multiple applications with less sluggishness… which will mean far less complaining from them about having a slow computer.
     
8. Screen & Video card – Not only does the size of the screen matter, but other factors such as the clarity of displayed text/images/video make the difference between a good screen and a great screen. A bad screen can damage your child's eyes. So make sure you do not skimp on the screen.
    
9. Battery life – Battery life may not be a concern if the system is going to be plugged in to a power outlet most of the time. However, if your child is frequently using the system away from a power outlet, make sure that the battery can last for a decent duration between charges. It is not uncommon to discover that most off-the-shelf retail PC laptops rarely last a hair beyond 2 to 3 hours. If you think your child will need more than 2 to 3 hours of battery life, then make sure you make this a key point to consider.
    
10. Warranty – Most laptops from the major retail outlets and manufacturers come with a standard 1-year return-to-depot hardware warranty. The standard 1-year warranty can usually be extended to a 2-year or 3-year warranty for an additional fee which covers hardware issues that are not your fault. However, if your child has a tendency to be rough with their gear or will be transporting the laptop daily, then it’s a good idea to get an extended hardware warranty coupled with an accidental damage warranty as well. An accidental damage warranty covers manufacturer defects and any hardware issues that are your fault, such as dropping a laptop and cracking the whole case. Depending on the manufacturer, an accidental damage warranty can run anywhere from less than $100 to more than a few hundred dollars.
      
11. Ports & Connectivity – Always check how many ports, types of ports, and the location of ports available on the laptop to plug stuff into. Sure, you can always get port-expansion hubs and docking stations to increase the expandability of the laptop, but is it really practical for your child to be lugging around wires and port expansion gadgets? Not really. Usually, when a laptop is used “on the go”, your child won’t be plugging too much stuff into it. But at a minimum, make sure the system has at least enough ports to plug in 2 items at a time… be it a printer, mouse, music player, or backup drive.  At a minimum, to cover the basics, make sure the laptop comes with at least two USB ports, a monitor port (preferably a DVI or HDMI monitor port), microphone jack, headphone jack, and ethernet port. If it comes with more USB ports, and SD card slot and other ports, then even better. In terms of wireless internet connectivity, make sure that wireless card is built in.
     
12. Software – Most people are shocked to find out that their brand new system didn’t come with a full Microsoft Office suite, PDF creator, or any software to keep the system running smoothly or protected from viruses. Surprise, many off-the-shelf systems don’t. They also don’t come with a lot of other software you might expect. Whether you get a Windows or Mac system, make sure you do your due-diligence and make a list of *all* the things you want your kid to use the new computer for and factor in all that extra software and setup/installation/configuration into your final cost.
      
    
13. And last but not least… Backups – Nothing hurts more than working on an assignment for a week and losing the whole project from a hard-drive crash or a stolen laptop. The solution? Backups. When it comes to backups, there are 2 main types… data backups and system backups. Data backups only back up your… well… data. Things like word/excel/powerpoint documents, pdf’s, photos, music, videos. System backups on the other hand back up the whole computer… this includes the operating system, programs, drivers, and all the program settings and configurations. If you think it is highly unlikely that your child will haul around a backup drive, then at a minimum, do 1 system backup of the computer on to a backup drive after the system is fully set up, then use a cloud-backup service like Crashplan.com to back up the computer daily.

So there you have it. A solid overview of what to look for when getting a new laptop for your child. There are a few things we will be covering in greater detail in upcoming tech-tip articles (like how to get your new system set up properly after you buy it). However, in the meantime, if you are looking for a new system, MomApproved.ca has some good news for you.

We are currently looking into group-buying deals with major computer manufacturers for MomApproved.ca members.

Click here to let us know if you are interested in saving some cash on a new computer and we will send you more info once we have the full details on the group-buying offer.

Until next time, enjoy your summer and stay tuned for the next Tech-Tips article!

Johann Raj,
Tech-Tips Columnist for MomApproved.ca