This is based around experience with my renovated upgraded laptop and suggestions for choosing a new one. I am not an expert so this may not cover everything.
I have used blue for some points to make the points easier to distinguish from each other as the spacing is quite tight.
Certain words are hyperlinked (linked) to definitions in external sites.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items with * apply more to users with high CPU intensity programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Flash and Autodesk Maya etc.
Items with ^ only really apply for desktop PCs, not laptops.
Important
- You must make sure that the company is not likely to go bankrupt or just disappear because if you have a problem and they're gone. Tough.
- Make sure everything is functioning including the search in the start bar, the search in explorer windows and the Help Centre (these are broken on my computer and I can't fix them). It's not the end of the world if some are broken as long as you don't mind but do you want a broken computer?
- Make sure that the manufacturer/company provides you with the operating system installation disk for your computer. It may be pre-installed for you but when your computer starts to run into the ground (i.e. drag, crash a lot), re-installing the operating system can be a real life saves (well, the computer's life anyway). However, without the disk the only way of doing this is by buying an operating system- expensive.
