Laptops

On a daily basis we get asked a lot of questions about laptops. Therefore, below I have compiled the most common questions or insight and my typical answers:

Overview: Sometimes, because we are in a position to identify laptops that show abnormal problems that can range anywhere from: motherboards, mobile video cards; wireless nic cards to name a few of the most common that fail prematurely due to a manufacture design flaw. However, we do not consult on the problems that may or may not exist with other manufacture's laptops.

1. What is the best laptop to buy?
Heh. Sometimes when a client asks this question they will request our assistance in choosing the "best" from our competitor : ) Sorry, we do not engage in this type of conversation, we may however, drop you a few hints ; )
Currently, we only sell one brand of laptop and that is ASUS. They are exremely seasoned in what they do and they offer alot! Most, not all, of ASUS laptops come with a 2 year parts and labor global and 1 year accidental (must register to get the 1 year accidental). All warranty shipping is paid for by ASUS. On another note, not all ASUS laptops sold by other retailers carry the same warranty. More importantly is they back up their warranty! Lastly, the starting price for the current models on the market range anywhere from $800 on up.

The next one is not really a question, but rather a huge problem in how people are using their laptops.

I would estimate that as many as 99% of the laptops are used in this manner. The number one is people "smother" their machines and by that I mean they are using them on their beds, laps, furniture and carpet are the places that I can think of off the top of my head. If you use your machine on carpet you risk shocking the machine with electricity. If you use your machine in this manner you risk seriously damaging harddrives (that is where all your data is stored), motherboards, processors, video cards to the point of buying a new machine.
Intel processors have a fail safe built in them that if they reach 90 C (really hot) the machine will automatically shut down and this is to protect itself, not annoy you. Lol. However, I find many clients continue to push the power button.
When a machine is shut down improperly (even if you are not doing anything with it at the moment, bad data is written to the harddrive and many people will experience a boot cycle where it will ask you to start windows normally and then the process starts over.
In addition, laptops collect alot of lint and dust of which needs to be cleaned out periodically. This is a heating problem and can restrict your cooling fans from functioning properly. I have actually seen enough debris accumulate in a laptop that it looked like mouse bedding!
Sometimes the fans themselves stop functioning and need to be replaced.
Lastly, as a result of people using their laptops on their legs, bedding and so on, they often rub off the Licensed Code for their operating system and well, if you can not provide a code than you have to repurchase it of which will set you back anywhere from $120.00 to $400.00! If you purchase a laptop than I recommend purchasing a laptop cooler as well, they are a really good investment!

Furthermore, when purchasing a laptop here are some things that an owner or potential owner should consider:

I have yet to see a laptop battery that just blew me away and actually lasted a long time. I have not really kept tracked, but if a I had to venture to guess on the lifespan on a laptop battery I would probably guess 6 months.

It is extremely common for the lcd screens to have to be replaced either because it has expired, dropped or what have you. They currently start at $170.00 for new and $75.00 for used.

Inverters are also very common to have to be replaced. If you have ever had a dim screen that is not the result of dimming it yourself, alot of times the inverter needs to be replaced. New start at $80.00 and used $40.00.

Keyboards run anywhere from $35.00 to $100.00 and that could be new or used.

Laptop DC pins cost $150.00

Hardware such as harddrives and ram will cost you more for a laptop over a desktop.

Lastly, all of the goods that we sell are from reputable distributors. I don't do ebay or fly by night places.


Best Regards,

Misty Sistad
Manager
Raptor PCS
1726 S. Washington St.
Grand Forks, ND 58201