If you’re going to buy a new laptop you’ve probably got more choice and variation to pick from than any other form of computer, so finding the right one for you can be tricky. The key is to have a look at as many different models as you can and ideally try a few out at a retailer like Currys. The most important thing, is to know what you want, so here are a few things that you should consider.

Do I Need to Move It

This might seem like a redundant question as the point of laptops is that they’re portable, but some are more portable than others. Smaller notebook sized machines are lighter and easier to slip into a bag than some of the larger gaming laptops. Are you going to use is like a more easily moved version of a desktop? Do you need (as opposed to want) a big screen?

Answering these two simple questions are key to deciding the size and weight of the laptop that you’re going to buy. The average screen size is between 13 and 15 inches, smaller machines are obviously easier to carry.

What Am I Going to Do

Are you someone who likes to install and play relatively demanding games? Or are you more likely to use your laptop to write emails, watch films and generally surf the internet? If you fall into the second camp your laptop is going to be a lot cheaper because you don’t need the high specifications of a gaming laptop. Of course, it’s always nice to have a lot of processing power at your disposal, but you have to pay quite a lot for that processing power, so you may as well save the money if you’re not going to use it.

Do I Need Software

You get a relatively good deal on Microsoft Windows when you buy a new laptop these days, but it does put the price up, if you’re comfortable (or even prefer) to use other operating systems than you can save yourself quite a lot of money by cutting out Windows and Microsoft Office.

And that’s about it, once you’ve decided how often you’re going to travel with it and what you’re going to do with it you can narrow down your size of screen and the specifications of the machine, this more or less determines the price and what sort of thing you should be looking for. Software is an additional consideration if you want to spend a bit more on the hardware and less on the operating system.