Choosing the Right Laptop for Lower Repair Costs Down the Road

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When shopping for a new laptop, in addition to features, aesthetics, and performance, it is wise to look at possible repair costs down the road. Just like with an automobile, repair costs for a laptop can vary considerably depending on the make, model, and screen size.

First, let's analyze the types of repairs that you'll most likely encounter in the future. The types of repairs can be broadly divided into hardware and software. For software repairs, Windows 7 laptops are uniform in costs because they all run the same operating system. A possible exception is Lenovo, that adds a signicant amount of overhead software to Windows thus making it harder to restore the system if needed

Hardware repairs is where the greatest variations in costs occur. The types of hardware repairs that a laptop owner will likely encounter include screen repair, keyboard replacement, hinge repair, case damage repair, and hard drive replacement. Because of the costs involved, it is very unlikely that a motherboard or processor replacement will be performed.

Any repair that will cost over $300 has to be considered carefully because this is the price range that new laptops start at. Having said this, it is possible to do the hardware repairs above for well below this price. However, if 2 or more repairs are needed at one time the cost could well be over $300.

Except for the hard drive which has the same physical dimension in nearly all laptops and costs a similar amount, the other types of repairs follow rules in costs as described below. Here are some common guidelines:
Replacement parts for more common laptops are far more available and cost much less than for less common laptops. High volume laptop brands include HP, Dell, Toshiba and Acer.More expensive laptops will have more expensive parts.For the do-it-yourself person, HP has online.pdf disassembly documents for all of their laptops.HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo host very active technical support forums.Backlit keyboards are more difficult to replace.Self-loading optical drives require the disassembly of the laptop to replace, while standard optical drives require just the removal of one screw.Liquid spills can quickly destroy a laptop or screen. Lenovo Thinkpad laptops are the most resistant to liquid spills since they are designed with liquid drainage channels.The 15.6" screen size for laptops is the most common, so if the screen needs to be replaced, it will be the least expensive. Other common screen sizes include 14.0" and 17.3".ASUS laptops often use unusual screen designs which are difficult to find and more expensive to replace."Slim" screens are more fragile and more expensive. These screens are thinner than the standard screens and are often installed on higher-end laptops. ASUS and Lenovo use slim screens in their laptops.Screens made by Toshiba-Matsushita that go into high end Lenovo and Sony laptops are ultra-expensive ($400 or more)

Buying a new laptop involves tradeoffs in price, performance, reputation of the brand and aesthetics. One issue that is not commonly considered is any potential repair costs down the road. Hopefully with the aid of this article, the laptop consumer can make a more educated decision.

Eugene PanRudkevich, Owner Screen Surgeons.

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Cut Costs With Cheap Toner Cartridges

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It's a well-known undeniable fact that many store manufacturers perform just as well as their model name counterparts. The identical is accurate of buying a toner cartridge; it is completely pointless to stick with OEM toner. The huge majority of people who turn to discount black toner are pleasantly surprised by how similar it's to the OEM model. In fact, the one main distinction that you're certain to notice is price - discount toner cartridges usually signify a significant savings over model name cartridges. If you are still not convinced, think about these details:

Discount Laser Toner Does Function - You may have been frightened absent from non-OEM toner because of the stern warnings that you simply found inside your printer's manual. Indeed, manufacturers have a tendency to admonish their customers that using discount toner cartridges can - and will - wreck their machines. Happily enough, that's completely unfaithful. It is completely feasible to appreciate a toner discount without running the risk of impairing or destroying your printer.

Print Quality is Fine - An additional concern that individuals have about purchasing toners for less is that they will actually get less, in the form of poor print quality. You definitely do get what you spend for in some situations, but not when you purchase low-cost, non-OEM black toner. You'd probably need a high-power microscope in order to discern any difference between the print quality of a brand-name toner versus that of a non-brand toner cartridge; even then, you probably wouldn't find one.

Unless you're a fan of needlessly spending much more than you need to spend, there's no good cause to not attempt toners for less. In the end, you might nonetheless decide to stick with OEM toner; probably, although, you will make a permanent switch over to its more affordable - and equally efficient - discount counterpart.

Refills and Ready-Made Cartridges Function Equally Well - You might have already made the leap to Discount Toner; what about do-it-yourself discount cartridges that you simply refill your self? Rumors abound declaring that the process is messy, inefficient and completely not worth it. In reality, refilling a Toner Cartridge is definitely an absolute breeze. Numerous times, taking issues into your own hands will save you much more money; what's not to like about that?

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