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Many of us Papua New Guineans did not grow up having electronic gadgets around the house. The most that we got exposed to was a transistor radio and perhaps a box television set.

The generation that are in their early thirties right down to the children of today are a different story! Most touch a mobile phone before they can walk. To them it’s a norm that everyone has a mobile phone and having a laptop is something that is as common as having a front door. Second to the mobile phone - a laptop is the most common electronic device in any urban Papua New Guinean home.

What is a laptop?

If you ask google, it will tell you that a laptop is a computer that is portable and suitable for use while travelling. A laptop basically offers everything a desktop computer offers but with the added advantage of being portable.

Who Uses laptops?

These days EVERYONE uses a laptop! Toddlers and children that can’t speak or walk are shown clips of nursery rhymes and sing-alongs, everyone watches movies, listens to songs, does research and types emails or documents. Laptops are versatile, provide easy entertainment and are portable so everybody has use for one.

Laptops are a good investment for someone that owns or is running a small business. It makes creating documents, keeping track of expenses and income and marketing easy. If you are looking to purchase a laptop you want to choose one that will not only function well but will also last you for at least five good years.

Here are 7 things that you should consider before spending your hard earned money.

1.Budget

It wise to budget how much you are going to spend first. In order to get a fair idea of the prices you may be looking at, you can check out what is available on Marketmeri.com or have a look at the following Facebook pages: Marketmeri,  MeriPNG and Buy & Sell Anything PNG. For a used laptop in good working condition prices can be from as low as K500. For a brand new laptop, depending on the brand and the processor, prices range from K1,900 to about K7,000.

2. Portability

Will you be travelling with your laptop daily, weekly or monthly? If you are going to be travelling frequently with your laptop you must consider the weight and size. It is more comfortable for constant travel to carry a laptop that weighs less than 2Kg, it is more comfortable on your shoulders or back to carry something that is between 1-1.5Kg. A smaller laptop is safer to travel with as it won’t be obvious what you are carrying. A laptop with a 13  or 15 inch screen is perfect for constant travel.

3.Are parts available in PNG?

For example if you misplace or damage your laptop charger, how easy will it be to buy a new one in PNG? This is an issue that one should consider before purchasing.

4.What operating systems and processors are best for me?

Perhaps you are wondering what an operating system is and what a processor is? The best explanation is that the operating system or OS is what is responsible for waking up and managing all the different parts and functions of a laptop and the processor is the brain. You can’t have one without another. The most common laptops in PNG have Windows as their OS and Intel as their processors. How fast or slow your computer can execute tasks depends on how efficient the brain is. If you are going to be using your laptop for emailing, excel, word or publisher and facebooking - an Intel i3 or Intel i5 processor is sufficient. For those who want to edit raw footage or images, while coding, facebooking, gaming, sending emails and skyping - an Intel i7 would be better for you. The only issue is that a larger processor generally generates more heat and that this can be extremely uncomfortable if you are resting it on your lap.

_{Intel, Intel i3 and Intel i7 | Source: Amazon, Ebay, Ebay}

5. What  else can I connect my laptop to?

It is is useful to have at least two USB ports for flash drives and other external storage devices; and a HDMI or VGA port in case you need to connect to an external screen or projector to make a presentation.

6. Which is best for memory storage SSD or HDD?

SSD stands for Solid State Drive and HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. Both these things store the memory. If you are going to be frequently travelling it is safer for you to get SSD as this means less possibility of damage. A HDD has little movable parts that can be damaged if you move it around too much unlike the SSD that is just one rectangular or square.

_{Source: Tech Support All}

7.How much RAM do I need?

RAM stands for Random Access Memory and can be best described as a computers working or thinking memory. Having said that - if you are emailing, typing word or excel documents and updating your facebook status then 4GB is sufficient but if you can 8GB of RAM makes your computer work faster.

Ensure that you do your research, ask questions and you have a good look before you spend. If you are using the internet to research, it is best to check for reviews from both independent tech sites rather than from the brands themselves. If you would like to ask any questions or you would like to post your laptop for sale you can contact us at support@marketmeri.com or call D:747 00243 or B 752 64887