Before & After Your Computer

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Before & After Your Computer Virtual Program – November 2020 Part 1: Laptop Buying Guide What laptop should you get? Here are some essential tips to make the right call.

1. Pick a Platform Most laptops come with one of three operating systems: $ Google Chrome OS Found on inexpensive Chromebooks, Chrome OS is a simple and secure operating system for web browsing. However, it is also limiting as there are few offline apps that work well on it. This operating system is best for staying online, checking email, and navigating social networks. $$ Microsoft Windows 10 Windows 10 is the most flexible operating system as it appears on many more makes and models than others. It is the latest operating system from Microsoft and is considered to be an improvement over Windows 7 and Windows 8. Countless programs and software are able to run on this operating system, but Windows could improve on its touch-friendly apps in the future. $$$ Apple OS 11 Big Sur All MacBooks come with Apple’s own operating system. Similar to the functionality of Windows 10, OS 11 Big Sur is similar to the organization of an iPhone or iPad. However, the OS 11 Big Sur is not touch-friendly as no MacBook comes with a touchscreen.

2. Decide If You Want A 2-In-1 A 2-in-1 device can switch between a traditional clamshell mode and a tablet mode. There are two different styles to choose from: 1. Detachable where the screen comes off the keyboard 2. Flexible laptop with hinges If you do not see the need to use a notebook as a tablet, get better performance for your money with a traditional clamshell laptop. 3. Choose the Right Size You should figure out just how portable you need your laptop to be. Laptop screens comes in a variety of display sizes. $ 11 – 12 inches As the most portable size, you will sacrifice usability for portability. $$ 13 – 14 inches This is the best balance of portability and usability. $$$ 15 inches With a larger screen, this is the most popular laptop size although it tends to weigh more. $$$$ 17 – 18 inches This bigger size means more processing power, but also that it will be cumbersome to move. 4. Pick Your Specs Laptop components can be very confusing! Here are some main terms and numbers to keep an eye on.

CPU The CPU is the brains of your computer and this has a huge influence on the performance of the computer. AMD E Series Only good for basic tasks Intel Pentium / Celeron Found in low-cost laptops Intel Atom Offers basic performance Intel Core m3 / m5 / m7 Specializing in low-power and low-heat AMD A Series Similar to Intel Core i3 / i5 Intel Core i3 / i5 Best combination of price and performance Intel Core i7 Best on the common market

RAM RAM is quick access memory. The more multi-tasking you do, the more RAM you will need. 2 GB of RAM Lower end laptops 4 GB of RAM Minimum recommended 8 GB of RAM Recommended

Storage Drive (Hard Drive) The performance of your hard drive is very important. It is recommended to get a solid-state drive (SSD) rather than a hard disk drive (HDD). A solid state drive works three times faster than a hard disk drive, thus guaranteeing a faster laptop. Unfortunately, having a solid state drive also means a higher price tag for the laptop.

Display The display on your laptop is filled with pixels—tiny dots of color. The more pixels your display has, the better the picture will be. 1366 X 768 Displays Average 1920 X 1080 Displays Better Anything above Higher-end, but uses more battery life

Touch Screen Having a touch screen is a fun feature. However, you will only get a touch screen on a laptop if it is a 2-in-1. In addition, having a touch screen means one to three hours of less battery life. Graphics Chip All laptops have something called an integrated graphics chip. While you can add a high-end graphics chip, this is unnecessary unless you intend to play computer games or edit videos. DVD / Blu-Ray Drives These days, very few laptops come with a CD drive, as it is implied that almost everything is downloadable. However, you can buy a separate DVD drive for under twenty dollars to connect to your computer via USB. 5. Battery Life Trying to extend the battery life of your computer can be a never-ending battle. If you are buying a laptop that will never leave your desk, you do not have to worry about battery life. However, if you plan to move the laptop around, you may want to keep the battery life in mind. 6 hours of battery life Minimum 8 hours or more of battery life Recommended

6. Plan Based On Your Budget It is certainly possible to buy a new laptop for under $200, but you may want to consider paying more for a device of better quality, performance, and display. $150 - $250 Lower-end Windows laptops or Chromebooks $250 - $600 Good components, but no solid state drive or HD display $600 - $900 Premium designs with more features Above $900 More portable and more powerful and built to last

7. Mind the Brand When considering a laptop, take a look at what brands offer—whether it be technical support or warranty. Laptop Brand Ratings from Consumer Reports Year First Place Second Place Third Place 2020 Asus Dell HP 2019 HP Asus Dell 2018 Lenovo HP Dell

8. Best Time to Buy For Apple Macs Apple refreshes its laptops around once a year, around June or July. Major PCs Most major companies release new laptops twice a year. These times are also when the best deals are. • Back to school time from July to August • Holiday season from November to December

Part 2: Get Rid Of Your Old Laptop Need to get rid of your old laptop? Is it outdated? Not enough battery life? You have several ways to dispose of your laptop. However, first you must make sure to protect your security and privacy! Protect Yourself! Step 1: Back Up Before taking any action to wipe your computer clean, be sure to back up any files or data stored on the computer with one of these methods: • Flash drive • External hard drive • Cloud storage Step 2: De-Authorize This is a step that many forget to complete. Many programs, such as iTunes and Microsoft, place limits on how many devices you can run their service on. It is important to de-authorize any services that place a limit on the number of computers your license supports. To de-authorize a program, open it, and look for the option to de-authorize the service. Step 3: Clean and Restore Now we are ready to wipe the laptop clean and restore it to its factory settings. This is important to protect your security and privacy by deleting any personal information and data that relates to you. Unfortunately, simply dragging all of the files and folders into a trash is not enough. Even after emptying the trash, it is still possible for a determined computer expert to get to those files. Instead, reset your computer to its original state.

To Reset a Mac To erase the hard drive and reinstall the operating system: 1. Make sure the laptop is plugged in and charging 2. Make sure that the laptop can connect to the Internet 3. Restart the laptop 4. Hold down Command + R as it boots up again 5. Select Reinstall Mac OS X from the menu that pops up 6. Follow the steps to complete the reset To Reset a PC To erase the hard drive and reinstall the operating system: 1. Navigate to Settings 2. Find Update & Recovery 3. Select Remove Everything and Reinstall Windows 4. Follow the steps to complete the reset Sell It! So, once your computer is wiped clean, you have the option to sell your laptop. You can try to sell it on eBay or Craigslist, but if you do not want to follow that route, you have another option. Amazon Amazon has a trade-in site where you can trade in your old devices for an Amazon gift card. Apple Apple will take in trade-ins for a payout in Apple gift cards. They will even take non-Apple products. The service called PowerOn is found at reuserecycle.poweron.com. Here, you can identify the laptop you want to trade-in and they will give you a quote.

Dell Dell has a similar trade-in program where they will take your trade-in and offer you a Dell gift card. Warning! There is no guarantee that these companies will take your device. It is very possible that after you identify your laptop, the product value may be zero dollars. In that case, you are urged to recycle your laptop. Recycle It! Do not throw your laptop away. Discarded electronics harm the earth, water, and air. When it is time to get rid of old electronics, like laptops, please recycle them appropriately. Best Buy Best Buy will gladly recycle your old electronics. You can drop off your laptop at any Best Buy store to recycle it as well as other devices. Microsoft Microsoft will take laptops to be recycled. You can drop off your laptop at any Microsoft store to recycle it. Newington Recycling Program Newington residents will now have a location for recycling electronic waste at the Newington Transfer Station located on Main Street. They will take desktop and laptop computers, monitors, printers and televisions.

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