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My recommendation.... I just bought my computer in January and this is the process that I went through to find what I wanted and what I needed!!! The HP Envy did just that for me!!!

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Do you want a Laptop, desktop or tablet???

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CLOSE

Spring has sprung, so you might be itching for a tech refresh.

Question is, what should you buy?

If it's a computer you need - er, want - there's no shortage of form factors to choose from. As you probably know, the three main types are laptops, desktops and tablets - but it can be confusing as there are hybrids, too, such as "2-in-1" laptops that let you remove the screen to use like a tablet, along with portable "all-in-one" desktops with a similar detachable feature.

That said, the following are some obvious - and perhaps not so obvious - advantages and disadvantages for each the main form factors.
TABLETS
Unlike a conventional laptop's keyboard and trackpad, tablets are very easy to use because you navigate through all your content by simply tapping, swiping, flicking and pinching your fingertips. You can also use your voice to access info. Touch and voice are very natural ways to interface with devices.

Because they're thin and light, tablets are more portable than laptops, plus they turn on right away, like a smartphone; therefore, there's no waiting to boot up the operating system. An average laptop's battery lasts five or six hours; a tablet is usually twice as long at 10 to 12 hours.

Some tablets offer cellular connectivity along with Wi-Fi, which isn't as easy to find in a laptop. Tablets have GPS, so they're ideal for navigation and location-based services, and many models have dual cameras.

Finally, some tasks are simply more conducive on a tablet, such as reading e-books, digital magazines and newspapers.

Tablet prices start at $49, which makes it the least expensive computer you can buy, but high-end ones could cost upwards of $799 if you want one with a ton of storage and cellular connectivity.

The Dell XPS 13 Non-Touch 13-inch notebook computer. (Photo: Dell)
LAPTOPS
Though tablets offer numerous advantages over laptops, they can't compete in other areas.

Perhaps most importantly - especially for those who do a lot of typing - a physical keyboard is more comfortable, accurate and fast than a tablet's "virtual" (on-screen) keyboard. Students who type up a lot of essays, workers who write lengthy documents and heavy e-mail users might prefer a laptop for this reason - though there are optional keyboard accessories for tablets, too.

A laptop gives you more screen real estate to work with your programs and multitask between them. Most laptops are 14 or 15 inches, which is much bigger than a 7- to 10-inch tablet. Watching a movie or playing a game is better on a bigger screen, which delivers a more immersive experience.

A few other considerations in favor of laptops: They tend to have 10 times the storage (at least 320GB hard drive compared with an average of 32GB of Flash memory); laptops have USB and SD card ports to easily get files on and off the computer (only a couple of tablets do, by comparison); and a laptop's clamshell design helps protect the screen when not in use.

As for price, laptops typically start at $199 for a Windows 8 machine - but don't expect decent power until you pay $399 to start - while a MacBook Air starts at $899 for an 11-inch model. A beefier MacBook Pro will set you back at least $1,099. Those on a tight budget might consider a Chromebook, as these Google-powered laptops start at just $129.

HP's All-in-one desktop computer. (Photo: Hewlett-Packard)
DESKTOPS
Though not as popular as they once were, desktop computers are still around - and they do offer some advantages to laptops and tablets.

Since they're designed for stationary use - that is, staying in one spot in the home or office - desktops are less prone to damage. After all, they aren't being dropped or banged in a backpack or large purse like a laptop or tablet would. They're also less likely to be stolen as they're always in one place.

Desktop computers have larger screens than a laptop or tablet - up to 30 inches in some cases - so they're better for entertainment lovers (movies, computer games) and more ideal for multitasking as you can have multiple windows open at the same time. Or you can easily add a second monitor. Perhaps influenced by the tablet craze, many desktops (and laptops) offer a touchscreen display, along with a keyboard and mouse (trackpad on a laptop).

Computer users who like to tinker prefer a desktop as they're more "modular" - it's much easier to upgrade components, such as a video card, hard drive or solid state drive (SSD) and system memory (RAM), on a tower-based desktop than a laptop. Note: Components on many "all-in-one" desktops aren't that easy to change as they're packed in behind the monitor.

Parents with young kids might consider a desktop in a central location in the home - such as a kitchen, family room or any other highly trafficked area - so Mom and Dad can keep an eye on where children go online and with whom they're communicating.

Windows-based desktops typically start at $299 for an entry-level machine, or about $399 for a desktop with monitor. Most prices hover from $599 to $899, but you could spend many thousands on a high-end gaming rig. An "all-in-one" iMac starts at $1,099 for a 21.5-inch model.
Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1HdMSuZ

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Choosing between tablet, desktop or laptop

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CLOSE Spring has sprung, so you might be itching for a tech refresh. Question is, what should you buy? If it's a computer you need - er, want - there's no shortage of form factors to choose from.

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See what your computer rates this year!!

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Whether you're purchasing a $1,500 gaming laptop or a $200 Chromebook, the brand matters. That's why we rate the top 10 laptop brands each year, based on their support, design, innovation, value/selection and, most of all, product quality.

For 2018, Lenovo retained its place for a second year as the best laptop vendor, but it just barely edged out second-place HP and third-place Dell. Apple, which used to dominate this contest, fell all the way to seventh place, down from fifth last year.

1. Lenovo (86/100)

Lenovo takes first place again this year, on the strength of the company's fantastic product lineup. From the beautiful ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which was the only product to get a perfect, 5-star review in the past year, to the versatile Yoga 920, Lenovo's laptops earned the most Editors' Choice awards of any brand. And a full 53 percent of the company's laptops scored 4 or higher. However, Lenovo's tech support scores declined from last year, and stiff competition from HP and Dell made this a nail-bitingly close race.

2. HP (85/100)

After a banner year, filled with compelling laptops such as the gorgeous HP Spectre x360, the powerful ZBook 17 and the affordable HP Envy 13t, HP jumped ahead two places from its spot in 2017 to finish second. With great design marks and the second highest review score, HP gave Lenovo a run for its money.

3. Dell (82/100)

Dell's product portfolio is a mixture of fantastic premium systems, like the Dell XPS 13 and the awesome Alienware 15, and ho-hum mainstream and budget products. The company earned high marks for its improved tech support, which assigns users personal tech support people who follow up with them.

4. Acer (81/100)

With laptops like the Spin 1 and Aspire E 15 in its lineup, Acer knows how to provide premium features at bargain-basement prices. The company can also make bold premium products, as evidenced by the $9,000 Predator 21X.

4. Asus (81/100)

Thanks to innovative systems like the Zephyrus, Asus is a leader in gaming. With stunning blue models like the ZenBook UX331UN, indestructible laptops like the Chromebook C213S and great bargains like the ZenBook UX330UA, Asus is also a leader in design and value.

6. Microsoft (77/100)

Microsoft makes only a handful of laptops, but all of its systems are first-rate. The company's innovative Surface Book 2 convertible and the colorful and comfortable Surface Laptop are highlights.
See Microsoft's Full Report Card
7. Apple (72/100)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Apple just doesn't seem as focused on its laptop business as it used to be. The company did nothing to innovate or even tweak its designs in the past year, and only one of the company's laptops earned an Editors' Choice award. However, Tim Cook's company still has the best tech support you can get.

8. Razer (70/100)

If you're looking for a premium gaming laptop and you have a generous budget, you should look into Razer, which has some really compelling laptops. Those include the Razer Blade and Razer Blade Pro. However, if you need something more affordable, you'll have to look elsewhere.
See Razer's Full Report Card
9. MSI (67/100)

MSI is one of the premiere gaming-laptop companies, but it still finds itself in a tie for 10th place, primarily because of very weak tech support. However, the company still has some very compelling products, including the MSI GT75VR Titan Pro, which had the best keyboard of any gaming laptop.

9. Samsung (67/100)

If Samsung gave its laptops half the amount of love as it gives its phones, the company would probably fare better. As it stands, Samsung offers a small lineup of laptops that just don't stack up to the competition. It also has, by far, the least-attractive designs in the industry. However, the tech support is excellent.

How We Rate Brands

Each laptop brand is assigned a score based on a 100-point scale. Points are awarded in five categories: Design, Reviews, Tech Support/Warranty, Innovation and Value, and Selection. Here's what each means.

Reviews (40 points): The most important aspect of any brand is the quality of its products. To determine a company's Reviews category score, we used the ratings we gave its laptops between March 1, 2017, and Feb. 28, 2018. We took the average laptop rating for each brand (Laptop Mag rates on a scale of 1 to 5), converted that average rating to a 40-point scale and then added a 0.75-point bonus for each Editors' Choice award.

Design (15 points): We absolutely will judge a notebook by its cover - and its sides, deck, bezel and base. Though no two notebooks look exactly the same, each brand has a design language that cuts across its product lines.

Tech Support and Warranty (20 points): When you buy a laptop, you want to know that the manufacturer is going to stand behind that machine and help you with technical problems. We base this category's score primarily on the ratings from our annual Tech Support Showdown, in which we go undercover and pose questions to all of the companies, using their phone, web and social channels. However, 2 out of the 20 points were awarded based on the quality of the company's standard warranty coverage.

Innovation (10 points): The laptop market is moving fast, and if you stand still, you'll get rolled over. For the Innovation category, we awarded points based on the brand's ability to move the market forward by implementing or developing new technologies, as well as by taking risks.

Value and Selection (15 points): How many different kinds of shoppers does the manufacturer address, and do the products provide good bang for your buck? For this category, we awarded points for offering a wide range of laptop types (budget, business, gaming, etc.) and for providing aggressive pricing.

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Whether you're purchasing a $1,500 gaming laptop or a $200 Chromebook, the brand matters. That's why we rate the top 10 laptop brands each year, based on their support, design, innovation, value/selection and, most of all, product quality.

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I have an account with amazon and usually get all my extra accessories that I want through them. If I have certain needs and can't find what I really need I usually go to Best Buy!!!

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About Best Sellers in Laptop Accessories

These lists, updated hourly, contain bestselling items. Here you can discover the best Laptop Accessories in Amazon Best Sellers, and find the top 100 most popular Amazon Laptop Accessories.

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Amazon Best Sellers: Best Laptop Accessories

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These lists, updated hourly, contain bestselling items. Here you can discover the best Laptop Accessories in Amazon Best Sellers, and find the top 100 most popular Amazon Laptop Accessories.

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Here is a video on how to keep your computer cleaned up and out of harms way!!!

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How to clean and speed up your computer for free.

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NOTE: I forgote to mention and was reminded while watching one of jimmyrcoms videos, that you want to make sure you uncheck "install yahoo toolbar" or something like that, when your installing "Ccleaner". I dont recommend any other toolbar then the "google toolbar", most others just slow down your computer and have stupid ads and annoying junk.

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Which do you prefer???
I am a Laptop girl!!!

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When deciding between purchasing a desktop computer or a laptop computer, you'll need to consider a handful of criteria and make a determination that fits your needs the best. Below is a chart that compares the two types of computers, providing pros and cons for each to help you make a more informed purchasing decision.

In the end, the final decision depends on what your needs are. While the above chart may make it look as though Desktop computers are the best overall option, if portability is a big need of yours, the laptop is the best option. There are some limitations to consider, but they are not overly significant for most users.

However, if you want the most bang for your buck and portability is not necessary, a desktop is likely the best choice especially if price is important. Desktops are optimal choices for graphic intensive gaming, use of CAD applications, and for those who prefer to have the option of upgrading more easily. However, they are also perfectly fine for the basic computer user who just needs e-mail and Internet access.

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When deciding between purchasing a desktop computer or a laptop computer, you'll need to consider a handful of criteria and make a determination that fits your needs the best. Below is a chart that compares the two types of computers, providing pros and cons for each to help you make a more informed purchasing decision.

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I am a PC girl but this quiz will help you decided if you are not sure!!