Three mistakes I made with my last laptop

(Credit: HP)

I pride myself on being a pretty smart shopper, especially when it comes to tech, but sometimes even I make mistakes. (I know. Hard to believe!)

For example, a few months back I purchased a new laptop. The make and model aren't important; I'll simply say that I was looking for something slim and lightweight that offered above-average battery life. And, of course, me being the Cheapskate, something wallet-friendly.

After reading some reviews (professional and user alike), I found a system that seemed perfect. But it wasn't long before I discovered a few usability quirks that really detract from my enjoyment. If you're in the market for a new laptop of your own, consider the three things I wish I'd done differently.

1. Choosing a regular hard drive instead of an SSD.

My new machine had pretty decent specs -- a robust processor, plenty of RAM, etc. -- but dang if it wasn't a slowpoke. It seemed to take longer to boot than the three-year-old laptop it was replacing -- even after I'd cleared out the manufacturer's shovelware. Maddening.

The culprit: the manufacturer's pokey 5,400-rpm hard drive. I know this because I replaced it with a solid-state drive (SSD), and performance improved considerably. The system literally booted and shut d... [Read more]