Laptop Buyers Guide
Rundown of Important Components and Terminology
Laptop Processors
The central processing unit (CPU) is probably the most important chip in the computer. It contains the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), so the computer can do calculations, and the control unit that controls the flow of data between the CPU and other components. There's a lot of competition between manufacturers of processors and the speeds they offer. But the plain fact is that while it is heavily featured in the marketing literature even the slower processors (1.4 to 1.6GHz) are fast enough for most uses. Money saved on processors might more usefully be spent on memory or better graphics. There are two things that really matter with laptop processors: the balance struck between processor power and battery consumption, and the links to mobile technology that enable you to make the most of the laptop's portability. For the first, simply put, processors with the word mobile in their name are going to be the best choice, as in Mobile Intel Pentium 4 or Athlon XP Mobile or Turion. These use less power and run cooler (a definite plus in a laptop). For the second, Intel's combination of processor, chipset and wireless card technologies marketed under the brand name Centrino is hard to beat. As I mentioned in my guidelines don't be put off by lower speeds in Mobile CPUs. They work in a different way which makes them operate just as fast but at a lower MHz speed. A fine example of this is the Pentium Mobile (Centrino) 1.6 GHz which is equivalent in speed to a Desktop P4 3.0 GHz!!
If possible try to avoid laptops with desktop CPUs (usually 2.8 GHz or above without the word 'mobile' or the letter 'M' in the name). Fitting desktop components in a laptop is rarely a good idea. The excessive heat build up and power consumption will cause problems in the long term.
Laptop Hard drives
The notebook uses the hard drive to store programs and files. The storage capacity of a basic 40GB hard drive is more than enough for most users. However, if you want to work with databases, or digital photos and video files then moving to a bigger hard drive, say 80 or 100GB, may be worthwhile. Some laptops are equipped with 160GB hard drives. You may see terms such as SATA or IDE, this indicates the type of interface. SATA is slightly faster and is becoming the standard but IDE drives are still widely used and you shouldn't let this put you off.
Laptop RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) is where the computer stores applications that are running and data. Most laptops come with at least 256MB of Random Access Memory. Moving up to 512 MB installed RAM is worth considering if you are intending to use the laptop for digital video or heavy use. Even if you are not, buying as much RAM as you can afford is one area of expenditure on computers that will always pay you back in the future. Check out the RAM capacity to see how much room you have for future upgrades.
Handy Tip: Companies such as Dell often run double memory promotions. Look out for these as it's a great way of increasing your performance for free!
Laptop Screen sizes
The liquid crystal display (LCD) screens used in laptops come in a range of sizes from 12" to 20" (measured diagonally). Smaller screens mean lighter and more portable laptops but a 15" or 17" screen is common. Widescreens are also common place and can be useful when watching DVDs or doing presentation work. If you are going to be working on the machine a lot then a bigger screen with a higher resolution will be better for you in the long run. Higher resolutions mean you can fit more in on the screen, but you may find it harder to read. Higher resolutions also require significantly more graphics power so you should take this into account when looking at the specifications. Some manufacturers also offer ultra bright and/or glossy LCDs at a premium. This is really a matter of personal choice but I find the standard LCDs more than acceptable.
Laptop Screen resolutions
This is the number of dots that make up the screen image. The more dots you have, the more you can fit on the screen but everything is smaller. Higher resolution screens are normally more expensive. Common resolutions available are as follows:
12" - XGA (1024 X 768)
14" and 15" - XGA (1024 X 768), SXGA (1400 X 1050), UXGA (1600 X 1200)
15.4" Widescreen, 17" Widescreen - WXGA (1280 X 768), WSXGA (1680 X 1050), WUXGA (1920 X 1200)
Handy Tip: LCD's have to be manufactured at a fixed or 'native' resolution which gives the sharpest image possible. Differing from this resolution will force an emulation type mode which results in a blurry image. It pays to decide which resolution you want beforehand and make sure your laptop has the appropriate LCD.
Graphics card
Graphics cards, also called video cards or adapters, plug into a computer to give it display capabilities. Some laptops have a universal or shared memory function for display (as mentioned above), but a graphics card containing 32 or greater of dedicated memory should be your target if you are going to be doing anything other than basic office work. Major gaming or video editing would benefit from 64MB or 128MB. Some laptops are available up to 512MB! Look for names like NVIDIA or ATI when purchasing your laptop. Intel also make graphics chips but they are pretty basic and only suitable for standard applications.
USB ports
Many laptops come with more than one USB port (four or more on some models) which makes connecting to peripherals a lot simpler. As a general rule it's impossible to have too many USB ports!
Some laptops are also available with a Firewire connection for transferring digital information from camcorders or MP3 players for example.
Optical drives
Optical drives of some kind are standard on all laptops. Most will have built in modules but some ultra portable models will have external units that need to be connected via a cable.
The types you will come across are as follows:
CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only memory) The granddaddy of them all! Just reads CD's and that's it. Not very common these days as the prices of the other units have come down so much.
CD-RW (compact disc, re-writable) is better because not only can you read CD's you can also write and record data to them. Depending on the CD format you can record once (R) or multiple times (RW). Best if you want to copy music from your CD's into your notebook.
DVD-ROM (DVD, read-only-memory) can read DVD discs as well as CD's. Best if you want to watch DVD movies on your laptop and install software from DVD or CD.
DVD-ROM/CDRW Combo will read DVDs and CD's and also writes to CD or CDRW. It will NOT write to DVD. This should be the bare minimum you look for these days.
DVD+/- RW Top of the range here. With this you can write data to CD or DVDs (which have up to seven times the storage capacity of a CD) and read DVDs and CD's as well. Best for maximum flexibility. They are now increasingly common on all laptops.
Removable Media
Some laptops now include slots for a variety of removable media like Compact Flash, Secure Digital or Memory Stick. These can be especially useful if you are using the laptop with other digital devices like cameras, camcorders and PDA's.
Batteries
Most laptops use Lithium Ion batteries. Battery life varies between laptops but somewhere between 1 and 5 hours, depending upon the number of things that you are asking the laptop to perform would be about average. Laptop battery recharging times will also vary - around 75 minutes is common - so buying a spare battery is well worth considering.
Docking stations
If you are using your laptop as a mobile replacement for your desktop then a docking station, sometimes called a port replicator, can save you a lot of hassle with peripherals like printers, scanners, mice, speakers etc. The laptop docking station is connected to all the peripherals and the laptop connects to it rather than each of them individually. Some more advanced docking stations can also provide additional USB ports, graphic card slots, hard drive bays and optical drives. It's worth checking what's available for your laptop before you buy as some of them can be laptop specific and not all functions are available on all docking stations.
Touch sensitive mouse pads/Touchpad
This replaces the mouse on nearly all laptops and is the square 'pad' usually found below the keyboard. They are surprisingly intuitive but can take a little practice to get used to. However, they are infinitely preferred to the trackstick or 'nipple' which is often integrated into the keyboard between the G and H keys. A lot of laptops have both of these.
Warranties
One place where you really might think about taking out this form of insurance is on a laptop. Reliability should not be any worse than any other computer product but the chances of having a mobile mishap are much greater than with desktop models. Screen damage is particularly easy to cause. Most manufacturers supply a warranty. Take this rather than a retailer one and extend it if you can. Also consider a separate insurance policy from your insurance company. These are often low cost and can save you a fortune in the long run.
Wireless technology (WiFi)
To be truly portable many laptop users take the Centrino route, Intel's mobile processor technology that allows you to use wireless networking. Don't be fooled into thinking that you only get wireless with Centrino. This is only the 'codeword' that is given to the combination of the Pentium Mobile CPU with Intel WiFi cards. Many other companies produce wireless hardware and it's perfectly normal to find a non Centrino model with WiFi. There are three wireless standards, of which the latest - 802.11g - is the most useful providing both a fast and stable connection and backwards compatibility with the older 802.11b standard. In theory, connection speeds of 54Mbps are possible. Realistically you will be looking at something between 15-20Mbps (less if you are using b and g together) but it's still very fast. If your laptop doesn't have wireless technology then don't worry. It can often be retro fitted into and internal mini PCI slot or into the PCMCIA/Cardbus card slot in the side of your laptop.
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