How to buy a notebook or laptop

How to buy a notebook or laptop

With the prices of Notebooks and laptops dropping every day in India, notebooks have become more affordable for any indian consumer.

The most highly evolved species of computer, the laptop (aka notebook) computer allows you to work or play without being tethered to a desk.

Portability and good performance make notebook PCs an essential part of the daily lives of many Indians, from college students to business travelers. Even the least-expensive of today's notebooks are better equipped than they have ever been, and may be all you need for everyday work or play.

So, if you are ready to buy the latest and greates cutting edge in technology or just a plain jane to do some of the most mundane and basic task these are the factors to consider before you purchase the notebook:

1) Form factor

Notebooks are broken down into four categories by weight and screen size.

1. Ultraportables (less than 2kg)
   Ultraportables excel for frequent fliers and road warriors who need just the essentials while on the road. Screen sizes are small -- usually 10 or 12 inches -- and their keyboards petite. Also optical and other drives are normally absent. Battery life is limited to just 2 hours. Finally, their wmall size comes at a higher cost.
   
2. Thin-and-Light (2 to 4kg)
   This is generally a balance between size, battery life, and power, they are perfect fit for both students and business users. Their larger screens -- 14 to 15 inches -- and roomier keyboards make them more comfortable than ultraportables for longer computing sessions. Depending on usage, you can expect about 4 hours of battery life.
   
3. Mainstream/Budget Models (3 to 5kg)
   Mainstream laptops are like budget desktops: They're good for general tasks and everyday use. They are portable, with 14-inch or larger screens, a standard selection of ports, and big keyboards, they're suitable for everyday use especially for people on a budget.
   
4. Desktop Replacements (more than 5kg)
   If you want desktop power, you need a desktop replacement. With screen sizes of 15 to 17 inches, travel weights as heavy as six kilos, and average battery life of less than three hours, these behemoths are not for people on the go. They can accommodate a wide range of performance parts, however, and are just right for power users of all kinds and gamers.

2) Processor/CPU

When purchasing any personal computer, one of the fundamental factors to consider is the central processing unit (CPU). In a notebook computer this is even more important, as the CPU is not only the brains of the machine, it is one of the factors in determining how long the notebook will operate while disconnected from the mains power and running on the battery.

Intel's Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors have helped notebooks gain ground in the power department. Notebooks using these dual-core processors performed considerably faster than notebooks using single-core processors, particularly when multitasking. Some notebooks use AMD's Athlon Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor, which also supports for improved performance. The Turion 64 X2 and the Core 2 Duo both provide 64-bit support, which will become increasingly useful as more 64-bit applications reach the market. Typically low-end notebooks offer Intel's Celeron M processor, which is generally not as speedy as the Core Duo processors.

3)Memory/RAM

Unless you're buying on the cheap, a new notebook generally includes 512MB of system memory. Many notebooks today are available with 1GB-2GB of RAM. Having enough memory is vital to system performance, and lots of RAM lets you run more applications simultaneously. Sufficient RAM is also necessary for graphics work, image editing, and video editing, and crucial for 3D gaming. This is especially true in notebooks, because notebook graphics processors frequently have little or no memory of their own and share the main system RAM. In today's time a minimum of 2GB RAM would be required to run Windows Vista.

You'll want 128MB of dedicated video RAM. Make sure that the memory is dedicated for graphics use, rather than being pulled from main memory (the latter arrangement is usually referred to as shared memory or as dynamic video memory technology). Gamers should look for advanced 3D graphics chips, such as nVidia's GeForce Go 7900 GTX, along with 256MB to 512MB of dedicated graphics memory.

4)Connectivity

Few notebooks come with a full set of legacy ports anymore. Serial ports are rare, as are PS/2 ports (for a mouse or keyboard) and infrared ports. Most notebooks still have a parallel port and one PC Card slot, though many now offer an ExpressCard slot as well. Quite a few full-size models now come with a DVI port for connecting to an external digital display.

Most notebooks have at least two USB 2.0 ports; many offer four, and some up to six. A majority of notebooks include a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port for connecting an external drive, an MP3 player, or a digital-video camcorder.

Built-in ethernet now comes standard on all portables, with many models carrying gigabit ethernet. Many notebooks also have built-in Bluetooth. Notebooks using the Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors--or AMD's Turion 64 X2 processor--include Intel's wireless 802.11a/b/g chip set.

Most notebooks come with built-in wireless broadband wide-area networking, enabling them to access Verizon Wireless's EV-DO BroadbandAccess service, for example.

Most also include one or more card slots for removable media such as CompactFlash, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, or SmartMedia.

5)Hard disk space

You may not need the space, but notebook hard drives will continue to grow. Cheaper notebooks with 40GB hard drives are getting scarce, but you can still save money by opting for a 60GB model. A top-of-the-line (100GB, 7200RPM or 120GB, 5400RPM) SATA hard drive will set you back a few thousand Rupees if you purchase it when you order your laptop. You can easily remove most laptop hard drives if you decide to upgrade or just want to keep your data safe.

I would like to add a few more points to this excellent article.

Battery
Two more specs to look for in laptop batteries are capacity (measured in milliamp hours, or mAh), and the number of cells. Typical batteries have a mAh rating between 2,000mAh and 6,000mAh; higher is better. Cells are the actual compartments where power is produced and can range from four to 12; the more the better.

Lithium-ion batteries have all but replaced nickel-cadmiums because they're lighter, have a higher energy density, and don't suffer from recharge-inhibiting memory effect. So-called "smart" lithium-ions give feedback to the laptop about their remaining power, so the computer can conserve as necessary.

Screens
Wide-screen notebooks, which have an aspect ratio of 16:9, offer larger, sharper, and all-around better images than their 4:3 standard-screen cousins. They're great for watching DVDs, of course, but they also allow you to have two documents or Web pages open side-by-side. A spacious 17-inch wide-screen laptop is a nice luxury if you're not planning on traveling with it.