Article:
Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a
thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra
portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that
in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just
a few of your options?
Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop
doesn't have to mean learning a whole new language. It just
means that you have to know what your needs are and what kinds
of equipment is best suited to meeting those needs. Ask yourself
the following two questions:
1. How am I going to use this machine?
The demands you anticipate placing on a machine will dictate how
much memory you need, processor speed, display size, and the
size of your hard drive. It also matters how much wear and tear
you think you're going to put on your laptop. For example, are
you going to be schlepping it from college room to coffee shop,
or are you mostly going to be using it at home, as a replacement
for a desktop machine? Are you going to be storing lots of
digital music files or photos or other multimedia that will eat
up huge amounts of hard drive space? Do you need wireless
capability and lots of peripherals, like CD-RW drives or DVD
drives? Are you going to be doing graphics work or watching a
lot of video on your laptop, such that a powerful, rapid
processor and a large and high-resolution screen are important
to you?
2. How do I find the laptop that will do what I want?
Thinner is not always better; but then, less is sometimes more.
In the laptop jungle, searching out the perfect machine can be a
challenge. It might help to look at the different models of
laptop and see what features each one has to offer.
* Ultraportables These machines are thin, small, and
light--typically not more than four pounds. What they don't have
going for them is a lot of processing power or the bells and
whistles of bigger systems: they don't have internal CD or DVD
drives, they have smallish hard drives, and they have displays
of 12 inches or smaller. A good choice for someone on the go a
lot who doesn't demand a lot of their system, but performance
lags behind other laptop models.
* Thin-and-lights Perfect for business travelers, these laptops
have powerful internal processors, 14-inch displays, and
wireless networking capability, plus a combo CD-RW/DVD drive.
They have lots of memory and roomy hard drives. Trade-off: they
weigh a bit more (four to six pounds) and they cost quite a bit
more.
* Mainstream notebooks Basically, these laptops are desktop
computers that can do a little travel. At six to eight pounds,
they come with a 14-inch or larger display and more than enough
basic power, in terms of processing speed, memory, and hard
drive space.
* Desktop replacements The name says it all: these laptops think
they're desktops. They have 15-inch to 17-inch monitors, more
than big enough for gaming or creating home movies. They have
the fastest processors, the largest hard drives, and the most
memory of any other laptop available. And they weigh at least
seven pounds.
Knowing at least some of the terminology should help you carry
on intelligent conversations with laptop salespeople. And
remember: because technology changes so fast, you'll never have
to be stuck with a dud laptop for more than two years!
About the author:
Robert Michael is a writer for
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