It wasn’t that long ago that if you needed a serious computer then only the traditional desktop would cut it? However, with the recent progress of technology this is no longer true. Today’s laptop and notebook computers compare well in terms of performance and cost with most of the best selling desktop computers.
The advantages in this advance are somewhat obvious as anyone who has attempted to move their desktop from one part of their home or office to another will testify – it’s not something you’d want to do very often?
The proliferation of mobile internet services such as Wi-Fi and 3G also means that opting for portability no longer means you need to sacrifice connectivity?
Choosing a laptop
The choice of laptops available these days can be somewhat overwhelming – budget, size, weight, performance and even colour will have the most importance depending upon your priorities.
Budget Laptops
Many people use a standard desktop within their home or office and a laptop is often purchased as a second computer to be used while out and about hence performance may be sacrificed in place of performance. The new generation of netbooks are ideal in this instance as they are small and portable with quite reasonable performance and not at all expensive. It’s quite possible to buy a netbook computer for around £200 with a specification which would be unimaginable until recently.
Medium Range Laptops
Ideal for students or for those who require desktop functionality while on the move this category can be best described in the price range £300 to £500. For this kind of budget you should expect quite reasonable performance, perhaps 1Gb of RAM, a fair size Hard Drive capacity and a built in DVD drive.
High End Laptops
Here you can expect to pay anything between £500 and £2000 depending upon your requirements. You should expect the performance of machines in this range to match or better that of your existing desktop computer and often will replace the need for a desktop altogether.
Points to Consider
Processor – The CPU is the heart of any computer and the choice should be made carefully. Often laptops which look like great value can be disappointing because they have reduced the spec of the processor in order to seem cheap.
Memory – The working memory of your laptop or RAM should be sufficient to cope with any applications that you are likely to run. 512Mb should be the absolute minimum to consider although machines with double this amount (1GB or more) are now commonplace.
Hard Drive – the storage capacity of your computer may not be a high priority for a truly mobile solution. However, you should ensure that it is sufficient for your needs – while 40Gb will be more than ample for storing office applications and a reasonable music collection if you store a lot of photos or video than this capacity will soon be stretched? 120Gb of storage is now common and should be more than enough more most people’s needs.
Screen Size – Laptop displays vary in size although , generally, from 11” to 15”. the smaller the screen then the smaller and more compact the machine will be. Depending upon what you intend to use your laptop for the choice of screen size needs to be considered carefully.
For office applications you don’t want to be scrolling from side to side or up and down too frequently and trying to resize a full document page onto a tiny screen will render it unreadable. Also, if you like to use your laptop to watch DVDs then too small a screen could prove uncomfortable. However, if ultra-portability is your main priority then you may be willing to compromise somewhat?
TFT screens tend to cost a little more than the traditional LCD variety but are slightly clearer and easier to see in bright light.
Graphics – Some machines will allocate a portion of the computers memory for processing graphics and this should be sufficient for most applications. However, if gaming is your thing or you work with complex graphics then a dedicated graphics card may be the best solution. Graphics cards of 32Mb or 64Mb will suffice for most needs.
CD/DVD ROM – The larger format machines will usually have a DVD, CD or Combination drive included as standard. Smaller machines will require connecting to an external drive or USB device in order to transfer data. With the price of USB memory sticks as they are this is not so much of a problem but needs to be considered nonetheless? Some of the smaller netbook style computers also have slots for various removable media – either a standard USB or secure digital memory cards.
Batteries – Generally, batteries will last between 2 to 5 hours between charges but will vary depending upon the size of machine and the applications used. Most laptops have the facility to use a mains supply and will come with the relevant adapter. If you tend to be out and about a lot then an extra battery could be useful. Bear in mind that batteries do not have an infinite lifespan and will let you down eventually. A regular discharge and discharge will prolong the batteries lifespan to it’s maximum which is often 2 years, at best.
Internet Connectivity – as with your desktop PC at home or work you will be able to connect to the internet by cable. When out and about you have a couple of options. Wi-Fi is becoming commonplace in many city centres and major transport corridors. Most laptops have Wi-Fi connectivity built-in, although it’s wise to double check? An alternative to Wi-Fi is mobile broadband which is offered by the major the mobile providers. To connect to mobile broadband you will need a device commonly called a ‘dongle’ which simply plugs into a USB port in your machine. You will also need to subscribe to a separate tariff which will be determined by a monthly download limit.
While the speed of service and availability is impressive this can be an expensive option, especially once you exceed your monthly limits.
This said however, it is thought that as the service becomes more widespread the operating costs will fall considerably.