I’ve recently been researching current mid-range laptops and have just bought one. If you have decided that you need a laptop and are sure what you need it for, some careful choices must now be made.
Size and Portability
Perhaps the first consideration is what size will be the most useful. A fairly recent innovation is the small netbook computer. These are designed for greater portability and maximum battery life but at the expense of fewer features such as an optical drive and their versatility is limited. However they are proving particularly useful for busy people on the move who only have need for basic applications and internet connectivity.
Screen Size
Apart from the netbooks which commonly have a screen size of 10 – 11 inches, the most popular laptop computer screen size has increased from around 13 inches to 15.4 inches. 17 inch screens are also available.
CPU
Some earlier laptops struggled with controlling the heat generated by the CPU’s (Central Processing Unit – where all the processing is done) but this is now no longer an issue. Advanced technology has produced fast, efficient processors for laptop computers, with a fairly wide choice of performance. Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors are the currently the minimum preferred choice if you are looking for any degree of performance, but there are single cores still available at the lower end of the market. As always, you get what you pay for – faster processor, greater expense. Cache memory and bus speed are other factors that you may wish to consider when choosing a processor but don’t expect your retailer’s Saturday shop assistant to be able to reel off the figures. Arguably, those specifications are more for geeks who may be able to assess from all the variables of the processors and motherboards combined as to what produces what level of performance.
Memory
Today’s applications are memory hungry and it would be wise to purchase the most that you can afford when purchasing the computer. Check that memory slots are easily accessible if you intend to upgrade at a later date. Laptops usually run on SO-DIMM memory modules, which are much smaller than DIMMs, the desktop computer equivalent. Mid-range laptops ship with between 3 and 4 GB of RAM, and the budget end of the market 1-2 GB. Unless you’re purchasing a netbook, some of which manage reasonably well on 1 GB, 2 GB is really the absolute minimum if your machine will be running a current up to date operating system with all the bells and whistles.
Power Supply and Battery
Battery life is dependent on the usage of the computer – digital image editing is going to consume more processing power and battery power than a word processing package. Frequent hard drive access by applications will result in greater power consumption. Battery rating does have a significant impact on the price of the machine, the greater the Watt hours, the longer the battery will last on a single charge and the more expensive it will be. These are just some of the points which you should take into account before choosing a laptop computer. Always get the best specification you can afford at the time of purchase, this will go some way to protecting your investment against the gradual obsolescence caused by frequent software upgrades.