Have you priced a laptop computer lately? Buying a new laptop is
a big investment; and just how big of an investment you want to
make is entirely up to you. Look in your Sunday newspaper flyers
to see countless models on sale each week. Initially selections
were made by looking at the specifications and the general
appearance. However that’s not the sole criteria any longer.
Everyday more and more people are now stepping inside the mobile
world. With so many models of laptops now available, how can you
be sure about the choice you make? Below are several factors you
should consider: CPU (Central Processing Unit), Video Card, hard
disk, noise, battery life and RAM (Random Access Memory).
CPU is the main component which determines the performance of
your computer and also the heating and the battery life. There
is a trade-off between the CPU performance and the battery-life
and power consumption (heating). If you want a laptop which
would replace a desktop and if you are not planning to travel
with it a lot then there are several different offers with
desktop CPUs integrated in the laptop main board (such as a P4).
If you are fond of mobility and are going to use your new laptop
for your business purposes or school, then you should consider
buying a laptop with more suitable CPUs. AMD Athlon can be a
solution: Athlon processors are designed for users who are
looking for economical solutions, both purchase and usage. Older
models of Athlon are no where near Intel Pentium products from
the point of performance, and yet new models like 2800+ are
potent enough to compete with P4 2.8 GHz.
There is one more model of CPU that many of the customers
prefer: Centrino. Centrino is the new attempt of Intel to
balance the tradeoff between the performance and mobility
issues. With the 2 MB second level cash, the Pentium CPU is
modified for the laptop which eases the burden of the CPU and
implicitly pulls down the levels of heating and power
consumption.
RAM and the graphic card are also two important factors for the
quality of the laptop. There are two kinds of RAM on the market:
SD RAM and DD RAM. In any case, there is no tradeoff, no
comparison: DD RAM is better, and yet, you still have to be
careful about the clock specification of the RAM. If you buy a
RAM with 3.0 MHz clock speed, you will see the performance
improvement it supplies to the whole system. Another thing to
consider is that some computers have 512 MB RAM with two slots
(256 x 2) which is not very good for the new laptop you are
going to buy. Overall, if you want a good laptop, you should
consider one equipped with a 3.0 MHz, 512 MB, DD RAM.
There are various video cards on the market today. The first
thing you should check is the “ON-Board” specification in the
video card. These cards are integrated into the main board and
generally use your main RAM as for the video memory. If you are
going to use your laptop for general purposes, not for gaming or
3-D design which would require 3D hardware acceleration, these
laptops with onboard video card are for you. However, if you are
a professional Counter Strike player, you would be disappointed
with the screen delays and freezes.
The last technical detail is the hard disk. While buying a hard
disk there is a detail which is much more important then the
capacity: RPM. Rotation Per Minute determines how fast the data
transfer rate is to the CPU to be processed so this
specification also plays a huge role while dealing with
multimedia stuff.
So if you’re in the market for a new laptop computer, one
suggestion is to consider buying a Centrino laptop with an
onboard video card with a big RAM if you are planning to use it
for school or business purposes and also randomly for movies and
music. Nevertheless, Pentium computers with AGP or PCI Express
video off-board video cards would give you the performance of a
desktop if you don’t mind the weight, noise and the heating of
the laptop.
With so many decisions to make, take your time; do your homework
and invest wisely.
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