Best Laptop Computer Guide

Straightforward features - weight and battery life - are the most important.

Hard Disk (HDD) versus Solid State Disk (SSD)

SSDs use the same flash technology as thumbdrives and memory cards. They are now a viable alternative to HDDs.

SSDs

• are more resistant to physical shock (vibration, hard knocks)
• use less electrical power
• do not need to be defragmented

The disadvantage is that they

• cost more
• have not yet been proven to be reliable in long term use, on a large scale

Disk Size

A 40 gigabyte disk is sufficient as long as large multimedia files (video, MP3, digital photographs) are not stored.

If multimedia files are required

• A larger capacity disk is better but may use more power, reducing battery life.
• An external USB HDD can also be used, as long as the files do not need to be accessed on the go.

Dead and Stuck Pixels

The notebook display should be checked before purchase. It is common for manufacturers to consider a few damaged pixels as "normal" and "acceptable" and refuse to replace such displays after purchase.

Damage comes in two forms:

• Dead pixels are always off. These can be detected by opening a blank (white) document in a word processor, then maximizing the window.
• Stuck pixels are always on. These can be detected by opening an MSDOS window (black background), then changing to full-screen mode (Alt-Enter).

RAM

Some Windows Vista notebooks are sold with 1 gigabyte of RAM. As RAM is cheap, it is safer to get at least 2 gigabytes of RAM for Vista.

Weight

The lightest notebooks can weigh just over one kilogram (2.2 pounds), including battery.

Notebook weights should be checked to see if it includes the weight of the battery.

Battery Life

Battery life figures from the manufacturer can be optimistic. More realistic figures are from independent reviewers, however each will have their own testing methods.

Two hours is the bare minimum useful battery life. Four or more hours is much more useful.

Spare batteries can be purchased but these are

• expensive
• heavy
• troublesome to change when using the notebook

Screen Size

• 17 inch screens are suited for notebooks that are hardly moved (desktop replacements).
• 12 to 15 inch screens are the most popular size.
• 9 inch screens are about the smallest practical size.

Keyboard Size

Small notebooks (especially the 9 inch screen models) may have keyboards that are too small for comfort.

This only matters for touch typists. Two-finger typists will not find the keyboard size important.

DVD Drive

Smaller notebooks might not have built-in CDROM/DVD drives to save weight and cost. Whether an optical drive is required depends on the individual.

Some drives can only read DVDs, but cannot write to them, being able to write only to CDs.

CPU

Unless editing video or other specific high performance requirement, any new CPU will be powerful enough.

Graphics Card

Graphics card performance is critical only for video games. It is not an issue for other use.

Ports

The hardware ports required will depend on the individual. Common ports are:

• RJ45 for wired LAN.
• VGA for connection to external monitors and projectors.
• PS2 for external keyboard and mouse.
• SD card reader. Good for transferring photos from digital cameras, files between computers.
• Serial port for data transfer with older equipment.
• USB ports are the most flexible. If the above ports are not available, add-ons that do the same job (except VGA monitor) can be connected to a USB port.

Not really a port, Wi-Fi wireless should be standard.

Resources

Real-world disk failure rates, authoritative studies of hard disk reliability.

9 inch screen and 17 inch screen notebooks

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds