Laptop FAQ's (New) 2005

Home users are increasingly turning to notebooks as second or third PCs for the home. Notebooks can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC, but they can be easily moved from room to room. Two types of notebooks are suitable for home users: mainstream notebooks and desktop replacements.

 

Students and others on a tight budget should look for a laptop that delivers the most bang for the buck. In particular, students need a notebook that is small and light enough to lug back and forth across campus but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack.
 

Frequent Flyer: If you spend a lot of time on the road, size and weight are the two most critical factors in choosing a new notebook--even if it means sacrificing a little on performance and features. The smallest and lightest notebooks weigh less than four pounds and are no thicker than a spiral-bound notebook.

Business power user: If you rely on the same notebook at work, at home, and on the road, you need a well-balanced system. And it has to deliver the performance to keep up with a wide range of applications. A thin-and-light is just the ticket.

Gamer or Multimedia author: If you demand more from a notebook, you'll need a true desktop replacement. Whether you're designing a Web site, editing home movies, or mowing down aliens, your notebook will demand a powerful processor, plenty of memory, great graphics, and a healthy hard drive.

What size laptop/notebook do I need?

Notebooks come in all shapes and sizes, and like a fine shirt, the best ones are custom-tailored to your needs. The thinnest and lightest notebook may feel great on your shoulder, but it may not have the features or the performance to get the job done. Before you start comparing models, you must first decide what type of notebook you need. Here's how.

Ultra portables

Ultra portables are the frequent fliers of the notebook world. No, they can't match the performance of their bigger brethren. Plus, their displays top out at 12 inches or so, and they don't have internal CD or DVD drives. But a few ounces here and there can make a huge difference if you spend a lot of time on the road. These systems are so light and small that you'll barely know they're in your laptop bag.

Thin-and-light

A thin-and-light offers the best balance between portability, performance, and features--especially for business travelers. Power-tuned mobile chips, such as the Intel Pentium M, now give these svelte systems performance that rivals that of notebooks twice their weight. Add in their 14-inch displays, combo CD-RW/DVD drives, and wireless networking, and thin-and-lights let you leave the office behind without missing a beat. It's no wonder this has become the hottest category of notebooks. You'll pay a slight premium for these do-it-all laptops, but for most business users, this is the best choice.

Mainstream

The mobile equivalent of a budget desktop PC, these notebooks deliver the performance and features that most users need without all the stuff they don't. Though these devices are a little lighter and smaller than desktop replacements, mainstream notebooks still aren't suitable for business travelers. At one time, nearly all notebooks in this class had two fixed drives--a floppy and a CD or DVD drive--though that's starting to change with the new budget models that offer a single, swappable drive instead. Notebooks in this class won't set any speed records, but they offer more than enough oomph for typical tasks, such as e-mail, Web browsing, and word processing.

Desktop replacement, a desktop replacement is prepared for just about anything, but it rarely ever ventures off the beaten path. Though too big and heavy for anything but infrequent travel, these behemoths deliver the best performance and the most features available in a notebook. Typical options include massive screens; DVD burners; and large, comfortable keyboards. These notebooks also have two swappable drive bays so that you can mix and match optical drives, extra batteries, and other options. Generally, desktop replacements are popular among home and business users who do not travel regularly and want the muscle for tasks such as multimedia authoring, along with digital audio and video. Because they can be moved easily from room to room, they are a great choice as a second or third PC in homes with wireless networks. And as they close the gap with desktops in terms of 3D performance, devices in this category are getting the attention of gamers.

 


Mobile Processors, Memory, Screen Sizes, Hard Drives