1: Choose your form factor
Notebooks are broken down into four categories by weight, with some overlap: ultraportables (less than 2kg), thin-and-lights (2 to 4kg), mainstream models (3 to 5kg), and desktop replacements (more than 5kg). Ultraportables excel for frequent fliers who need just the essentials while on the road. Screen sizes are small -- usually 10 or 12 inches -- and their keyboards petite. Also, to make these machines so small, features such as internal optical drives, large and fast hard drives, and extra ports are frequently absent. Their batteries also need to be small and often yield as little as 2 hours of juice. New processor technologies, however, can extend battery life to beyond 4 hours. Finally, tiny tech comes at a higher cost compared with larger laptops. A balance between size, battery life, and power, thin-and-light laptops are a perfect fit for both students and business users. Their larger screens -- 14 to 15 inches -- and roomier keyboards make them more comfortable than ultraportables for longer computing sessions. Depending on usage, you can expect about 4 hours of battery life. Mainstream laptops are like budget desktops: They're good for general tasks but won't win any contests for their performance or features. Though they don't qualify as thin or light, they still offer some portability. With 14-inch or larger screens, a standard selection of ports, and big keyboards, they're suitable for everyday use. If you want desktop power, you need a desktop replacement. With screen sizes of 15 to 17 inches, travel weights as heavy as six kilos, and average battery life of less than three hours, these behemoths are not for people on the go. They can accommodate a wide range of performance parts, however, and are just right for power users of all kinds. 2: The CPU and you
When it comes to processors, go with the fastest you can afford, regardless of the notebook's form factor. You have a lot of options, so here are the basics. Intel's Centrino line offers speed while enabling great battery life. These chips, combined with Intel's wireless LAN electronics and either the 945 Express, 915 Express or 855 chipset, make up Intel's Centrino mobile technology. AMD's mobile processors are more affordable than Intel's, but they generally lag behind Intel's on our MobileMark tests. AMD's Turion 64 X2 processors may change that, though initial reports say its performance is still behind the new Core 2 Duo chips. You could also go with a desktop processor from either Intel or AMD. Desktop CPUs come in a broad range of speeds and prices, but they aren't designed for mobility, so they run hotter and guzzle battery juice. Intel's Celeron processors, which come in both mobile and desktop variants, are another choice, but not a good one, because they deliver subpar performance. If you're short on dough, though, they'll suffice for basic needs. 3: A word about wide-screens
Wide-screen notebooks, which have an aspect ratio of 16:9, offer larger, sharper, and all-around better images than their 4:3 standard-screen cousins. They're great for watching DVDs, of course, but they also allow you to have two documents or Web pages open side-by-side. A spacious 17-inch wide-screen laptop is a nice luxury if you're not planning on traveling with it. 4: The (not-so) great outdoors
Sunlight is not ideal for computing -- specifically, for seeing the screen. If you want to work outdoors, you have options, but most consumer models have what are known as transmissive screens. These screens are lit from behind, and despite what you've seen in the commercials, they're virtually invisible on a bright, sunny day. Reflective LCDs, which light the screen's pixels from the front and reflect polarised light from the environment, are much better for outdoor work, but their screens look dim indoors. What's more, they're mostly reserved for vertical-market notebook models and are pretty tough to come by. 5: Mind your memory
Having enough memory is vital to system performance, and lots of RAM lets you run more applications simultaneously. Sufficient RAM is also necessary for graphics work, image editing, and video editing, and crucial for 3D gaming. This is especially true in notebooks, because notebook graphics processors frequently have little or no memory of their own and share the main system RAM. Adding RAM is an easy way to boost performance, but first make sure the notebook's memory sockets are accessible. (They're usually under a panel on the bottom of the system.) Here's an easy way to determine how much you need: 512MB: Good for basic office apps, running one at a time. 1GB: Adequate for running several programs at once, photo editing, and basic 3D gaming. 2GB or more: Recommended for high-performance 3D gaming, demanding graphics work, and video editing. |
