Notebook shopping checklist
By 26/08/2005
Today's laptops
rely mainly on Intel's Centrino Pentium M processor which has gained
widespread acceptance in the mobile computing arena for its good mix of
performance and battery life. With the new-generation Centrino
(formerly codenamed Sonoma) platform just announced, the older Centrino
notebooks are likely to drop further to sub-S$2,300 (US$1,375.60)
levels. We've also noticed a strong trend towards desktop replacement
notebooks with multimedia features such as the ability to play DVD/MP3s without bootup.
How they stack up Check this out first to help narrow down your choices. Notebooks typically come in four sizes:
| Ultraportables |
< 2kg; 20mm thick or less; has slimmest profile at expense of built-in optical drive and features; high-priced. |
| Thin-and-lights |
1.8 - 3kg; <
40mm thick; onboard optical drives and offers best compromise between
ultraportables and mainstreams with a good balance of speed, features
and size. |
| Mainstreams |
3 - 4kg; around 40mm thick; bulky though they offer good value with a good combo of features and speed. |
| Desktop replacements |
3.5kg and
above; > 40mm thick; delivers the best performance and features but
usually too bulky to be lugged around comfortably; top-end models come
with TV tuner and PCMCIA remote. |
Processor
If
you want speed and battery life, Intel's Pentium M processor is the
best choice available today. But if your computing needs are basic,
laptops powered by Intel Celeron and AMD Sempron
chips offer best value for money. Desktop replacements these days
usually run on Pentium M chips though occasionally, there are some
equipped with Pentium 4 / Pentium 4-M. Some Centrino notebooks uses the ultra-low voltage chips which run slower but has much longer battery life.
Memory
You
will need at least 256MB of RAM to run Win XP smoothly. The standard RAM size for most notebooks sold now is 512MB. Opt for 1024MB if you plan to open multimedia apps or play games on your
laptop.
Hard drive
A 40GB
hard drive is more than sufficient for everyday needs. If you want to
store lots of photos, MP3s and movies on your machine, then consider a
60GB, 80GB drive or even 100GB.
Screen If
you're looking for an ultraportable, expect screens that are 12.1
inches or smaller. For a decent-sized display, consider at least 13.3
or 14.1 inches. Notebooks with 15-inch and above screens usually come
at the expense of portability. Also if you're on the lookout for sharp
image quality, you might want to consider a reflective screen.
Graphics card The
best bet here is a dedicated 3D graphics card with at least 32MB or
64MB of memory. If you're a Doom 3 gamer, you may want to check out the
top-end models running on 128/256MB memory
which come fitted in higher-end and larger machines. Most ultracompacts
and several thin-and-lights offer integrated graphics, which shares its
memory from the system RAM.
Optical drive The
majority of notebooks today sport at least a DVD/CD-RW combo drive
which should suffice though multiformat DVD burners are hot property.
The top end burners come with DVD+R double-layer support which can
store up to 8.5GB of data. Some notebooks offer hot-swappable drive
bays that give you more flexibility to install a second hard drive or
battery in place of the optical drive.
Connectivity
Standard
options should include at least two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, Ethernet
(RJ-45) and modem (RJ-11), 802.11b/g wireless LAN, audio jacks, VGA-out
and Type II PC Card slot. Bluetooth is usually optional. Most notebooks comes with memory card readers already integrated into the unit.
Warranty Notebooks
generally come with a one-year warranty, but if you use it outdoors
frequently, look for longer support plans. We'd recommend at least
three years of warranty should you be getting a notebook above S$3,000
(US$1,794.26). Read more about our hardware warranty guide here.
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