Guides
Components
Introduction
A laptop is just a small lightweight computer right? These days that's pretty much the truth. In fact I have a suspicion laptops are made to break in 3 to 4 years just so computer manufacturers have business.
What this means to you? Well you had better make the right decision the first time around otherwise you might be stuck with something that irks you for a long time. The problem with selecting a laptop is all of the choices, but understanding each choice will help you pick out exactly what you want. Then you just have to go to your favorite computer manufacturer and buy it!
Index
Manufacturer
Screen
Keyboard
CPU
Battery
Memory
GPU
Hard Drive
Other Components
About Me
How to choose a Laptop
Manufacturer
The $64,000 question is: who makes the best laptops? Because I try to keep these guides as objective as possible you can read my About page to learn about my personal experiences.Screen
The big makers in no particular order are Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba and Apple. Dell and HP combine for about 50% of all laptop sales in the world. Acer and Toshiba are responsible for about 20%, and Mac sells about 7% (Numbers are for second quarter 2009, courtesy of Cnet).
Based on these numbers and we are going to exclude Mac for now because they're a different topic altogether (see Mac vs PC), Dell and HP must be the best?
I don't know if there is a best, and I think it comes down to personal choice. Right now if I were going to get a new laptop it would be based on the best deal I could find for the right laptop. For you it might be a personal decision, but when in doubt buy the 3 year warranty (if you can afford it) and you should be set. If your laptop is going to break, it will do it within those 3 years, otherwise it's likely that you'll be set for a long time.
Bottom Line - It's a personal decision, but the numbers show HP and Dell as selling 50% of the laptops in the world.
There are two types of screens available, wide screen and full screen. Wide screen laptops are growing in popularity as entertainment-oriented machines for movies and videos. However, if you're doing a lot of reading and writing a full screen might make more sense.Keyboard
Screen size ranges from around 8 inches to 20 inches, but the larger the screen the heavier the laptop is going to be. If you're replacing your desktop you might want a larger monitor size, but be ready to lug it around if you're on the go.
Bottom Line - Pick a screen type: wide or full. Large screens are nice but be ready for the extra weight.
If you've never used a laptop keyboard before you may be surprised that it's missing keys or is slightly smaller than what you're used to. In order to fit the keyboard into some of the smaller laptops, keys and key size are sacrificed. Also, different manufacturers have different keyboard layouts and different keys that have their own style and feel. Your best bet is to find at least the brand of laptop you are considering in a local electronics store and tryout the keyboard to make sure you like how it feels.CPU
Besides keyboards, companies have a variety of touchpads and methods to replace the mouse. Make sure that you test out or at least understand how the mouse of the laptop functions before you complete your purchase. Most touchpads that have options will let you set them how you like.
Bottom Line - Pick a keyboard size that works for you. Watch out for tricky touchpads, make sure you understand how they work before you buy.
This will determine how fast your laptop will work. If you haven't already, please read the CPU section before continuing. A laptop CPU is manufactured in a different way than a desktop CPU. It is optimized to use up less energy for sustaining a longer battery life. Unless you plan to play video games on your laptop, a CPU speed of 2 Ghz should be plenty for most normal use.Battery
Manufacturer wise, both AMD and Intel make quality mobile CPU's. Do your research and find the best performance for your buck.
Bottom line - 2.0 Ghz should be fast enough for normal use. AMD or Intel? Just get the best deal.
Unfortunately you can't eat your cake and have it to. If you want a longer lasting laptop you're going to have to get a bigger battery which will cost you more money and increase the laptop's weight.Memory
Normal use will drain a large battery in around 6 - 8 hours. For a smaller battery you might range around 3 - 5. This all depends on the laptop size and how much you use devices like your optical drive which will quickly drain your battery life. If you plan to be plugged in most of the time a smaller battery is probably fine.
Bottom Line - The bigger the battery the longer the life, but it'll cost you in both size and weight.
Memory in a laptop is basically the same as memory in a desktop computer, so read my memory guide if you haven't already. In general you won't need more than 2gb of memory for a laptop computer unless you've significantly upgraded your CPU or plan to have a large number of applications open, make a lot of videos etc... However, I find that because the screen is smaller, people in general have less going on their laptop than their PC. Because laptop memory is more expensive than PC memory, I'd recommend starting with 2gb and if you think you need more upgrade from there. An absolute minimum would be 1gb of memory for most laptops (unless you're doing some Linux distribution on an eepc.. then you might get away with 512mb).GPU
Important : Double check whether the graphics processing unit of the laptop has it's own dedicated memory or if it is using the system memory. Always try and maintain 1gb minimum above what the graphics processing unit has reserved.
Bottom Line - More memory is best, but more than 2gb is probably overkill.
GPU, or graphical processing unit, is what makes your videos run smoothly and games play nicely. Most laptops have an integrated graphics card which means it's part of the motherboard (you can read the motherboard guide for more info about that). If you do have an integrated GPU, then it will most likely have to borrow its memory from the system memory. You'll always want to have at least 1gb of system memory, so make sure to get enough for both your system and your GPU.Hard Drive
If you want to play games on your laptop you can buy them with a dedicated GPU. Both AMD and Nvidia make GPUs for laptops that are quite powerful and have their own dedicated memory. Remember, though, that having more components will cause your laptops battery life to drain faster.
Bottom Line - The majority of GPUs are integrated and all you need to do is make sure you have more than 1gb of memory above whatever the GPU will need.
Hard drives built for the laptop are basically the same as a regular hard drive, but just smaller, thinner and more expensive. Speed of 7200 RPM is standard for most laptop hard drives. Hard drive sizes range from 32gb to 500gb, but you'll be paying a premium for the biggest drives.
If you have the money, a new type of hard drive called a solid state drive (SSD) is the most energy efficient and quiet option. These hard drives are similar to the flash sticks that you use in digital cameras. However, even SSDs that are only 20gb are far more expensive than a standard hard drive. In a few years SSD prices will drop to the same level and will become the standard.
For more info about hard drives check out the guide.
Bottom Line - Make sure you're getting 7200 RPM and the amount of space you need. If you've got a spare $1,000 you might consider a solid state drive.
Other Components
Most laptops come standard with a DVD drive, if you want a CD/DVD burner you'll have to pay a little extra. These drives are pretty standard and shouldn't give you much pause.
About Me
Many laptops have the option for a thumbprint reader (biometrics) as an alternate form of logging in. If you think that this is something you'll use and would prefer it to having to type in your password (or you want to pretend you're a spy) then by all means, get one of those. Otherwise it's just another way to charge high profile businesses for an extra buck.
Most laptops come with a microphone embedded into the keyboard, but you might also want a web cam as well.
Bottom Line - DVD/CD Burner, Thumbprint Scanner, and Webcam ... extras if you have the change.
Who am I to be telling you what to buy with your hard earned money? Check out the about page to decide for yourself.
Bottom Line - Check it out; I even talk about my own computer buying experience!
