Laptop Computers - buying guide

To choose the right laptop computer, one with the right set of features at the right price, we need to figure out how we want to use our machine. Here I will present you the main laptop computer user profiles that will help you get a notebook computer that will match your needs.
1. Home user:
Home users are turning to notebooks more and more as their primary personal computer. They like that laptop computers can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC and can be easily moved from room to room. Though of course almost any notebook will do for typical home use, there are two types of notebooks most suitable for home users: midsize notebooks, which are budget-friendly, and desktop replacements, which are usually packed with features.
2.Student:
Students and others on a tight budget should look for a laptop that delivers the best performance for the buck. Students need a notebook that is small and light enough to carry back and forth across campus but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack.
3.Frequent flier:
When spending a lot of time on the road, size and weight became the two most critical factors in choosing a new notebook computer. Even if it means sacrificing a little on performance and features. The smallest and lightest notebooks, ultraportables, netbook computers weigh less than four pounds and are no thicker than a spiral-bound notebook.
4. 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.
5.Gaming or multimedia author:
The demand for a very good notebook performance comes first and you will need a true desktop replacement. Whether you design a Web site, edit home movies, or play latest video games, your notebook will demand a powerful processor, plenty of memory, great graphics, and a healthy hard drive.

Laptops come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and each with it's cost. While the smaller laptops are the most portable, they also have smaller keyboards and displays, less features, and slower performance than the bigger ones. The full-featured laptops are generally more difficult to carry and take up more space on your desk and in your bag. So you have to think about what's most important to you: computing power, a complete set of features, long battery life, good looks, a small form factor, or a low price. Now let's take a look at what different laptop computer categories have to offer:
Ultraportables and netbooks
The compact form factor is crucial for people who need to have their PC with them all the time, especially frequent business travelers. You usually trade weaker performance, smaller keyboards and displays, and fewer features for what you can gain in portability. Ultraportable laptops almost always carry a premium price tag but the netbooks comes with a very appealing ones. Still, a compact, lightweight profile can make all the difference if you spend a lot of time on the road.
- Weight: 4 pounds or less
- Size: Less than 1 inch thick
- Display: Smaller than 14 inches (diagonal)
- Processor: Slower, low-voltage mobile processors; some dual-core CPUs
- Features: Fewer ports and connections; 60GB to 120GB hard drive
- Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
- Other things to note: Small keyboard and touch pad; may lack an internal optical drive
%u2022 Price range: Start at $1,100; fully loaded $2,000 and up, netbooks start at $330

Thin and light:
A thin-and-light laptop computer offers the optimal combination of portability, performance, features, and cost. Power-tuned mobile processors deliver enough power to keep you working smoothly, and unlike ultraportables, most thin-and-lights have a more reasonably sized keyboard and display, a larger hard drive, and a built-in optical drive. They are more expensive than slightly larger and heavier midsize laptops, but it is the best choice if you need maximum productivity in a portable package.
- Weight: 4 to 6 pounds
- Size: Approximately 1 inch thick
- Display: 12 to 14 inches (diagonal), probably wide screen
- Processor: Midrange-to-fast dual-core processors
- Features: Most ports and connections; 80GB to 120GB hard drive; optical drive
- Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
- Other things to note: Small keyboard and touch pad
- Price range: Start at $800; fully loaded $1,500 and up

Midsize
A midsize laptop isn't specialized and gives you everything you need for basic computing (word processing, storing digital photos), home entertainment (burning CDs, watching DVDs), and online communication (e-mail and Web surfing). Slightly smaller than desktop replacements and with limited battery life, midsize laptops aren't particularly well suited for regular travel.
- Weight: 6 to 8 pounds
- Size: More than 1 inch thick
- Display: 14 to 15.4 inches (diagonal), possibly wide screen
- Processor: Slow/budget AMD Sempron or Intel Celeron, midrange AMD Turion 64 or Intel Core Duo, or fast Turion 64 X2 or Core 2 Duo processors
- Features: Most ports and connections; 60GB to 100GB hard drive; DVD burner; memory card reader; decent software package
- Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi
- Other things to note: May be less attractively designed; may suffer from mediocre performance and battery life
- Price range: Start at $500; fully loaded $900 and up

Desktop replacement
Desktop replacements are the largest and heaviest type of laptop computer and are designed to deliver the power and features you'd get from a desktop PC. Too bulky for anything but room-to-room travel within a house or an office, desktop replacements typically offer the best performance, the largest screens and keyboards, and the most complete set of features available on a laptop. Popular among home and business users, these systems can deliver enough computing muscle for serious gaming, multimedia authoring, and even high-level digital audio and video work.
- Weight: 7.5 pounds or more
- Size: More than 1 inch thick
- Display: 17 to 20 inches (diagonal)
- Processor: Fast dual-core processors
- Features: Wide array of ports and connections; 80GB to 240GB hard drive space; double-layer DVD burner
- Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional)
- Other things to note: Large keyboard, separate number pad, large touch pad; batteries not designed for lengthy mobile use.
- Price range: Start at $1,000; fully loaded ranging from $1500 up to over $4000

Tablet PC
Here I will squeeze in a special kind of laptop computer, the tablet pc. They are comparable in size and weight to ultraportable or thin-and-light laptops. Tablet PCs let you take handwritten notes and navigate menus, documents, and Web pages using a stylus directly on the screen. The most common type is the convertible tablet, which looks much like traditional a laptop but has a display that swivels 180 degrees and folds flat over the keyboard. Slate tablets, on the other hand, lack keyboards--they're all screen. The smallest tablets, ultramobile PCs, bridge the gap between PDA and ultraportable, with 7-inch touch-screen displays and enhanced media player features. Once only the tool of specialized industries, tablets are gaining a wider audience, thanks to their portability, flexibility, and wow factor.
- Weight: Usually 4 pounds or less, with some slates weighing as little as 2 pounds; UMPCs weigh less than 2 pounds; some larger laptops incorporate tablet functionality
- Size: Less than 1 inch thick
- Display: 12 inches (diagonal) or smaller digitized display
- Processor: Moderate mobile processors
- Features: Fewer ports and connections; 30GB to 60GB hard drive
- Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
- Other things to note: Microsoft Windows Vista OS; handwriting recognition software
- Price range: Start at $1,000; superior models go for closer to $2,000

It's important to know what you'll have to sacrifice to get the notebook computer you need. Many vendors offer configuration choices when you buy your laptop.
Processor:
Also referred to as the CPU, or central processing unit, the processor is the brain of the computer. It's the most important chip in a notebook, and it has power-management features that extend battery life. Notebooks use a variety of processor types depending on their focus. The actual performance and battery life of a laptop computer depends on many factors, including the display, the size of the battery, and the optimizations made by the manufacturer. The only way to accurately measure performance and battery life is through hands-on reviews based on objective labs tests.
Memory
Every laptop computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory, usually referred to as main memory or RAM (random-access memory). To find out how much memory you'll need, take into account your operating system and the applications that you plan to use. You'll want at least 1GB (though 2GB is preferable) for Windows Vista or Mac OS X and 512MB for all other Windows and Mac operating systems.
If you plann to hang on to your notebook computer for a long time, look for a laptop with easy-to-access memory slots, as memory is typically one of the first specs you'll want to upgrade.
Display
Notebook LCDs range in size from 10.6 inches (diagonal) to 20 inches; display size is a key factor in the laptop's overall weight. For comfortable viewing at the preferred Windows resolution of 1,024x768, most people like 14.1-inch or larger LCDs.
Notebook LCDs once varied widely in brightness, color, and sharpness, but today, you'll find much better quality across the board. Unfortunately, when it comes to LCDs, the specs reveal little about actual picture quality, so if you're picky about screens, compare some at your local dealer.

You have to decide how big of a hard drive you need in your laptop computer depending on how much data you store. After that, determine what you'll use your notebook for. For the most basic computing tasks only, or do you want to play and store media files?
Hard drive
The hard disk drive provides you with space to save programs and files indefinitely, or at least for the life of the drive. Notebook hard drives can provide up to 120GB of storage. Some notebooks may incorporate two 120GB drives for extra storage space but at a premium fee. The 60GB to 80GB drive should be sufficient, unless you store lots of music and movies or all your pictures. Be warned that capacity alone does not make a good hard drive. The hard disk's rotational speed also makes a big difference; a 7,200rpm notebook disk delivers significantly faster performance than a 5,400rpm model. The faster the disk spins, the better your notebook will perform overall, though a faster disk will also shorten your laptop's battery life.
CD and DVD drives
Notebooks, even budget systems, include a CD-RW/DVD drive (either built in to the laptop or external and connected via USB) for burning discs and watching movies on the road. DVD burners, which let you store large amounts of information on one disc, are also commonplace; double-layer DVD burners can pack even more data on a single disc. But unless you need to store huge files you may not need these more expensive DVD-RW drives.
Swappable vs. fixed drives
The least expensive notebooks come with fixed (built-in) drives. In other words, if you buy your notebook with a fixed DVD-ROM, you're stuck with that drive. A swappable drive bay, on the other hand, gives you optimum flexibility. For instance, you can pull out the DVD-ROM drive and swap in a combo DVD/CD-RW drive or even a second battery. It is recommended to go with a swappable bay if you can afford it. Keep in mind, however, that the smallest and lightest ultraportable notebooks may include neither fixed nor swappable optical drives, relying instead on external drives that connect via USB.
External drives
External drives, storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable, come in many shapes and sizes. Most of these drives connect to your notebook via a USB or FireWire cable. Drive choices include DVD/CD-RW, DVD-RW, hard drive, and others. There are also smaller external drives, called thumbdrives, that plug directly into your USB connector without a cable. These little drives are the best option for transferring small amounts of data between notebooks or between notebooks and PCs, and they're much more convenient than burning data onto CD. If you buy a tiny ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, you may need an external one to load software or read data discs.

For sending and receiving e-mail, Web browsing, and share files or printers, your laptop computer must be able to connect to a network or the Internet. This is usually done via a modem, an Ethernet hookup, or a wireless connection (either WLAN or WWAN). Notebooks also include a variety of ports, or connectors that physically link to and communicate with different kinds of equipment, including digital cameras and external monitors.
If you can't find the port you want, you can usually buy a port replicator or a docking station that adds connectors. These notebook-expansion options tend to be pricey, however, so you're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything that you'll need out of the box.
PC Cards
The PC Card is a credit card-shaped device that plugs into a slot on your notebook and can provide a number of connection types. Modems, USB connections (for your digital camcorder), and wireless WAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC Cards are handy because they're easy to upgrade and because you can buy third-party PC Card solutions after you purchase your notebooks. Most notebooks come with only one or two Type II PC Card slots, forcing you to limit the number of PC Cards you can add.
ExpressCards are the next generation of the PC Card. Smaller than existing PC Cards, ExpressCards promise data-transfer rates that are twice as fast, which means the cards can be used for high-bandwidth interfaces, such as Gigabit Ethernet ports and HDTV tuners. The standard is still relatively new, so there aren't many ExpressCard modules on the market today. However, most current laptops include an ExpressCard slot for future use. If you know you'll want to add some of these high-bandwidth functions to your laptop after you buy it, consider a system that supports the new standard.
Networking options
Though the standard is being phased out, most notebooks still come with a 56Kbps-modem (RJ-11) connection, and virtually all include Ethernet (RJ-45) or even faster Gigabit Ethernet connections. Almost all notebooks also include built-in antennas for wireless networking (802.11, or Wi-Fi) so that you can access wireless hot spots. If your travels regularly take you beyond the reach of Wi-Fi hot spots, you may want to consider spending a little extra for a notebook with a built-in WWAN card. These systems let you tap in to a cellular provider's data network. They can be incredibly useful when connectivity is spotty, but the technology has its downsides: data plans still tend to be pricey; throughput speeds, while improving, are still slower than most high-speed Internet; and your built-in cellular card can work with only one cellular provider.
Depending on the model you choose, you may also have the option of ordering a Bluetooth adapter in your laptop. This will let you connect your laptop to other Bluetooth-enabled devices (such as a printer, a cell phone, or a PDA) that are in close range.
If your notebook doesn't include any of the above network adapters, it's fairly easy to find PC Cards that get the job done.
Other ports and connectors
Most notebooks have a VGA port for an external monitor, Ethernet and modem jacks, headphone and microphone jacks, and two to three (or more) USB ports for connecting an external keyboard and mouse, drives, digital cameras, and MP3 players. For home use, you may want any variety of A/V connections, such as S-Video, DVI, or S/PDIF output, and a FireWire port for capturing and editing digital video or hooking up an external storage drive.

Docking station or port replicator
A docking station contains a mixture of ports, slots, drive bays, and security features, and it usually attaches to the notebook from underneath. Docking stations come in a variety of shapes, ranging from the same size as your notebook, which is often referred to as a media slice, to much bigger--some stick out five inches past the back of your notebook. As the name implies, a docking station is where you park your notebook when you get back to the office, giving you easy access to your network, along with a bigger monitor, a regular keyboard, additional storage devices, and the convenience of leaving cables plugged in when you walk away from your desk.
A port replicator, on the other hand, is a smaller, stripped-down version of a docking station that mainly features--as you might guess--ports, such as USB or parallel. A port replicator can range from the size of a box of toothpaste to just shy of docking-station stature. When you're on the road, a port replicator is a convenient way to increase your connectivity.
Laptop bag
When paying a couple grand or more on a laptop the last thing you want to do is spend even more money on a carrying case. So, you save a few bucks by going with the manufacturer's basic case. But basic bags often lack a padded shoulder strap or internal pockets. Look for padded shoulder straps, reinforced corners, and specialized compartments designed to hold the AC adapter, the extra batteries, and so on.
Extra battery
If you do even a modest amount of traveling, getting a second battery it's recommended. They range from $100 to $300, and they are worth the money. Many notebooks allow you to swap them into the main media bay. Other secondary batteries clip on to the back of the notebook or attach via a cable. If you rarely travel with your notebook, however, and your laptop is pretty much always plugged in, don't bother with a second battery.
External drives
External drives, storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable, can be a pain to carry around and hook up, plus they can be pricey. You're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything you need out of the box. Nevertheless, external drives are sometimes required. If, for instance, you buy an ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, make sure you get an external drive so that you can load software. Types of external drives include CD-ROM, CD-RW, combo DVD/CD-RW, DVD-rewritable, floppy, hard drives, Zip drives, and more.
Mouse and keyboard
To save yourself some wear and tear, invest in a small travel mouse. These can cost as little as $20, they usually hook up via a USB cable, and they're are very easy to carry. The same advice applies to typing for hours on your notebook's keyboard. If you plant your notebook on your desk when you work, hook up a USB keyboard and relieve your wrists. If you prefer working without wires, get a wireless mouse and keyboard.