Monday, June 2, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tips for buying a new Laptop.
A dream machine for anyone.
One whose cost factor determines that you must buy it carefully.
If you are thinking of going in for a laptop (or a notebook, as it is called among the tech circles), here are a few tips that will come in handy.
1. Opt for an Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo or an Intel Centrino processor. The processor forms the computing core of your laptop and is one area where you must not compromise.
Invest wisely here. The processor is the first component likely to get outdated and it is not possible to upgrade it.
2. Opt for a 2 to 4 GB DDR SDRAM. A RAM of lower memory capacity will make it difficult to run certain applications and software.
Upgrading 1 GB DDR SDRAM could cost you between Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,400.
3. Choose an Active-matrix (TFT) display, with True Life (As Dell provides). The display is an active matrix if you can see the arrow while it traverses the screen. Most displays nowadays are TFTs as the Passive-matrix (dual scan) is now outdated.
TFTs are highly preferred because of their sharper images, better resolution and smoother images of motion on the screen.
Opt for a wide screen laptops for those interested in the movie experience. But they they are obviously bulkier to carry and slightly low on battery life.
4. If you travel extensively, take care that your laptop weighs under 5 pounds. If your laptop will be confined to your room, you could go in for a slightly heavier one. It will be cheaper. It will also have a few more features.
5. Check the battery life on the laptop. Insist that it is a Lithium-ion (Li+) battery (nearly all laptops will have this one). Choose batteries with a high voltage and a high mAh. Do not go for NiMH batteries, as you will have to keep charging them frequently.
6. Prefer buying a Multi Layer or Double Layer DVD RW .
Incidentally, the prices of DVD drives are expected to fall considerably over the next one year.
Don't stress on your laptop having a floppy drive. Floppies are getting obsolete by the minute and will soon be terminated.
7. If you are on the move, buy a laptop with a spill-resistant keyboard and shock-resistant hard drives. This will ensure your hard disk does not crash and you don't lose data in the event of a minor crash or fall.
8. Ensure the laptop has four or more USB ports, as you will need them to attach your peripheral devices like wire less mouse, USB pen drives, printers, cameras etc.
You should consider buying a pen drive to act as a reliable data transfer mode.
Choose a laptop with wireless connectivity in the form of Bluetooth and Infrared. These make data transfer very convenient and reliable and you can send data to multiple recipients at one go.
These facilities on your laptop would cost you around Rs 1,000 more and are independent of any service providers.
Also try getting an inbuilt card reader..
9. Windows XP Professional is an ideal system for a laptop meant for office use. In laptops, it is very inconvenient to upgrade your operating system, as windows vista makes the PC to slow.
Pirated softwares don't work with Windows Vista.
10. Some people prefer a touchpad mouse as the navigating option but its really hard to get an excellent touchpad mouse in lower end Laptops. So buying an external USB wireless mouse (which is half the size of the regular one) makes the working easy and fast.
Try working with both and to see which is most comfortable.
11. Insist on an inbuilt Internet Wireless, LAN card and modem. Internal 802.11b/g or a/b/g that allows quick connection to an Internet wireless hot spot* while in hotel, airport or coffee shop.
Where wireless access is available. Additional access charges apply in some locations.
12. While budgeting for your laptop, bear in mind that a cheaper machine might prove expensive if you plan to upgrade it later on.
Do not compromise on the processor, the RAM and the operating system.
The memory capacity (GB) can be upgraded later on, so can the CD/DVD drives.
When you are buying your laptop check on upgradation. You can upgrade your machine with or without discarding it. If you plan to change your machine within two years, don't invest too heavily on it.
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