| Which laptop
should you buy? |
| Well, that's up to
you - of course. But here are a few of our recommendations..
|
| Stick with a quality brand - Toshiba,
IBM, Dell, Compaq, HP, Acer, Sony or NEC etc...
are some of the branded laptops |
|
Unlike with desktop systems,
with laptops the brand does make a considerable
difference - particularly with reliability. If
you purchase an off-brand laptop and require repairs
- which in itself is much more likely with
an off-brand, chances are you will not find anyone
who can get the parts at a reasonable price.
We highly recommended above
branded machines, we do not recommend buying other
unbranded machines.
|
| Warranty, warranty, warranty |
| In the case of a laptop, warranty
is a very good thing to have. Repairs can be quite
expensive with both parts and labour. Get as much
warranty as you can. You might want to consider
purchasing extra warranty. Also remember to purchase
a high quality brand laptop |
| The need for speed ...and space
|
| Consider what software you intend
installing on your laptop.
Here are the minimum requirements
for common software programs:
| Program |
CPU |
RAM |
HDD |
| MS Windows XP |
Pentium 233MHz |
64MB |
1.5GB |
| MS Windows Millennium
Edition |
Pentium 150MHz |
32MB |
400MB |
| MS Windows 2000 |
Pentium 133MHz |
64MB |
650MB |
| MS Windows 98 |
486DX 66MHz |
24MB |
200MB |
| MS Windows 95 |
486 25MHz |
8MB |
40MB |
| MS Windows NT
V4 |
Any Pentium |
16MB |
110MB |
| MS Office XP |
Pentium 133MHz |
32MB |
210MB |
| MS Office 2000 |
Pentium 75MHz |
16MB |
190MB |
| MS Office 97 |
486 25MHz |
8MB |
100MB |
| Adobe Photoshop
V6 |
Any Pentium |
64MB |
130MB |
You'll find that it is generally
only the latest and greatest games that require
super fast laptops with high storage capacities.
The speed of your laptop plays
little role in the speed of the Internet. To get
maximum speed on the Internet, simply choose a
laptop with any speed Intel Pentium processor
that has MMX. Then get yourself a 56K modem and
hook up with a fast ISP - these two factors are
the ones that really do make a difference.
HDD space is even less important.
Unless you're going to be making movies, we recommend
starting off with something small and replacing
it only once you've actually filled it.
RAM is another factor to consider
- and an expensive one with laptops. Get as much
RAM as you think you would require (for most uses,
this should be no more than 128MB) as it will
cost you a lot to upgrade it in the future. If
you're going to be running several applications
at once, or very large databases, you will require
more.
|
| TouchPad or AccuPoint? |
| These are the two types of pointing
devices - however, you can attach a normal desktop
mouse to any laptop. Which one should you choose?
We recommend the AccuPoint - it's more difficult
to get the hang of but, in the end, far more accurate
and easier to control. However, the truth is that
you'll probably adjust to and be content with either
methods. |
| Display -Bigger
and brighter is better |
| Choice of display is an important
decision to make when selecting a laptop. The display
greatly affects the general user experience.
We recommended a display size
of 12.1 inches or more - whatever you feel comfortable
with. The bigger it is, the less eyestrain you
will suffer.
We highly recommend an Active-Matrix
(TFT) display. This display type has the best
visual quality and quickest response. It is particularly
highly recommended if two people, such as a yourself
and a client, will be viewing the display at once.
Choose a Passive-Matrix (Dual-Scan)
display if your budget is extremely limited. However,
this type of display is unsuitable if you'll be
using the laptop under challenging lighting conditions,
such as outdoors or in an airplane.
|
| Battery
Li-Ion is the way |
| Try to get a laptop with a lithium
ion battery. They last considerably longer than
a traditional laptop battery made from nickel metal-hydride
(NiMH) . If you're rarely going to use your laptop
without A/C power, then this is less of an issue.
|
| A few more things to consider
|
- What ports do you require?
You might want a laptop with USB.
- Do you require a modem? These
can be installed in any laptop.
- Do you require a network adapter?
These can be installed in any laptop.
- Do you require a CD-ROM? If
you don't, you can save money by going without.
- Do you prefer the CD and FDD
to be inbuilt or external attachments? In most
newer quality laptops, you'll find FDD's are
external - as people use them less nowadays.
|
| Still unsure? |
| Why not
We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have
|
|
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