Choosing The Right Laptop

(December, 2007)

Just as the price of desktop computers has plummeted over the years, so too has the price of laptop machines.  What was once available to only traveling executives on corporate expense accounts is now calling out to us from the shelves of our local WalMart store.  Laptops have two main advantages over desktop machines:  size and portability.  I’m using the terms laptop and notebook interchangeably here; a notebook machine generally refers to a smaller sized laptop.  

            I was recently asked what one should look for when contemplating a laptop purchase. Of course the criterion that is first in most everyone’s mind is price – how little can I get a laptop for?  But that should not be the question at the top of your list.  The first question that needs to be asked is:  what do you plan to use the laptop for?  Will it be a desktop replacement whose main reason for being is to take up less space, to be less obtrusive, and to be used only occasionally in places other than its primary location?  Or is this purchase all about portability, something to take with you to school or as you travel? 

            People wanting a desktop replacement will generally want the largest, sharpest screen they can afford – 17” or more.  But that means a fairly large and relatively heavy laptop (over seven pounds) , unless one is planning on hooking up an external monitor.  Battery life is probably not much of an issue in such a case, as most of the time the laptop will be running off AC power.  On the other hand, a person who wants a laptop for its portability will probably eschew the large screen for the smaller footprint, lighter weight (five to six pounds), and longer battery life that is more likely to be found in a machine with a smaller screen size – say 14.1” to 15.4”. 

            As for finding the lowest priced machine, my advice is almost contradictory.  I say buy the most machine you can afford.  While laptops are smaller and lighter than desktops, the main downside is that they are far more expensive to upgrade and service, as you are often locked into buying your replacement parts from the company that manufactured the machine.  When the makers know you have no alternatives, the price skyrockets.  Desktop machines on the other hand generally use industry standard components that are much more easily upgraded or replaced and at far cheaper prices.  So going in, you want to get the fastest processor, the largest hard drive (100GB and up), and the most memory (1GB with Windows XP, 2GB with Windows Vista) you can afford, along with all the important bells and whistles, because chances are good that this is the configuration you will be living with for the life of the machine.

            If you are going to be using the machine for more than basic email, internet, correspondence, and personal finance, you should consider getting a machine with higher level video circuitry with its own dedicated memory, not shared with the rest of the system.  You will get better response time and smoother graphics output.  If you’re just using the machine to take notes in class or for email and web surfing, upgraded video may not be worth the added expense.  But longer battery life will be.  In that case, make sure you are getting a machine with a processor, whether from Intel (Core 2 Duo) or AMD (Turion 64 X2), that is designed specifically for mobile computing, as these CPUs will draw less power and extend battery life.

            Consider the type of built-in ‘mouse’ or pointing device.  Generally you have two choices – a track point, which looks like a pencil eraser stuck into the middle of the keyboard, or a touchpad, which is a smooth surface plate just below the keyboard.  Some people have a strong preference for one over the other.  The early versions of track points used to have mouse pointers that would get up and drift across the screen, which was very annoying, but that has since been fixed.  My preference is for the track points now, as I find I get too many inadvertent mouse movements and clicks with the touch pads.

            Consider your current peripherals (printers, scanners, perhaps external monitors).  Make sure the laptop has all the necessary external ports you may need.  If you have an older printer or scanner, you may need a parallel printer port, which many laptops lack.  Or you may find you need three or four USB ports, and the laptop only has two.  Perhaps you have a new external monitor with a digital video input plug.  You won’t be happy if the laptop only has a 15-pin VGA video port.  Most of these difficulties can be overcome, some with a port bar or docking station that adds connectivity to laptops when they are at home, but it’s best to plan ahead and select a product that has as many needed ports as possible.

            Most every laptop now comes with built-in wireless capability.  Make sure yours does, and that it conforms to at least the 802.11g spec and is backward compatible with 820.11b.  Make sure you get a built-in DVD burner, not just a CD-burner or a DVD-ROM unit.  The initial cost difference is minor, and later on down the road you or someone in your family will wish you had it. 

            Technology changes quickly and you will need a fighting chance to keep up with changes.  Make sure your machine has a pair of card bus (formerly called PCMCIA) slots.  These should allow you to add credit-card sized devices that help to add capabilities that perhaps no one has even heard of today.  Examples from the recent past include wireless connectivity and high-speed USB.

            So decide on your priorities first, and work from there.  Buy as much machine as you can afford.  In the long run, you will find that will result in a purchase that delivers the most value.