| 1. How will you use your Laptop Computer? | | | | images. They will just be smaller than on larger |
| This is the most important question. Manufacturers | | | | screens. |
| tailor the specification of their laptops depending on | | | | For long periods of detailed work, larger screen with |
| the needs of the user. For example ultraportable | | | | high resolution will be easier on your eyes. |
| notebooks are light weight and have a long battery | | | | 6. Monster Memory |
| life for remote working. However their functionality is | | | | When you close your computer and save your data |
| limited. Laptops designed for playing computer games | | | | it's stored on the hard drive. If you keep very little |
| need a huge memory dedicated to graphics use and | | | | data and don't store music or photos then you won't |
| 3D graphics chips. So make sure you think about | | | | need a large hard drive. But over the life of your PC |
| what you will need on your laptop or you may pay | | | | you'll be surprised how much you keep so get at |
| for expensive features that you don't need. | | | | least 80GB and consider 120GB or 160GB if you love |
| 2. Do you run several applications at once? | | | | your music and photos. |
| Many computer users leave applications running. Their | | | | 7. Ports in a Storm |
| e-mail will be open, and 2 or 3 internet pages. They | | | | Most laptops are the hub of their user's lives. Digital |
| listen to their music while they work. These | | | | cameras, iPods, PDA's all need connecting at some |
| applications operate from the RAM of the computer. | | | | point. If you also use a mouse, you can quickly run |
| So all this activity needs plenty of easily accessible | | | | out of USB ports, so get at least 2 and 1 Firewire |
| (RAM) memory. Too little memory and you will soon | | | | connection. |
| become frustrated with long load times from your | | | | 8. Battery Life |
| hard drive. So invest in plenty of RAM, ideally 2GB or | | | | Manufacturers "claimed" battery life tends to be |
| possibly 3GB for heavy use. | | | | optimistic to say the least. With as little as 1.5 hours, |
| 3. Processing Power | | | | you'll need to check so your laptops battery life |
| Processors (CPU) run computer applications and | | | | matches your usage. If you're away from a power |
| process data. So if you run several applications or | | | | source a lot consider taking an extra battery with |
| need to manage a lot of data you need to invest in | | | | you. |
| a good processor. Dual-core processors perform | | | | 9. Keyboard |
| much faster than single-core processors. Look for | | | | Ultraportable notebooks can have small, difficult to |
| Intel's Core Duo, Core 2 Duo or even Core 2 | | | | use keyboards. Test them before you buy. |
| Extreme. | | | | 10. Weight |
| 4. Screen Size | | | | There's nothing worse than carrying a heavy bag at |
| Your choice of screen size will determine the weight | | | | the end of a long day. Many people have large |
| of your laptop. Large screens are heavier, because of | | | | laptops when an ultraportable notebook would give |
| size and power requirements. The key is the | | | | them all the functionality they need. Check this out if |
| resolution or clarity of the images on the screen. A | | | | your current laptop feels like a piano at the end of |
| high resolution 12.1 inch screen can give sharp clear | | | | the day. |