The Basic Features One Should Consider When Choosing A Laptop

Laptops are the natural evolution of the PC. When choosing a laptop, there are certain features that must be considered. Discover which are important, and which are not.

(PRWEB) November 3, 2004 -- Laptops are the natural evolution in the ever changing world of the computer. The improvement of technology has allowed the computer to shrink from being as big as a house, to the size of book.

Their compactness, and portability make it particularly useful to the professional, the person on the go, and the student. However, laptops can get rather expensive so one should take care to choose a laptop with the right amount of features, but not so many that they needlessly inflate the price.

Here are some basic features that must be considered: there's weight and size, display, input devices, batteries, hard-drive, CD-DVD ROM, RAM, CPU's, modems, and ports.

When it comes to weight and size, one must consider that the bigger a laptop is, the heavier it is. A small enough size should be chosen, but not so small that it's uncomfortable. The smaller the laptop, the more awkward it will be to type on that tiny keyboard.

The display, or screen, is directly tied in to the size of the laptop. One should choose the biggest display possible. Also, a decision has to be made between Active, and Passive Matrix.

Active Matrix is more expensive, but is recommended since pictures come out sharper and moving images play out smoother. Passive Matrix is cheaper, but the picture quality is not as good.

Next comes the batteries. There are 3 main types: Li, NiMH, NiCad. What those letters stand for is not important. All one needs to know is to always choose Li since they are higher quality, and provide a longer life. However, they are slightly more expensive. If one is strapped for money, then NiMH is acceptable. They're slightly cheaper, but must be recharged every hour or so. Under no circumstances should NiCad be chosen. They're extremely low quality, and have no staying power.

Next is the hard-drive. Most laptops start with at least 4.3 gigabytes, or GB, of hard drive space. However, more may be gotten if it's perceived to be needed.

Next is the CD-DVD Drive. To be honest, a laptop doesnt really need either one. But at least one should be added since most software comes in CD form nowadays. If a DVD-ROM drive is chosen, then a CD-ROM drive won't be needed since a DVD-ROM drive can read CD-ROMs.

Next is the RAM, or Random Access Memory. This is the Short Term Memory of you computer. How much does a laptop need? The simple answer is about 32 megabytes, or MB, of RAM, but 64 is highly recommended. This is due to the fact that laptops are difficult to upgrade. Because of this, one might as well get more then theyll currently need, and look ahead.

Next is the "brain" otherwise known as the CPU, or Central Processing Unit. The CPU contains all the programs run on a computer. At least 233 MHz in processing speed for a laptop is suggested. There are many types of CPU's but just make sure the laptop that is chosen has one.

Lastly, but definitely not least, comes the modems and ports.

The modem allows one to access the Internet. This is important if the laptop will be used to surf the Web, and send email. There are two primary types of modems used with laptops. Theres the Internal modem, and the PC card-based modem. Internal modems are easier to hook up, and theyre becoming more and more common. PC card-based modems stick out of a computer. Their advantage is that they can be replaced if upgrades to a faster one are needed.

Next are the ports. Ports are where the peripherals are applied, such as microphones, cameras, and extra memory. What type of ports do most laptops have? Currently, all laptops feature a serial, a parallel, an infrared, and a universal serial bus (USB) port. The reason why therere so many different types of ports is because the peripheral equipment corresponds with different types of ports.

That's it. Those are the basics that one should consider when purchasing a laptop. Utilizing the above information, more informed decisions can be made to acquire a laptop with suitable features that meet a users needs.

About The Author
Eliu Cordova is an avid computer enthusiast, entrepreneur, and author. His website, http://cheap-laptops-4-you.com can be used as a resource for helping you decide which laptops are right for you. He can be reached at eclaptops@cheap-laptops-4-you.com.

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