How to choose a notebook computer

A notebook computer today is no longer a device that makes a statement.
In fact, it is so uniquitous that everyone from all walks of life - student, professionals, salesmen, housewives, retirees - can be seen with notebooks either at home or at cafes where they are often found to surf the Net, while sipping a cup of mocha.

But with the speed at which technologies grows, how does one even go about beginning to ask the question:

"Which brand of notebook should I buy" or
"What should I look for in a notebook?", or even
"What technologies out there that I should look out for before it get obsolete after six months?"

Here's a simple, basic layman's guide to what you should look for when buying a notebook computer.
The tips here are by no means comprehensive but it should give you enough to chew on should you be shopping for a notebook computer.

Size and weight
The first thing you should determine is what kind of size and weight you want your notebook computer to have.
Generally speaking, there are two camps that one should take note off where size and weight are concerned.

The first is to determine if portability or having a feature-packed notebook is your main concern.
If it's the former, then you should generally go for something smaller in size, namely with either a 12-inch or 14-inch screen.
The corresponding weight of such a device should range between 1.6kg to about 2.4kg.
This would ensure that you could carry your notebook around without having to struggle with its weight.

If however you are looking for an array of features in your notebook, such as multimedia caability, a large screen to watch movies or to play games, then you should be looking at wide-screen formats that are usually between 15-inch and 17-inch and weighs between 2.5kg to 3.2kgs.
These machines are commonly known as desktop replacements.

Processors (CPU)
Generally speaking, notebook computers run slower than their desktop equivalents.
However, in recent times, processor, such as those with dual-core systems can pack quite a powerful processing system and yet be mounted on a notebook computer.

The term dual-core basically means that there are two processors, or two "brain" on one single chip as opposed to previous technology which have only one "brain"
In the past, the only way to increase the performance of the notebook was to increase its clock speed.
This would invariably generate more heat, which is not ideal in a notebook environment because unlike desktops, there are no external fans to cool the CPUs.

With dual core processors, a chip does not need to run as fast to achieve the same or better performance than its single core counterparts.
Having said that, always decide what the primary purpose of your notebook is as this will also affect how much your system will cost.
If you merely engage in Internet Surfing, word processing, or if you listen to music occationally, you may want to consider something that's not too overly powerful.

Such systems are known as budget systems and some common ones uses the following chip:
AMD Mobile Sempron 3000+,
AMD Mobile Athlon 64 3200+,
AMD Turion 64 ML-32 or MT-32, or the
Intel Celeron M 350.

If you want a power-packed notebook that has the equivalent power to a desktop, you may consider CPUs such as the AMD Turion 64 MT-34,
AMD Turion 64X2 TL-56, Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 or
T7200, and Intel Core Duou T2600.

Memory
When it comes to memory, the general rule of thumb is the more, the better.
This is because you can never have too much memory in your notebook.
Most notebook computers today come equipped with at least 256MB (megabytes) of memory, while the more expensive ones are armed with 512MB.
But given today's software requirements and the multitasking nature of many programs, try to get one that has at least 1GB (1024MB) of memory onboard your notebook.

In addition to the amount of memory on board your notebook, the speed of the memory can also make a difference.
There are basically two types of memory in use tday; DDR and DDR2, the later of which is faster.

Memory specifications can look like this:
DDR 333/PC-2700,
DDR 400/PC-3200,
DDR2 400/PC2-3200,
DDR2 533 PC2-4200.

Generally, the larger the numbers, the faster the memory speeds.

One other thing to note about notebook memory is the number of slots it has for upgrades.
Typically, notebooks have only two slots compared to four slots in a desktop.
To determine, this, you would need to find out how many slots your machine has and how much each slots takes.
For example, a notebook that has 1GB of memory can be configured as either a single 1GB module or two 512MB modules.
The exact configuration depends on how much memory you want to upgrade and how much you're prepared to spend.

Hard disk / optical drives
Again, this is a case where the more capacity, the better it is for you.
hard disks these days are quite inexpensive, as such, never assume that there is too much space for your requirements as today's digital age means there is so much more to store than before.

The typical disk drive size in today's notebooks is between 40GB and 120GB.
Besides the capacity specification, notebook disk drives also have different speed specifications, usually measure in term of revolutions per minute (rpm).
A typical disk drive runs at 4,200rpm while a better one would achieve 5,400rpm.
If you process a lot of files, such as pictures, videos, and multimedia, then it's best to go for a bigger, faster hard disk.

As for the optical drive requirement, look out for one that supports CD-RW and DVD read/record, as they are common these days.
With such a drive, you can read CDs/DVDs, write CDs/DVD-Rs.

Do note that latest generation of BluRay and HD-DVD drives - essentially bigger capacity discs - are starting to show up in high end notebooks, but these drives are very expensive and are not compatible as they will only read high definition and not any other formats.

Display and Video cards
A notebook is equipped with a fairly standard LCD screen that ranges between 12-inches to 17-inches.
Do note that all screen sizes are measured diagnolly, i.e. when the specification says a 15 inch screen, it means that the screen is measured as a 15-inch from the top left hand corner to the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

As a rule of thumb, the larger the display, the higher the resolution (the amount of pixels that appear on the screen) will be.
Wide screen displays are also becoming quite popular these days.
These screens are normally wider than your usual displays and they are primarly used in multimedia application-intensive usage, such as gaming or desktop publishing/video editing sofware.

The brand and model of graphics processor-the engine behind the notebook computer's video display - for all intents and purposes do not matter as long as it can display true 31-bit colurs at the native resolution of the screen.
The two most well-known graphics processor manufacturers are NVidia and ATI.

Networking
Today's notebook computers come equipped to handle networking either through wired means through a LAN (local are network) connection or through a wireless connection available today is known Wi-Fi.
When looking for a notebook, ensure that your model supports the Wi-Fi standard.
Do note that connection via 3G systems usually requires a separate subcription.

Battery life
This is perhaps the most important, yet neglected point made in many other buying guides.
Because of the nature of the notebook computer, you would expect to use it on the move.
Having enough battery whilst on the move becomes the most important thing to its user.
Generally speaking, the more power-intensive your CPU is, the shorter its battery life.
Thus,when you make a choice on your processor, do bear in mind how much battery life you want to have.

Warranty plans
Lastly, when buying a notebook computer, always check to see how long your warranty period covers, and whether there are any conditions attached to the coverage. Some vendors today are beginning to offer more than the standard one-year waranty.
Also, do note that if you travel a lot or plan to buy your notebook here and use it abroad, try and look for warranty plans that give you an international warranty coverage as well.

by Mimos
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*Q:Why I don't have a notebook?
*A:Because I have a desktop.

Q: Do you wish to buy a notebook computer?
A: Yes. But Don't ask me why I still don't own a notebook :-/