Choosing a Laptop

SIR AREA 2 COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY

byDean Steichen

Branch 8May 2007

Do you really want a Laptop?

● You may find a Laptop alone is not enough! ● You may also want/need:

wireless router, printer, scanner, better keyboard (wireless?), better mouse (wireless?), bigger screen, webcam, etc.

What are the Key Factors?

● Type of User● Mobility Needs● Ergonomics

Weight Screen Size & look Keyboard layout & feel Pointing Device (mouse)

● What You will use it for● Battery Life● Physical & Data Security Needs● Price

What Type of User are you?

● Novice or Limited User

● Moderate or Moderate+ User

● Power User

● Serious Gamer

How much Mobility do you need?

● Desktop Replacement Machine

● Mostly Stationary; Infrequent Travel

● Frequent/Constant Travel

How Heavy?

● Desktop Use – 3 Lb to 9+ Lb

● Lt. Travel -- 3 Lb to 6 Lb

● Frequent Travel – 3 Lb to 5 Lb

What Screen Size?Usually

(Size=weight)

● Light Weight (3 – 5 Lb) 12-14 inch

● Medium Weight (5 -6.5 Lb) 13-15 inch

● Heavy Weight (6.5 – 9 Lb) 15-17 inch

Keyboard Layout &Pointing Device

● Keyboard Location of certain Keys (e.g. Backspace,

Delete, Esc, Arrow, Pg Up, Pg Dn, etc.) Size (Does keyboard fit your hands) Location of Finger pad

● Pointing Device (Mouse) Finger pad with “scroll” section, Left and

Right “mouse” buttons Trackpoint (Thinkpad joystick type) You could get a USB, wired or Wireless

Mouse

What Will You Use it for?

● Limited User -- Word Processing, simple Spreadsheets, E-mail, Internet Browsing, Taxes, Photo viewing, etc.

● Moderate User -- All the above plus Photo Sharing, DVD Viewing, MP3s, Scanning, etc.

● Moderate+ User -- All the above plus Photo editing, Data Base, moderate Spreadsheets, Video Conferencing, etc.

● Power User -- All the above plus Video Editing, DVD creation, etc.

● Gaming

Expected Battery Life

● Most Battery life can run from 1.5 to 6 hours.● Modern Average Battery life is 2-4 hours.● Older Battery life was 1.0-2.5 hours.● Attaching/Using USB devices drains battery

rather quickly. ● If you use laptop to play DVD’s or CD’s when

traveling, you will need lots of battery life.● Batteries are heavy!…extra battery might be

a solution.

Physical & Data Security Needs

● Physical Cable or other Theft Deterrents● Electronic Locator (Hi/Jack Software

type)● Thumb Scan or other Biometric

Identifiers● Userid and Password Login● Screensaver w/ Privacy Warning● Screensaver w/ Password Enabled● Data - Password Protection● Data Encryption

What is the Minimum Hardware Configuration?

● Video, Keyboard, Sound & Pointer● 20+ GB Hard Drive● CD Reader or CDRW ● Network Interface Card (Ethernet)● Wireless 802.b/g● USB 2.0 Ports (2 or more)● Card Slot (PCMICA)● Modem if no NIC or Wireless● Optional - 1394 Firewire port

Which Operating System is right for you?

● Limited Users Windows 2000 Pro requires least powerful

system Windows XP (Home) requires moderate system Windows XP (Pro) requires moderate+ system Vista (all versions) requires moderate+ system

● Moderate Users Windows 2000 Pro is adequate for most uses Windows XP (Home or Pro) Vista Premium requires moderate+ system

● Power Users Windows XP Pro requires powerful system Vista Premium requires very powerful system

Typical SystemCharacteristics

● Limited System CPU Celeron, Sempron, Pent III RAM 256+ MB HARD DRIVE 20+ GB Video Shared Video Ram

● Moderate or Moderate+(1GHz+) System CPU Pentium 4M, Core Duo,

Athlon64, Turion64 RAM 512KB - 1 GB HARD DRIVE 80+ GB Video Shared 128MB+ or Dedicated Ram

● Power System CPU Core 2 Duo or Turion64 X2 RAM 1+ GB HARD DRIVE 80+ GB Video Dedicated 128MB+ Ram

Suggested System(by User by Op.Sys)

User Type Op. Sys. Processor Memory Video Peripherals

Limited Win2000 Celeron/Sempron 256Mb 32MB+ Shared CDRW or DVDRW

Limited Win2000, XP Celeron/Sempron 512MB 32MB+ Shared CDRW or DVDRWLimited Win2000, XP, Vista Celeron/Sempron 1GB 128MB Shared CDRW or DVDRW

Moderate Win2000 Pent4 M/Turion64/Athlon64 384Mb 32MB Shared DVDRW

Moderate Win2000, XP Pent4 M/Turion64/Athlon64 512+MB 32MB+ Shared DVDRWModerate Win2000, XP, Vista Pent4 M/Turion64/Athlon64 1GB 128MB Shared DVDRW

Moderate + XP Core Duo/Turion64/Athlon64 512+MB 32MB+ Shared DVDRW, Scanner,Ext.HD

Moderate + XP, Vista Core Duo/Turion64/Athlon64 1GB 128MB Shared DVDRW, Scanner, Webcam, Ext.HD

Power XP Core 2 Duo/Turion64 X2 1GB 128MB Dedicated DVDRW, Scanner, Webcam, Ext.HD

Power XP, Vista Core 2 Duo/Turion64 X2 1+GB 128+MB Dedicated DVDRW, Scanner, Webcam, Ext.HD

Gamer You Know what you need ;-)

Processors(By Mfg by Power)

MFG. Processor Model# Speed Cache (L2) Front Side Bus

Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 – T7600 1.66—2.33GHz 2MB-4MB 533-667 MhzIntel Core 2 T2700 -- T2050 1.66—2.33GHz 2 MB 533 MhzIntel Core 2 L2300 – L2400 1.50-1.66GHz 2 MB 667 MhzIntel Core Solo T1300 – T1350 1.66—1.86GHz 2MB 533 MhzIntel Pentium M 900—2260MHz 1—2MB 400—533 MhzIntel Celeron M 800—1500MHz 512KB-1MB 400 MhzIntel Mobile Pent4 M 1.4—3.46 Ghz 1 MB 400-533 MhzIntel Mobile Celeron4M Slow 512KB Slow

AMD Turion64 X2 TL-50—60 1.6—2.0 Ghz 2X256—2X512 KB 333—667 MhzAMD Turion64 MT 30—44 1.6—2.0 Ghz 512KB-1MB 333—667 MhzAMD Mobile Athlon64 2700+-4000+ 1.6—2.6 Ghz 1 MB ??AMD Mobile Sempron 2800+-3000+ 1.2—2.0 Ghz 512KB ??AMD Athlon XP-M Slow 512KB ??

Specification WorksheetExample

Brand HPModel ZV6130USUse Desktop ReplaceWeight 8 LBBattery Life 3 HoursCPU Athlon 64 3200+Screen 15.4 BrightViewRAM (Memory) 512MBL2 Cache 1MBHardDrive 80GBCD/DVD Drive DVDRW DL LSVideo 128MB DedicatedOther 6in1 MediaPrice $849.00Store Frys

Example machine

Peripherals?Wireless Router and ??

User Type Additional Peripherals Suggested

Limited Printer, more USB ports – Hub or PCMICA cardModerate Above plus USB External HD, USB Flash DriveModerate + Above plus ScannerPower Above plus Webcam

Typical Costs?● Limited User Machine $400 - $600

● Moderate User Machine $600 - $1000

● Power User Machine $1000 - $??

● Gamer $2000 +

Buying Advice?

See Phil Goff's presentation on the Area 2 C&T Website on Buying a Desktop Computer since

almost all of the advice is the same.

http://www.sir-web.org/computer/index.htm

Typical Limited Machine

Typical Moderate+Machine

Typical Power Machine

Used Laptops(Limited Users?)

Buying a Laptop?● Basic Decisions

What type of user am I? Have I made a checklist of

required/desired features? What size/weight is right for me? How much money am I willing to

spend? Am I willing to buy Mail Order? Can I return it if not satisfied? (Think

Costco)

Other Thoughts● Wireless Router is almost essential unless you

want to remain attached to a cable for internet access (either modem or broadband)

● USB ports allow you to easily attach external devices like DVDRW, Hard Drives for extra storage and backups, Printers, Webcams, Scanners, USB Flash Drives, etc.

● Consider a powered USB hub (expands one port to 2, 4 or more ports) for your home

● Consider a non-powered USB hub for travel

Where to find more Information?

● Search the Internet for “Notebooks” or “Laptops”

● Review Ads from Fry’s, Circuit City, Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA, Best Buy, Costco, etc. in your local paper each week

● Ask friends who have Laptops● Other?

Questions?

● ???