Overview
With the steady drop in prices over the last few years, notebooks have finally
become a mainstream product in the Indian market giving close competition to desktop sales.
Form Factor/ScreenSize
Perhaps the most important criteria while choosing a laptop.
IF you are an executive on the run, or a student shuttling between
classes, you definitely do not want to be stuck with a monstrosity of a
machine that weighs like a brick and has the size of a suitcase.
On the other hand, if you are a graphics designer, or a video editor,
the last thing you want to do is to burn your eyes and give yourself a
headache by trying to do the task at a teeny-weeny screen!
12”, 12.1" and 13.3" -> Very
small and very light. However, the reduced screen size can make the
text look too small to many users. If you need a very personal, carry around anywhere(while traveling, or even within the house to the couch or the loo) laptop with extreme portability, this is your best bet.
Beware though that 12" can be much more expensive than similarly specced larger laptops
12" weigh between 1-2 kgs with the very light ones often skimping out on the optical drive
14” and 14.1" -> Small, light and weighing between 2-3 kgs. The 14" ers strike perhaps the best balance between portability and screen size.
If you need portability but are willing to live with a slightly big machine at an affordable cost, this is your best option.
15" and 15.4" ->
If you’re looking for a marginally portable affordable package, this is your best option.
Beware though that carrying a 15.4" can be a pain and somehow the 1.4"
screen size boost makes the laptop a lot more bloated than the previous
category
17” -> They
are heavy(~4.5Kg and above) with obviously a 17" screen. Many first
time buyers tend to go with the thought that the bigger screen, the
better.
It however may help to keep in mind that 17" machines are targeted at a
niche market, and most regular users would perhaps be better off buying
a desktop vis-à-vis a 17"er
Platform- Processor
In General:
The performance charts would look something like
*Core2Duo
(Merom)>Core Duo(Yonah)>Turion 64 X2>Pentium M
(Sonoma)>Turion 64>Sempron~=Celeron M>Pentium IV-M=Pentium IV*
Pentium IV-Ms, Pentium IVs etc. are better relegated to history books.
As for the newer processors, With the Core2Duo, there is frankly no reason to choose any other proccy.
However, if you do manage to get a great deal on a Turion 64 X2 or a Pentium-M, it wouldn’t be a bad idea at all to go for it!
Additionaly, the Celeron M is also quite a capable processor though it
was much maligned due to the obvious name connection with the Desktop
Celeron(which indeed deserved its poor reputation)
However, a Celeron M is advisable only if you get a dirt cheap deal on it!
Battery life
Needless to say that battery life is a very important criterion when choosing a laptop.
Most laptops come with 4 cell/6 cell/9 cell batteries
In general, opt for 4 cell batteries only if you don’t plan to use the
laptop while traveling and expect not more than 1.5 hours of battery
life.
6 cell is the most popular choice offered as it perhaps strikes the
right balance between weight, cost and battery life.Expect anywhere
between 2.5- 3.5 hours on a 6 cell battery depending on the platform
chosen and screen size
9 Cell batteries are meant for road warriors who need long battery life
than can last them through several hours of computing while traveling.
9 cell batteries will give you anywhere between 4-6 hours of battery
life on a full charge
After the battery cell capacity, the other most important factor that determines the battery life is your system platform.
In terms of battery usage, the charts would look something like(In reverse order)
Core 2 Duo=Core Duo~= Pentium M>Turion 64 X2>Turion 64>Sempron>Celeron M> Pentium 4-M> Pentium IV
Graphic Card
Currently the Indian Market does not offer too many laptops with
discrete graphic card options, the situation seems to be improving
though.
nonetheless, here is a rough comparison chart
High end: 7900GTX SLI > 7900GTX= 7900 SLI > 7800GTX= 7900 gs > 7800 go= 6800 Ultra > X1600= 7600
Mid End: 6800= X800 > X1400= 7400= X700= 6600 > X600
Low End: X1300= 7300 > X300>X200
Integrated: GMA 950> GMA 815
Connectivity
Wireless 802.11 b/g(wi-fi) is pretty much a defacto standard on any
laptop that you buy today.Please do not buy a laptop without a built
in mini PCI wireless card!
IF you later add a wireless PCMCIA card, not only will it jut out of
the body, but also will have relatively poor wireless performance
(owing to the lack of a dedicated antenna)
Built-in Bluetooth is a nice bonus, though keep in mind that it may not
be worth paying a big premium for in-built Bluetooth as unlike wi-fi,
you will not need BT that very often, and external USB dongles come for
a song these days!
Most notebooks today do not have a Serial/LPT port.
As for the USB ports, the more the merrier
Do Try to get a machine that has a built-in firewire port or you’ll
regret it when you are trying connect your Handycam or firewire HDD to
your laptop!
RAM
Count on at least 512 MB but DO bear in mind that in general, after
market memory upgrades are considerably cheaper. and RAM is usually the
easiest part to upgrade in a notebook.
Therefore do not be unduly worried if your preferred model within your
budget has low RAM. Pick it up, and upgrade the memory yourself after a
month.
HDD
Notebook HDDs come in 3 flavors, 4200 rpm, 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm(both SATA and IDE)
Do Avoid 4200 rpm HDDs.5400 vs 7200 rpm is a question of a tradeoff
between a noticeable performance boost vs. a noticeable battery life
drop. Your call!
Do keep in mind that notebook HDDs are also relatively easy to upgrade,
and after market upgrades from Hitachi/Seagate are usually cheaper than
buying the pre-configured high HDD capacity model.
As with memory, do not let a small capacity HDD on your preferred model
deter you from buying it. Just upgrade the HDD after saving up for a
month
Glossy or Matte?
Most laptops in the market today have a glossy finish screen. Most
people concur that glossy screens have noticeably better contrast and
color reproduction. However, some people still swear by matte screens.
DO try to take a look at both types of screen before you make your
purchase .