Computer Buying Guide

This notebook buying guide show everything you need to know when purchasing a notebook computer. The notebook buying guide outlines the things to consider and the things to watch out for in a notebook computer.

Notebook computer refer to the smaller portable computers, generally with a 12″ or smaller monitor. The larger portable computers are referred to as laptop computers and our laptop buying guide goes over whats necessary when getting a laptop computer. The distinction is not actually as clear as I’ve made it here, but it’s the general guideline I use.

A common mistake when getting a computer is to get one that is too powerful. Without knowing enough about what you really need, the temptation to get more “just in case” is too easy to give into. Take the time to analyze the primary uses of the notebook computer and get one that is designed to do those well. When it comes down to it, most computers can handle any task, but it’s the main tasks that it should be best suited for.

Made to Move

All these smaller model have some things in common. They are:

• designed to be moved around
• made tough
• well connected

All of them are designed small so that they can be ported around with minimal effort. Portability means sacrificing some things like DVD drives sometimes. The video output and expansion ports are fewer. The keyboards can be smaller than the standard size. They are also made tough, because movement means dropping and bumping.

Another feature is that, they are designed to be well connected, which also goes with the portability. LAN ports always feature, wireless LAN always features, wider connections like 3.5G and Wimax are also quite possible for constant connectivity.

The main categories for notebook computers are different to those for laptop computers because the intended uses are different. Here are the three as I see them.

• Super-Portable and basic
• Just Portable
• Portable with muscle

Let’s have a look at them now.

Super-Portable and Basic

These feature screens up to 8″. The small screen size means that multi-tasking is almost impossible. Basic, single purpose tasks can be carried out, one at a time. The processing power is minimal. These system often include Linux operating systems which don’t use as much power as Windows. Solid state storage is the storage media of choice.

The target audience for some of these is students and children, because of low prices and robustness.

Personally I would steer away from this size for a heavily used computer. With computer prices making them a commodity, I would tend to get a slightly bigger model as the super-portable models don’t provide enough extra over the features a good pocket PC or other portable phone can provide.

These basic models will have the following (quite often open source):

• Linux operating system (non-Windows at the least)
• Web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc)
• Office programs (OpenOffice.org or other open source alternative)
• Email programs
• Chat programs (Skype, MSN, Google chat, Yahoo! Messenger, etc)
• 2D games (Pacman, tetris, puzzle games, pop the bubbles, etc)
• Music players
• Video players

Just Portable

The just portable models offer all the same programs as the basic portable models. They might also feature some Windows on a slightly higher performing system. More memory is possible. The screen size is around 9″ or 10″ or so.

In this range the monitor size comes to a size where using it for a longer period of time is not quite so painful. The extra power gives the ability to run Windows, and means that all those favorite programs can now be installed. It should be noted that Linux versions take less strain on the system and can squeeze more performance out of the machine. The intention is much the same as the slower models, but the extra processing power, and sometimes more memory give a boost to performance.

Possible programs beyond the ones on the super-portable models:

• Basic image editing (Gimp or other)
• HIgher definition movies

Portable with Muscle

These models, up to 12″ in size resemble laptops more then they resemble the compact look of the smaller models. The screens are a decent size for everyday work. Processors start to come from the faster range, rather than the real power-saving range, for example faster Intel Core processors rather than Intel ATOM. Multitasking becomes easier with more memory as well. A DVD drive may be built-in. There are more USB ports and a VGA port for adding a monitor to the laptop.

These are probably the best as computers that will be used all the time. Smaller models might do, but an external monitor and keyboard would be necessary anytime it is to be used at a desk for a long period of time.

Conclusion

The options are there, now comes the time to make a choice. Bear in mind that extras can always be added to the very basic models. External DVD drives are easy to get for models without one and almost any other external device can be connected with USB. So just how portable do you need? See for yourself. Keep this notebook buying guide on hand and get the most fun possible from your new notebook computer.

This laptop buying guide will show you the most important things to consider when purchasing a laptop computer. The laptop buying guide also looks at some of the mistakes that are made when getting a new computer.

Laptop computers refer to larger portable computers, these generally have 12″ monitors or bigger. Smaller portable computers are referred to as notebook computers and are covered in our notebook buying guide. The distinction between the two is not always clear, but this is how I see it.

One of the mistakes people often make is to get a laptop computer that is too much. Too many features, too many extras. Take the time to analyze the primary uses and get a laptop computer that is ideally suited to those. Any computer can do just about any task, but the primary activities will take the vast majority of your time, and so your computer should be designed for those in particular.

Broadly there are three categories corresponding to the kinds of programs that will be used:

• Basic programs
• Moderate intensity programs
• High intensity programs

I’ll cover them below in more detail.

Basic Programs

This involves the programs that almost anyone uses day-to-day. These programs are light and require little from the system. Any new computer would offer enough capabilities to run these programs easily.

Some of the programs include:

• hello
• Web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc)
• Office programs (Word, Excel, OpenOffice.org)
• Email programs
• Chat programs (Skype, MSN, Google chat, Yahoo! Messenger, etc)
• 2D games (Pacman, tetris, puzzle games, pop the bubbles, etc)
• Music players
• Video players

These are a lot of the programs that would come bundled with your operating system, which for a PC, would usually be Windows, or possibly a version of Linux. With lower performance systems, it might be necessary to shut down some of these programs while running others, but with 1GB or more of RAM, things should keep running smooth.

These computers will usually have 1GB of memory, 50GB or more of hard drive space, an Intel Core or Core2 processor (low speed versions) and 13″, 14″ or 15″ monitors.

Moderate Intensity Programs

Moderate intensity programs need a little bit more from the system.  These programs start to tax the system, and if more than one of them is run at once, then the system will need more processing power and more memory. Otherwise the programs will need to be used one at a time.

Some of these programs include:

• Image editing programs (Adobe Illustrator, CoreDRAW, Photoshop)
• 3D software (AutoCAD, 3D Studio)
• Video players (with high-definition movies)

Quite often just more memory can make a lot of difference to the general performance of these programs. But with heavy use, more processing power is necessary.

These computers will generally have up to 2GB of memory, faster processors, widescreen monitors of 12″ to 15″ is size, extra USB ports, firewire ports and security features like fingerprint recognition.

High Intensity Programs

This mostly involves 3D games, where renderring of complex 3D scenes is happening all the time and very quickly. These require a lot of processing power, as well as a good graphics processor. This level of programs is usually better suited to the desktops covered in our desktop buying guide, but there are laptops that can perform quite well.

Some of the games include:

• Quake
• Unreal
• Half-life
• and others

These laptop will have cool designs to reflect their intended gaming market. 2GB or 4GB of memory would be standard. The monitors can read up to 19″ in size. The computer processor will be fast mobile version of the latest kinds, including Quad-core. Graphics features include dedicated graphics processing units with dedicated memory.

Conclusion

Know your intentions. Getting a laptop of the right size will leave money for programs you need to buy and any extras you need. Don’t buy more because of a “maybe”, keep consulting this laptop buying guide and only get more powerful if the programs you’ll run require it.

Knowing how to pick a computer is not rocket science, although it may seem that way. There are a few main kinds of computer that you need to pick from, and how to pick a computer correctly involves always choosing according to what tasks you want to do on the computer.

Firstly, will you need to move it around? No. Then you probably want a desktop computer for your home. This is the kind of computer with the case and separate monitor, keyboard and mouse. For more details, see our guide on how to pick a desktop computer.

Remember that the best desktop for the money will get you a lot more than a laptop or notebook for the same money.

So, portable it is.

Portable computers are roughly divided into laptops and notebooks, with a new category of sub-notebooks, often called netbooks arising.

Laptops are what I would call the bigger kind. Larger screens, heavier, more powerful features and the most suitable for a portable that spends most of its time on the table, not being portable. See our guide on how to pick a laptop computer for all the nitty gritty.

Notebooks are smaller, and more suited for moving around. Notebook computers are typically thinner, less powerful, more expensive, lighter and equally powerful models will cost more. Monitors are usually only up to 14″ max. More information in our guide on how to pick a notebook computer.

A newer category of smaller notebooks has arrived. Typically smaller than 10″ monitors, small storage space, sometimes solid state storage, very light, cheap and with all the connectivity features like wireless and LAN, and more recently 3.5G and Wimax. I quite like these little guys.

So there you go. Anything else? Feel free to browse