New Laptop Specification

[torrenova]

I'm finally off to get a new laptop but don't know what order I should think about specification. I'm also hesitant of certain "unknown names" and as I'm going to be on a road trip from Thailand to London to Singapore I've a few choices where to get it. I'll get it where I'm going to be based but that may be in Singapore or between Singapore and London so I want to get clear in my mind what I want specification wise and what I can add to a "wish list" if I decide to up the budget. I've also never paid for a laptop myself, only had them given for work etc.

As a non computer expert, I obviously have a lack of knowledge but bare with me please.

Firstly, I need it for surfing, some DVD / movie playback, running Excel / Access but I doubt that today's power will be affected by what I run. I don't need gaming.

What about the operating system ? XP or Vista ? I understand that Vista is more hungry and I'd need a higher spec if going for Vista.

Minimum chip power. I see all these dual core things now but don't know how that translates back to the old clock speed (if at all). Is it all Intel / AMD or are there other players of repute ? What should I be looking for ?

RAM - more seems to be better but what's a reasonable minimum these days ? Also, what about all the suffixes ?

DVD combo drive so I can write movies down etc. is a minimum but whilst thise seems easy to work out, is there anything obvious I may have overlooked ?

Screen / Size - Obviously bigger means more cash but do you really need it ? Anything about screen quality to consider ?

Graphics / sound - I've heard about onboard versus stand alone I presume but how far is enough for video playback ?

Makes - are some really worth the extra cash ?

As for budget, I'm not willing to spend mega bucks but I want to be able to prioritise and then sort of pick the nearest spec but have the option to see what upgrading certain things would cost.

Sorry to ask all this but I know I'll never get the best of everything and I value input from people who do know what they are talking about and can prioritise better than me. Thanks.

[MaiChai]

Basic laptop should do you. Make sure you buy a dual core laptop as this is the future. Up the memory to at least 1.5Gb. Try and stick to XP if you can. Everything is usb now, so no need for loads of slots. Useful to be able to read memory cards (SD, etc). Try and get a built in webcam; I used this alot to chat with the TGF when abroad and its great to see her (as appose to just talking with her). I recently bought a Compaq C736TU, which has exceeded my expectations (and this is my 9th laptop). Cheap, fast, no flex in the keyboard, and really small for a 15.4" screen. In my opinion, buy a cheap laptop and replace it every year (or every two years). After two years the keyboard is shiny and worn out in places anyway! Last laptop was an Acer, one before that a Compaq, one before that a HP (HP/Compaq same company). Personally I think HP/Compaq have the edge over Acer at the moment.

Final tip: check how much heat it generates. If its hot you will spend all your time trying to keep it cool when in Singapore/Thailand. Intels seem to be cooler than AMDs at the moment (although I am an AMD fan, and prefer AMD in a desktop). The C736TU is also the coolest laptop I have had.

If you want a really small laptop for a road trip, get the Asus Eee PC; its cheap in Bangkok at around 11.5K Baht.

Edited April 27, 2008 by MaiChai

[wpcoe]

Some miscellaneous notes (I hope someone competent can address your main concerns!):

As MaiChai mentioned, many peripherals are USB now, so take note of how many USB ports there are. Some ultra-portables only have one. Two can be stingy if you are using a USB mouse, three or more is better.

What is the built-in cursor control device: a track pad or a pointer nub in the keyboard? Different folks have different preferences.

If you're going to be travelling with the computer quite a bit, pay attention to weight and size. Do you really want to be lugging a 7-pound 15.4" screened computer, when a 2-lb 12.1" (or even 11.1") machine would be adequate? Take a look at various models in a store and compare the screen sizes -- some folks can't manage the tiny fonts on the smaller screens, others can. (While you're examining screen images, test the track pad vs pointer nub options, too.) A screen resolution of say, 1280x800, will require more vertical scrolling of documents and web pages than one with more than 800 vertical pixels. You might think that a bigger screen would be better for watching movies, but if you're in the economy section of an airplane, there's a tradeoff for size -- it's difficult to manouver and watch a large-screen computer in those smaller confines.

Some ultra-portables also come with smallish hard drives, like 60GB. If you carry lots of programs AND spreadsheets AND movies AND camera .RAW files AND .mp3 files, you might run out of room. If this is not your main computer, and you leave most of your files at home on the desktop computer, then 60GB might be enough.

Do you need a FireWire port to connect to a video cam or other peripheral?

Are you regularly connecting to high-speed (gigabit) LANs? If so, a computer with a gigabit RJ-45 jack might be worth it.

Is this going to be a "desktop replacement" computer, meaning you won't have a desktop computer at home with this as just a travelling machine? If so, check out the features and price of a docking station so you can slide in the machine at home and have full-size monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer and other peripherals without connecting each individual cable.

How concerned are you about battery life? If you are going to be on SIN-LHR nonstop flights with no ability to recharge the battery and want to watch movies on your computer, check the battery life and the ability to swap batteries with a spare one. I think all Windows computers will let you swap batteries (after powering down), but the Mac AirBook won't, so maybe there are others?

And, if you are watching movies, you probably want a built-in DVD player. Some ultra-portables save weight by having an external DVD player. Also, some newer computers have the ability to watch movies/play mp3's without booting the computer -- saves time and extends battery life.

Is having a draft-N WiFi adapter (with a manufacturer guarantee that it will provide you with a firmware update to the final N standard) important to you? Some of the latest computers have them. The rest have the tried-and-true 54Mbps a/b/g adapters.

I'm helping a friend look for a new notebook computer so these ideas are fresh on the top of my head now.