We cover every aspect you need to consider in
making a notebook purchase in our extensive tech guide.Notebook specs vary widely depending on what you need to get out of your portable computer. Manufacturers make trade-offs -- slower processors allow for smaller batteries, for instance -- so it's important to know what you'll have to sacrifice to get the notebook of your dreams. Many vendors offer configuration choices when you buy your notebook. We've broken out the most important specs so that you understand your choices.
Options: Processor | Memory | Display size
Processor
Sometimes referred to as the CPU, or central
processing unit, the processor is the brains of the computer.
It's the most important chip in a notebook, and it has
power-management features that extend battery life. Notebooks
use a variety of processor types depending on their focus.
We've explained each in the chart below:
|
PROCESSOR
|
NOTEBOOK TYPE
|
PROS AND CONS
|
| Mobile AMD Athlon 4 | Budget notebooks | Inexpensive but a bit slower than Intel Pentium chips, according to CNET Labs' tests. |
| AMD Althon XP-M chips | Desktop replacement, thin-and-light notebooks | Still undergoing tests. No conclusion yet. |
| Apple PowerPC G3 | Apple iBook (budget notebook) | Long battery life and relatively inexpensive, but slower clock speeds limit performance, especially under OS X. |
| Apple PowerPC G4 | Apple PowerBooks (performance and desktop-replacement notebooks) | Excellent performance and reasonable battery life but expensive, and clock speeds top out at 1GHz. |
| Mobile Intel Celeron | Budget notebooks | Extremely inexpensive, slightly slower than Intel Pentium chips. |
| Mobile Intel Pentium III-M | Ultraportable notebooks | Less expensive than many other processors but not as powerful. Longer battery life allows for lower system weight. |
| Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M | Desktop-replacement, thin-and-light notebooks | Very fast and expensive. Allows for only mediocre battery life. |
| Intel Pentium M | Desktop-replacement, thin-and-light, some ultraportable notebooks | Part of Intel's Centrino technology, the PM is both very fast and allows for long battery life. Very expensive. |
| Intel Pentium 4 | Desktop-replacement notebooks | A chip intended for desktops, the Intel P4 is very fast and is less expensive than Pentium 4-M and PM chips, but it runs very hot and allows only poor battery life. |
| transmeta Crusoe | Ultraportable notebooks | Long battery life but very slow. |
Memory
Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory,
usually referred to as main memory or
RAM (random-access memory). Computers store
currently running applications and data in this area. To find
out how much memory you'll need, take into account your
operating system and the applications that you plan to use. A
general rule of thumb: You'll need 256MB for Windows XP or Mac
OS X and 128MB for all other Windows and Mac operating
systems.
If you're planning to hang on to your notebook for a long time, look for a laptop with easy-to-access memory slots, as memory is typically one of the first specs you'll want to upgrade.
If you're planning to hang on to your notebook for a long time, look for a laptop with easy-to-access memory slots, as memory is typically one of the first specs you'll want to upgrade.
Display
size
Unlike traditional desktop CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors,
notebooks ship with thin, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs).
Notebook LCDs range in size from 12.1 inches (diagonal) to 17
inches. For comfortable viewing at the preferred Windows
resolution of 1,024x768, most people like 14.1-inch or larger
LCDs.
Notebook LCDs once varied widely in brightness, colour, and sharpness, but today, you'll find much better quality across the board. Unfortunately, when it comes to LCDs, the specs reveal little about actual picture quality, so if you're picky about screens, compare some at your local dealer.
 |
 |
| The ultraportable Fujitsu LifeBook P series (left) has one of the smallest screens -- just 10.6 inches -- in order to accommodate its feather-light, 3.1-pound weight. The giant 17-inch Apple PowerBook (right), on the other hand, has the biggest notebook screen we've ever seen. | |
Notebook LCDs once varied widely in brightness, colour, and sharpness, but today, you'll find much better quality across the board. Unfortunately, when it comes to LCDs, the specs reveal little about actual picture quality, so if you're picky about screens, compare some at your local dealer.
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allan
25/02/2007 04:27 AM
very useful for ppl like me who's not a geek. wld appreciate yr adv on disc copying in a notebk. explain it thoroughly. thx
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