Laptops Buying Guide
Don't be mystified by jargon or fooled by hype. Our comprehensive Buying Guides help you choose the right products.
What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies:
WHAT ARE MY PROCESSOR, SCREEN AND MEMORY OPTIONS?
Laptop 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 laptop of your dreams. Many vendors offer configuration choices when you buy your laptop. We've broken out the most important specs so that you understand your choices.
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. Laptops use a variety of processor types depending on their focus. We've explained each in the chart below:PROCESSOR
NOTEBOOK TYPE
PROS AND CONS
AMD Athlon 64
Desktop replacement, mainstream notebooks
Supports 64-bit computing; slightly faster than Intel chips for gaming, but slower with productivity and office apps
Mobile AMD
Athlon 4
Budget notebooks
Inexpensive, but slower than Intel Pentium chips, according to our tests
AMD Athlon XP-M
Desktop replacement, thin-and-light notebooks
Very inexpensive, weaker performance than Celeron and Pentium chips
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 gives 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, because memory is typically one of the first specs you'll want to upgrade.
Display size
Unlike traditional desktop CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors, laptops come with thin, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). Laptop LCDs range in size from around 10 inches to 17 inches (diagonal). For comfortable viewing at the preferred Windows resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, most people like 14.1-inch or larger LCDs.
The ultraportable Fujitsu LifeBook P series has one of the smallest screens -- just 10.6 inches -- in order to accommodate its feather-light, 1.4kg weight
The giant 17-inch Apple PowerBook, on the other hand, has the biggest notebook screen we've ever seen
Laptop 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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