How to Choose a Notebook Computer
© 2004 Reprint by permission only. All
rights
reserved.
by Matt Hyatt
Choosing a notebook computer can be a scary experience.
They’re more expensive than desktop computers,
so the last thing anybody wants is to pick the
wrong one. Here are some tips for selecting a
good notebook that fits your needs and makes you
happy.
The first step in choosing a notebook computer
is to determine how you plan to use it. Will you
use it a lot? Do you plan to travel with it? Will
you cart it back and forth from work? Or do you
plan to use it primarily around your home or office?
Answers to these questions will help you determine
the single most important notebook characteristic
– its weight.
Most notebooks weigh between 4 and 9 pounds. That’s
about the difference between a half gallon of
milk and a full gallon of milk. Adding a carrying
case, power adapter, spare battery, and other
sundries will easily double that weight. So the
real question to ask is whether it would make
any difference to you if you had to carry the
equivalent of one gallon jug of milk or two gallon
jugs of milk every time you wanted to move your
computer.
Weight determines almost every other aspect of
a notebook computer’s design. Now that you’ve
decided how much weight you can live with, you
can go to work on the next most important aspect
– display size. The general rule is “the
bigger, the better.” Sizes typically range
between 12.1 and 15.4 inches, although there are
exceptions in either direction. You’ll probably
have to live with a smaller display size if you
decided that weight was a major factor for you.
If your notebook computer is going to spend most
of its time sitting on your desk at the office,
then a large screen is almost certainly the way
to go.
Battery life is especially important if you plan
to travel a lot. Few things are more frustrating
than running out of power 2 hours into a 5 hour
flight. Unfortunately, battery life is all over
the board. Some models last for 5 or 6 hours at
a time, while others may conk out after just an
hour or two. Newer computers with small displays
and low-voltage processors tend to fare best.
Look for manufacturers’ battery life estimates,
but take them with a grain of salt. Those estimates
are often measured in optimal conditions. Things
like display brightness, disk activity, and even
ambient temperature can affect how long a battery
will last in real life.
Another big difference between notebook models
is the layout of the keyboard. Tiny notebooks
sometimes have odd key arrangements. The Shift,
Enter, and Backspace keys might be too small.
Or often the slash keys are in a weird place.
This can be especially frustrating if you often
switch between your notebook keyboard and a traditional
full-size keyboard. Don’t be fooled into
thinking this is an issue only for small keyboards,
though. Even large notebooks sometimes sport poorly-designed
keyboards.
Many notebooks come with wireless connectivity
standard these days, but it’s only an option
for some. I wouldn’t even consider buying
a notebook without 802.11b/g wireless capabilities
anymore. Wireless is one of those things you’ll
wonder how you ever did without. Even if you don’t
plan to use the wireless features right away,
it’s worth paying an extra $20 - $50 to
get a built-in wireless adapter. You’ll
be glad it’s already there when you decide
you can’t live without it.
Warranty is an especially important factor in
choosing a notebook computer. I think it’s
smart to get an extended warranty that covers
accidental damage. Yes, I realize this completely
contradicts advice from Clark Howard. But there
is logic behind my madness. Good notebook computers
aren’t cheap. They’re susceptible
to bumps, drops, and spills. And they’re
often expensive to repair. Paying 5 or 10 percent
more on the front end to avoid expensive repairs
or replacement later seems to make sense to me.
Choosing a good notebook computer isn’t
that hard if you know what to look for. And once
you’ve found the model that’s perfect
for you, you’ll probably never be tempted
to buy a traditional desktop computer again.
Matt
Hyatt is founder of Rocket IT, an IT consulting firm near Atlanta, Georgia.
For technology help with your business, contact
Rocket IT at 770-441-2520 or visit online at www.rocketit.com.
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