A Computer Laptop Guide

Computers are an amazing invention and have proven beneficial to millions of users, but purchasing one is not the easiest task to do.  You might not know what you want, maybe unsure between a flat screen computer and a laptop.  Or you might know that you would like a laptop, but making sure it is right for your needs is important. If it is right for you, or you want to see if it woudl be, then deciding what features you need should be your next step. With a little planning, thought and notebook computer research, you should be able to find the perfect computer laptop.

A computer laptop, also known as a laptop or notebook, is simply a very portable version of a desktop computer. Most know what a laptop is, and that it is portable. What might not be known is what it is most useful for.

What you need to do to figure out if a notebook is right for you is to think about what you will use your computer for most often. It all boils down to whether or not you will be in one spot all the time or would like to move around from place to place. If you are the second, then you want a laptop.

Its pretty much as simple as that when deciding on if a laptop is right for you. They tend to be a little more expense due to their compact nature, but that would certainly be worthwhile to someone on the go.

The exterior of the laptop computer is made of the case and any slots for hardware devices. The casing is typically plastic or metal, and covers the entire surface of the laptop. It is important to consider how rugged you need your laptop to be, and choose a case material that is appropriate. The material of the case will also affect the weight, and generally the more rugged the laptop the heavier its case will be. The case will cover the screen fully on the back, and around the edges on the front. This section has a hinge, and folds open and closed. This protects the screen, as well as the keyboard, when not in use.

The color and appearance of the exterior of the laptop can be a big decision maker for many people. Most laptops are in shades of grey/silver, black or white. The black ones tend to appear cleaner because of their dark color, where as the white and silver ones show dirt easily. The grey colors, especially the darker ones, tend to hide dirt nearly as well as black. Many laptops have started coming in multiple colors, with some featuring aftermarket accessories to make your laptop appear unique.

Certain hardware devices are accessed externally. The most common are USB drives, audio outputs (headphone plug in) DVD/CD drives, and power plug terminals. Computers will vary in the number, type and placement of these hardware devices. Generally people become accustomed to the location of the various hardware components, but if you are picky about it then you should take that into consideration.

The interior, anything within or embedded in the case, is what makes your computer function like you want it to. Laptops vary greatly between brands and models, so it is important to choose one that has the components you need.

All laptops have a screen, keyboard, power plug terminal, built in mouse, and a USB drive. The type and quality of these components can vary. In the main body of the laptop there are the main "guts." These include the mother board, which essentially allows all things to be processed. There are the internal memory banks, hard drives, optical drives (DVD, CD, Floppy Disk, etc), cooling fans, CPUs, and power supply/batteries. The variations in these components are typically the most important when choosing a laptop. They can make 2 seemingly identical laptops perfrom drastically different, so it is important to know why they are important and how to choose the right one for your needs.

There are a few main components that you want to consider and attention to when laptop shopping. They are the CPU, hard drive, memory size, sceen size, battery life and weight, and additional hardware.

CPU (Central Processing Unit): This is the processor, and is essentially the central nervous system of the computer. The rating for these is of speed, and is listed in Hz (modern day is GHz). The higher the GHz rating, the faster the CPU performs. Speed is not the only thing that matters, as the type of CPU can make a huge difference too. The Intel Core 2 Duo and the AMD Athlon processors are well rounded, and can be used for a multitude of things. Choosing one of these, and shooting for a minimum of 2GHZ for speed, will ensure you have a quick and responsive laptop.

Memory: The computer memory is necessary for the laptop to function. When you perform actions on your computer, they must be temporarily stored. The computer memory allows this to happen, but things must be constantly erased and saved. A large memory will allow for quicker function, and overall increase in computer speed. It is common to see similar computers with the same amount of memory storage, but one has 1 memory card and the other has 2. It is generally a better idea to choose the one that has a single memory card making up the total memory amount as opposed to multiple memory cards. Shoot for at least 1 GB of memory (also known as RAM).

Hard Drive: The hard drive is where all your information is stored. This is where you will save documents and files such as pictures, music, and videos. Due to increased technological advances, larger hard drives for lower prices are common. Most people will get by find with about 50 - 60 GB of hard drive space, but those that wish to save a lot of pictures, music or video files, or want to do a lot of graphical design work will want larger. If that is you, you should shoot for a minimum of 100GB, choosing as high as your budget will allow.

Screen Size: The screen size on your computer will be an important factor for both personal enjoyment and productivity. Depending on what you wish to do on your laptop, you might be better served with a smaller or larger screen. A smaller screen will minimize what you can see and in what detail, but will make the laptop light and very portable. A larger screen will give you better detail and viewing size, but will make your laptop bulkier and heavier. Typically you can find a happy medium, but it is sometimes better to worry less about portability and more about function. If you enjoy watching movies, then the payoff of having a 17" screen would be much greater than the annoyance of having to carry around a slightly bigger laptop. Think about what you really want to do on your computer, and choose a screen based off that. You can then weigh in the thought of how portable you want it to be, and throw that into the mix.

Battery Life and Weight:  Battery life and weight in a laptop are typically connected pretty closely.  Normally, a longer battery life equates to a larger battery, therefore heavier overall weight.  While the internal components and general size of the laptop a lot to do with weight, comparable sized laptops with different battery sizes will weigh differently due mostly to their batteries.  Battery life should be an important part of your decision making process, as this will determine how truly portable your notebook will be.  Batteries have evolved a lot since their origin in laptops, and last much longer now.  They still have limited life spans, and are pricey to replace, so taking that into consideration is important.  Most laptop specifications will list weight and battery life, but it is still good to look up some reviews from consumers to get their insight on the batter life under normal use.  It may also be a good idea to test out a laptop at a store, picking it up to feel how heavy it feels.

Additional Hardware:  Additional hardware is typically included with every laptop, the most common being a DVD or CD drive.  Floppy disk drives may also be present, although they are becoming a more dated technology.  Many computers will be equipped with a drive that reads both DVDs and CDs.  It may also burn one or both of these as well, which would be labeled as DVD±RW and/or CD±RW.  You may want to consider finding a laptop equipped with a burning drive if you enjoy making disks for storage, music, or movies.

A Mac, also known as a Apple or Macintosh, laptop is a unique type of computer. They feature a different operating sytstem, known as Mac OS X (or OS Leopard), that PC laptops. Many people are die hard fans of one or the other, but most people that start with a Mac take some time to learn to use it. Most are used to a PC and the Windows operating system, so using a Mac can be different. While different, the Mac operating system is very effective and performing all tasks. Some even think it is more efficient at those tasks.

Macs tend to appear to be priced higher than most computers if you compare the specifications you see on paper. The interesting thing about them is that they tend to perform better in use than a comparable outfitted PC laptop. This can be partly due to the different components used and partly due to the operating system. If you compared the price of Macs with PC laptop computers that performs equally as well, then usually you would find they are similar. Macs are worth a test drive, and you should read customer reviews about them as well.

Laptop accessories are an important addition to your computer, which range from fun to functional. 

The most important laptop accessory is a laptop case.  The laptop case will protect your computer, and keep andy dirt and grime from getting into your computer and casuing malfunction. 

Another good accessory is a USB mouse.  These plug into the USB drive of your laptop, and can be wired or wireless.  Either way, they perform much better than any built in mouse, and will allow you to work easier on your laptop.

Speakers can be a great addition to a laptop, especially if you enjoy listening to music or watching movies.  Typically they are set up permanentaly in a location, and you plug them into your laptop when it is in that location.  The speakers can vary from simple 2 speaker set ups to elaborate 5 speaker surround sound.  The can range from $20 - $500 and above, all depending on what type and level of sound you want. 

There are more accessores for your laptop, but the ones listed above are probably the most important and helpful to the average user.