Choosing the right laptop for you

By Carl Jermy of Calibre IT Solutions

Choosing the best laptop to suit your needs can be a headache. There are a huge range of laptops with different specifications, but how do you know which one is right for you? Generally, you need to think about what use the laptop is for. Here is a brief guide to choosing a new laptop.

Screen size

There are a number of different size screens to choose from, such as 10.1, 15.6 or 17 inches. Aspect ratios such as 16:10 or 16:9 are suited to playing widescreen movies or games, whereas 4:3 or 5:4 may be better suited for productivity.

Hard disk drive

This is the permanent storage device that holds the operating and all of your documents. The size is less important if you are storing a few office documents than if you will be storing decade’s worth of music, photos and videos.

Memory (RAM)

This is the temporary data storage device that is accessible almost instantly. It is used for storing data and applications currently in use. You need to consider the number of applications and documents that you will be working with all at the same time. The more memory, the more space these applications have for instant access. If less memory, the data is swapped to temporary space on the hard drive which is much slower to access. Typically a minimum of 2 Gigabytes is recommended for Windows 7.

Processor (CPU)

Intel and AMD are the two main manufacturers and both have a good range of processors. There are many technical factors to consider such as number of cores, bus speed and cache size. For general office tasks and web browsing, an Intel Celeron, Core 2 Duo or Core i3 should suffice, but for intensive processing and high-resolution gaming, an Intel Core i7 processor would be better suited.

Video/graphics adapter

Graphics adapters come in many different speeds and have their own dedicated memory. For general productivity this is not such as important factor. A high-spec adapter with a large amount of its own memory and specialist 3D capabilities suits gamers.

Brand

There are many manufacturers of laptops. A few examples are Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus. Look out for good warranties and customer support. Most come with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty.

Thanks to Carl for this article, his company have a special offer on an Acer Laptop here