This is the concluding part of a 9 part article series. To start from the beginning, read Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - An Introduction.
Buying a Laptop PC - Making the right choiceWith competition so fierce in the PC market, manufacturers bring out new and more functionally brilliant desktop and laptop PC’s every few months. Certainly with the big boys (Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, etc) vying for our business, deciding which PC to buy can all get very confusing. Of course this is true with everything technology driven, from microwave ovens to servers. However nothing is more complicated than weighing up whether or not to buy a laptop PC, and then having the wisdom to pick the right one for your social or professional needs. With such a plethora of laptop specifications it is hard to understand, let alone decide what you need in terms of processor power, memory, multimedia capabilities, storage, networking, etc, etc, etc.But you must start somewhere, and here is as that place. So let’s look at a selection of specific laptop user groups - whether you are a home or business, academic or advanced multimedia user, whether you require a laptop for mobile use, in a hostile environment or simply to sit in a docking station on a desk. Whatever the need, there is a laptop PC out there that is, by and large, perfect for you.The Home userFor those requiring a laptop specifically for home use then an average sized laptop will be a suitable purchase. With no great need for a particularly durable or compact device the home user wants to look more at wired and wireless connectivity, a reasonable amount of processor power, and adequate hard drive space to store information and operate multiple applications, multimedia, etc. The home user would also benefit by having CD/DVD playing/burning capabilities. ChecklistPrice: Budget < $2000Size and Weight: StandardProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion 64 X2Storage: 80GB+ hard disk drive. 120GB (preferable)Memory: 1GB Ram (minimum) 2GB RAM (preferable)Screen: 15.4” widescreen or 17” displayConnectivity: Ethernet (wired) and built in wireless (802.11g)Optical drive: CD-RW/DVD-R or DVD-RWBattery power: StandardOperating System: Windows Vista Home platinumService: 2yrs coverThe Business userFor the business user, buying the right laptop is a more complicated decision because of the complex and diverse nature of multiple settings in which the device may be required to function. For all business needs a laptop must have substantial security and a fast processor with lots of memory. Further pre-requisites would be wireless connectivity, an extensive combination of ports, i.e. projector, firewall, eSATA, thus allowing the device to be operated and perform tasks in various business settings. Storage capacity is not so essential for static business use, i.e. in an office environment where network connectivity provides mapped drive storage mediums. However, for the mobile business user hard drive storage requirements would need to be factored in.Checklist-- Price: Budget $3000-- Size and Weight: Standard (static user) lightweight and durable (mobile user)-- Security: Fingerprint recognition, Lock down mechanism-- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion 64 X2-- Storage: 40GB – 80GB would be fine-- Memory: 2GB RAM-- Screen: 17” display (static) 10”-15” display (mobile)-- Connectivity: Ethernet (wired) and built in wireless (802.11g), Bluetooth and mobile broadband-- Additional ports: Docking station, keyboard, mouse (static), slate/tablet design (mobile), VGA port, multiple USB-- Optical drive: DVD-RW-- Battery power: Standard (static), Extensive (mobile)-- Operating System: Windows Vista Business-- Service: Extended or rolling business cover (possibly replacement model every 2/3yrs)The Academic userFor those on a tighter budget such as academic students and home users with only basic functionality requirements, budget is the overriding concern and will limit your choices considerably. Still the market has plenty of entry level systems so look for a laptop with good battery life and storage capacity. At such a price you will have to compromise on processor speed and/or memory but this should not be a big concern. Functionality is more important than speed of delivery and most applications in, i.e. word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations (office type suites) work perfectly well with an entry level chipset, as do many multimedia applications and fire sharing software.Checklist-- Price: < $1500-- Size and Weight: Semi lightweight, durable and portable-- Processor: Intel Core 2 Solo or AMD Turion 64 (minimum)-- Storage: 80GB-- Memory: 1GB RAM-- Screen: 15” or 15.4” widescreen display-- Connectivity: Ethernet (wired) and built in wireless (802.11g)-- Optical drive: CD-RW/DVD-R-- Battery power: Extended-- Operating System: Windows Home basic-- Service: 2yrs cover (if the budget can squeeze this, but not essential)The Advanced Multimedia userAdvanced multimedia users are a different breed altogether. A laptop that can deliver seamless gaming, video and slick photo editing requires supreme processor power, memory and graphics capabilities. It is also important to have extensive multimedia connectivity options and a superb high resolution display. Laptops find it notoriously difficult to capture the true ambiance of a game such is the multiple levels of graphics and audio, it is similarly difficult to find a laptop that can create, edit and playback top quality (High definition) video and (Digital) audio productions. For the advanced multimedia user these requirements are a must. For truly professional graphics and animation it may even be worthwhile looking at TV connectivity and high definition standards such as Blue Ray.Checklist -- Size and Weight: Standard (static user) lightweight and durable (mobile user)-- Processor: Fastest processor, i.e. currently Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Turion 64 X2-- Storage: 120GB Hard disk drive (minimum), 240GB (preferable)-- Memory: 2GB RAM-- Graphics: Top specification graphics card and digital audio such as ATI, NVIDIA-- Screen: Large high resolution 17”+ widescreen display (minimum)-- Connectivity: Ethernet (wired) and built in wireless (802.11g)-- Additional ports: Range of multimedia connectivity options, i.e. Audio/video devices (TV, stereo, mass storage media)-- Optical drive: DVD-RW (minimum) potentially High Definition drive, i.e. Blue Ray-- Battery power: Standard (static), Extensive (mobile)-- Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate-- Service: Extended or rolling business cover (possibly replacement model every 2/3yrs)So you now know what a laptop is, from its core to chassis. You also know which group of users you best fit into. From here the thought of buying a laptop PC should not fill you with dread or send you scurrying for a computer dictionary. It should be straight forward, maybe even a pleasurable task… I wish you luck. Laptop Buyers Guide: Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Screen Visuals and Digital Audio Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Weight, Size and Durability Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Processor and Memory Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Storage and Optical Media Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Communications and Ports Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Battery and Operating System Buying a Laptop PC for Windows - Brand and Service