Choosing a Laptop SIR AREA 2 COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY by Dean Steichen Branch 8 May 2007

Do you really want a Laptop? ● You may find a Laptop alone is not enough! ● You may also want/need:  wireless router,  printer,  scanner,  better keyboard (wireless?),  better mouse (wireless?),  bigger screen,  webcam,  etc.

What are the Key Factors? ● Type of User ● Mobility Needs ● Ergonomics  Weight  Screen Size & look  Keyboard layout & feel  Pointing Device (mouse) ● What You will use it for ● Battery Life ● Physical & Data Security Needs ● Price

What Type of User are you? ● Novice or Limited User ● Moderate or Moderate+ User ● Power User ● Serious Gamer

How much Mobility do you need? ● Desktop Replacement Machine ● Mostly Stationary; Infrequent Travel ● Frequent/Constant Travel

How Heavy? ● Desktop Use – 3 Lb to 9+ Lb ● Lt. Travel--3 Lb to 6 Lb ● Frequent Travel – 3 Lb to 5 Lb

What Screen Size? Usually (Size=weight) ● Light Weight (3 – 5 Lb) inch ● Medium Weight ( Lb) inch ● Heavy Weight (6.5 – 9 Lb) inch

Keyboard Layout & Pointing Device ● Keyboard  Location of certain Keys (e.g. Backspace, Delete, Esc, Arrow, Pg Up, Pg Dn, etc.)  Size (Does keyboard fit your hands)  Location of Finger pad ● Pointing Device (Mouse)  Finger pad with “scroll” section, Left and Right “mouse” buttons  Trackpoint (Thinkpad joystick type)  You could get a USB, wired or Wireless Mouse

What Will You Use it for? ● Limited User -- Word Processing, simple Spreadsheets, , Internet Browsing, Taxes, Photo viewing, etc. ● Moderate User -- All the above plus Photo Sharing, DVD Viewing, MP3s, Scanning, etc. ● Moderate+ User -- All the above plus Photo editing, Data Base, moderate Spreadsheets, Video Conferencing, etc. ● Power User -- All the above plus Video Editing, DVD creation, etc. ● Gaming

Expected Battery Life ● Most Battery life can run from 1.5 to 6 hours. ● Modern Average Battery life is 2-4 hours. ● Older Battery life was hours. ● Attaching/Using USB devices drains battery rather quickly. ● If you use laptop to play DVD’s or CD’s when traveling, you will need lots of battery life. ● Batteries are heavy!…extra battery might be a solution.

Physical & Data Security Needs ● Physical Cable or other Theft Deterrents ● Electronic Locator (Hi/Jack Software type) ● Thumb Scan or other Biometric Identifiers ● Userid and Password Login ● Screensaver w/ Privacy Warning ● Screensaver w/ Password Enabled ● Data - Password Protection ● Data Encryption

What is the Minimum Hardware Configuration? ● Video, Keyboard, Sound & Pointer ● 20+ GB Hard Drive ● CD Reader or CDRW ● Network Interface Card (Ethernet) ● Wireless 802.b/g ● USB 2.0 Ports (2 or more) ● Card Slot (PCMICA) ● Modem if no NIC or Wireless ● Optional Firewire port

Which Operating System is right for you? ● Limited Users  Windows 2000 Pro requires least powerful system  Windows XP (Home) requires moderate system  Windows XP (Pro) requires moderate+ system  Vista (all versions) requires moderate+ system ● Moderate Users  Windows 2000 Pro is adequate for most uses  Windows XP (Home or Pro)  Vista Premium requires moderate+ system ● Power Users  Windows XP Pro requires powerful system  Vista Premium requires very powerful system

Typical System Characteristics ● Limited System  CPU Celeron, Sempron, Pent III  RAM 256+ MB  HARD DRIVE 20+ GB  VideoShared Video Ram ● Moderate or Moderate+(1GHz+) System  CPUPentium 4M, Core Duo, Athlon64, Turion64  RAM 512KB - 1 GB  HARD DRIVE 80+ GB  VideoShared 128MB+ or Dedicated Ram ● Power System  CPU Core 2 Duo or Turion64 X2  RAM 1+ GB  HARD DRIVE 80+ GB  VideoDedicated 128MB+ Ram

Suggested System (by User by Op.Sys)

Processors (By Mfg by Power)

Specification Worksheet Example

Peripherals? Wireless Router and ??

Typical Costs? ● Limited User Machine$400 - $600 ● Moderate User Machine$600 - $1000 ● Power User Machine$ $?? ● Gamer$2000 +

Buying Advice? See Phil Goff's presentation on the Area 2 C&T Website on Buying a Desktop Computer since almost all of the advice is the same.

Typical Limited Machine

Typical Moderate+ Machine

Typical Power Machine

Used Laptops (Limited Users?)

Buying a Laptop? ● Basic Decisions  What type of user am I?  Have I made a checklist of required/desired features?  What size/weight is right for me?  How much money am I willing to spend?  Am I willing to buy Mail Order?  Can I return it if not satisfied? (Think Costco)

Other Thoughts ● Wireless Router is almost essential unless you want to remain attached to a cable for internet access (either modem or broadband) ● USB ports allow you to easily attach external devices like DVDRW, Hard Drives for extra storage and backups, Printers, Webcams, Scanners, USB Flash Drives, etc. ● Consider a powered USB hub (expands one port to 2, 4 or more ports) for your home ● Consider a non-powered USB hub for travel

Where to find more Information? ● Search the Internet for “Notebooks” or “Laptops” ● Review Ads from Fry’s, Circuit City, Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA, Best Buy, Costco, etc. in your local paper each week ● Ask friends who have Laptops ● Other?

Questions? ● ???