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Speed Issue
Laptops are generally a little slower than desktop pc's (having the same features i.e. CPU, RAM, hard disk capacity...) Slower CPU's, Motherboards, hard drives and video systems all contribute to the overall speed. |
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Microprocessor
The microprocessor is the central processing unit for a laptop and controls the Operating System. Speeds of microprocessors are measured in Giga Hertz GHz.(1000Mhz=1GHz) Within the market are Pentium 4, Pentium 3 and Celeron lines. If you are after speeds higher than 1.5 GHz, you need a P4. AMD has established itself in the desktop market and is following suit into the laptop market with its Athlon and Duron lines. |
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Operating System (OS)
The operating system is a tool that basically instructs the mircoprocessor on what to do. Operating systems on laptops include Windows 98/2000/NT/XP and Mac O.S. You may want to consider that the latest O.S may not be the best for your laptop. O.S's vary in their use of power management, new hardware support features, and newer operating systems may not support older programmes. |
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RAM
RAM is measured in Megabytes MB, it is the place software and data is held while in use, and allows for more than one function at a time. The minimum that you should get is 64 MB. If you are using your laptop for intensive computational tasks then 512 MB + of Ram is recommended. Also consider the amount of Video RAM you have this is important in running graphical programmes/instructions. Overall performance will improve with more RAM particularly if you work with several applications at once. |
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Disk Drives
Laptops have storage devices known as disk drives. This is where all files are stored, operating system, data, and application program files. More storage is better. |
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Battery Life
Power for laptops include, rechargeable battery as well as being able to use an AC adapter. This is what makes laptops and notebooks portable. There are 3 types of battery, these are Lithium, Nickel cadmium and Nickel metal hydride. Battery life varies depending on the type of rechargeable battery. Lithium batteries tend to be more superior they tend to hold the charge for much longer. Frequent use of disk drive can consume a lot of battery power, quite quickly. When looking at a purchase the minimum battery life on the laptop should be 2 hours - more is obviously better. Most laptops come with power management software, which conserves the life of the battery. This software can be built into the operating system. When the battery gets low you may notice that the computer runs slower. This is the result of internal power management software and indicates that you should plug the computers AC adapter or shut down and recharge the battery. To recharge the battery the laptop can be plugged into the wall, or can be connected directly to AC power through the AC adapter. |
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Input/Output Ports
For laptops to talk to other devices such as printers, modems, networks, scanners, external storage devices etc they need to be able to send and receive information through various input/output ports. These can include serial ports, parallel ports and USB ports. In addition to ports some laptops have expansion slots for PCMCIA standard adapter cards or PC cards. These cards can be used to upgrade the laptop by adding a modem, network connection or more memory or a peripheral device.
A port replicator attaches to the laptop and provides a multitude of ports allow you to connect up devices that could not be connected to the laptop directly. A docking station is a modified/enhanced port replicator, it may also have a module to charge up a spare battery, place for floppy or Zip drive a network adapter and extra USB ports.
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Size/Weight Portability
The size of a laptop is an important feature, as the main advantage of laptops is their portability. Consider the dimensions, length, width and thickness and make sure that it suits you and does it feel comfortable to handle and pick up? Weight is another important feature, laptops vary from 2Kg - 5 Kg. If you are a frequent traveler you will probably require something that's light and easy to carry around. |
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Communications/Networking
Most laptops ship with a built in 56Kpbs internal modem and Ethernet connection if a laptop does not offer this then one can be added using one of the PC Card slots. It is better to look for a laptop with an internal modem, this will allow you to send and receive information just by hooking up to the telephone line. Wireless Ethernet which come as standard on most laptops allow you to be connected to the internet at a distance of 50 -100 feet from a wireless access point that connects you to the wired Ethernet network. Bluetooth technology provides short range (30 feet) connections to cell phones and PDA's and some printers. This is an up and coming technology for wireless data transfer over short distances. |
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Soundcard
Most laptops are equipped with an onboard sound card and built in speakers so they can play audio for a CD. If a laptop does not offer sound equipment you can add this through the PC Card slot. If sound quality is an important factor then you can improve quality by using external speakers. |
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Laptops.co.uk
Laptops.co.uk is part of the SFN Network of websites. Sitefinders Net Ltd is a U.K based company setup in 1995. Our core business is the development of online businesses using the generic domain name concept. We have a growing portfolio of websites in many different industries such as electronics, finance, retail, seasonal and health.
Visit: Laptops.co.uk
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