BACK TO SCHOOL LAPTOP GUIDE

LAPTOP HARD DRIVE | LAPTOP MEMORY | LAPTOP SPEED | LAPTOP BATTERY

WIRELESS LAPTOPS | LAPTOP WEIGHT | LAPTOP OPERATING SYSTEM

The Back to School Laptop Guide can help you understand the specs you want and the specs you need. We offer another perspective on laptops, and what makes them tick. We look at these specs to gain better insight into what our needs are, and which specs are a want to have, or need to have.

Of course we want the fastest processor with the most memory and the best video card. Remeber that law of physics? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Such is the scene when it comes to laptop specs. There is often a trade off in some features in order to accomodate the other. Better processor usually means a budget trade off, possibly a size or weight trade off, and so on. So, we lay it all out on the line for you to decide which specs are the must have.

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LAPTOP HARD DRIVES

Hard Drive technology has evolved, and there are some options to consider. The Hard Drive is the primary storage device. The laptop operating system(os) is stored here, along with the majority of your default settings, if Windows Operating System is used. Along with the operating system, your applications will also be stored here. Any files or documents you create will typically reside here.

Most students will run some flavor of a Windows operating system. If so, the more free space you reserve on your hard drive, the better Windows will operate, and thus will your laptop seem to perform. Even on larger hard drives this addage stands true. Consider using an external hard drive for personal storage. This way, if your laptop goes down for some reason, you still have access to your data.

Hard Drive speed affects how fast the drive can read and or write data. This would be when the hourglass shows up. You know you love the hourglass. Hard Disks are made up of spinning platters that store data. The faster the speed at which the platters rotate, the faster data can be handled. Average desktops run hard drives with a 5400 rpm the better ones with a 7200 rpm hard drive. On the average most middle of the road laptops to the higher end laptops will run a 5400 rpm hard drive. The multimedia laptops, and gaming laptops will typically run 7200 rpm hard drives.

With the popularity of the Mini Laptop, have come the latest development in Hard Drive Technology, the Solid State Disk(SSD). There are tradeoffs for the faster read speeds, like, slower write speeds. SSD technology is still in the early stages, and the current application are successful. SSD Hard Drives tend to be lighter, hence their presence in the mini laptop segment. It would be unfair to say one is better than the other. There are charachteristics of both that appeal to specific tasks. Lightweight everyday use, minimal computing, SSD disks perform fine. They are also more resistant to bumps and jolts, due to their solid state.

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LAPTOP MEMORY

Laptop memory can be difficult to nail down, as memory technology is also constantly evolving. The latest DDR (Double Data Rate) RAM has been pushing higher throughput (800Kbs). Again, the higher the data rate, the better the performance. Increasing memory is also a performance enhancer. Most laptops from the factory without memory upgrades, are shipped with the bare minimum memory required to run the particular operating system that comes pre installed. More memory is always a good thing. If you cannot buy direct from the factory, buy the best brand your budget can stand.

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LAPTOP SPEED

Laptop Speed will typically refer to the speed of the processor. This speed is measured in GHz(Giga Hertz). The higher the GHz, the faster the processor. The faster the processor, the more heat will be generated. Processors that generate more heat, will need more or larger equipment to maintain an operable temperature. Here the tradeoff for speed will typically be weight. Faster processors will adversely increase the weight of the laptop by larger heat sinks or additional fans.

Intel Processors

Intel is a brand of processor that has a long standing reputation for quality. As with anything else, there are degrees of quality that fluctuate between the series of processor distributed by Intel. There are some inferior processor that were engineered to save on price, rather than performance.

The current rankings on the Intel Processors on the Intel Website rank the Pentium line at the bottom, indicating lowest price, and inferior quality. The processors on the list get increasingly better; Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Quad Core, and so on. Within each of the lines, are varying processor speeds. The fastest processor currently has been clocked in at 3.0 GHz. Intel has been successfully improving the technology by including multiple processors on one chip(processor) for even faster response.

AMD Processors

AMD Processors have been the underdog as long as there has been a rivalry between AMD and Intel. This is not consistently true today. AMD technology has managed to achieve comparable results to its Intel counterparts. The same principle applies here with processor speeds across family lines. While there are different flavors of AMD, each line has varying speeds to choose from. Check the AMD website for thier listing.

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LAPTOP BATTERY

Battery life determines how far you can travel really. Average laptop battery life is between 2 and 3 hours. There are several variables that can affect laptop battery life. The more work you do, the more power the laptop will consume. Many students and business professionals will opt for an additional battery, or for a larger battery, with more cells, to provide extended computing time. The rating provided by the manufacturer considers normal computing, word processing tasks for example.

Laptop batteries also have varying cell counts. On the average most laptop batteries come with a 4 cell or a 6 cell battery. Some laptops will offer the option to upgrade the battery and include more cells for longer time between charges. There will be a tradeoff in laptop weight, as more battery cells add more poundage.

Welcome to the Back to School Laptop Guide. We hope to provide some useful information, that will help you make a better purchasing decision. A laptop is an investment in time and money. Invest some time into making an informed purchase.

When we consider today's student, we consider several factors. Weight, Mobility, Processor, Video, Battery Life, and Storage. Students will typically be able to access some form of network or internet using a wireless connection, anywhere on campus. Consider distance from an Access Point, the ability to pick up a new network, and of course, security. This is just an example of the factors we consider about the specs on a laptop before buying.

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Laptop Weight.

While four or five pounds may not seem heavy. Add that to a 55 pound load of textbooks in a students backpack, and the weight can become an issue. On the average, a 15 inch laptop will weigh in under 5 pounds. Depending on the brand of laptop, larger batteries can add additional weight. Students should consider the weight of a laptop, as well as the processing power, and video card.

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Wireless

By nature a laptop is mobile. The real question, is how easy is it to become mobile. The quality of the wireless card, battery life, and of course size play a role in factoring whether a laptop can be considered mobile from the buyers perspective.

Many of the laptops served up to students, and businesses for that matter, will offer an integrated wireless option, that for all intents and purposes, have been optimized to peform with a particlar chipset or processor. Utilization of this wireless option will typically deliver optimized battery performance. Today's laptop technology revolves around the ability to deliver processing power, while taking small sips from the Lithium Ion battery pack.

That being said, consider the strength you may need to connect from your regular settings, if possible. Are the access points near to where you will be connecting from? How strong is the broadcast from the access point, and the list goes on. Purchasing an additional wireless card is not always a statement about the quality of the integrated wireless technology, as environmental factors always play a role. Do remember, that an external wireless card may consume more power, and shorten battery life.

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Operating System

Once again the mini laptop craze has made another lasting impact on the laptop, and computer industry. The advent of the mini top, has easily been the first time that there has been widespread commercial appeal in offering Linux based Operating Systems, alongside Windows Operating Systems.

Linux Operating Systems are for the most part open source. This means that there are millions of programmers working on the operating system, hardening the systems even more with each new release. Today's Linux based operating systems have become more Graphic as well, making the transition for Windows users, that much easier. No more fear about command line only. The Linux operating systems today, Ubuntu is the most popular flavor being offered by major laptop brands.

The advantages of a Linux based operating system, are not just a more secure computer, but Linux based operating systems do not require license fees, and will typically be a significant savings when compared to Windows based. If all you need to do is surf the web, check email, and update your blog, then Windows may not be necessary. There are even applications that can read and write Windows based file formats.

Windows based Operating Systems are the most popular. Most of the applications in the business world and academic world are built to run on Windows. There are many benefits to using Windows base operating systems, like finding a friend who knows how to fix it, as opposed to Linux genies, who are few and far between, though this may change in the next year or so.

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