A lappy niche

Planned to buy a laptop but unsure of which and what are the best for you? You come to the right place. I recommend for those who want to buy a new laptop, buy a new one or if you buy 2nd hand one, make sure it is still covered by warranty or the owner is your close friend, not a meet once friend.

So, here are the tips on buying a laptop. I would like to credit the shop assistant of All IT hypermarket, my tech-savvy friend kaizeru, and of course the triple www for giving me the tips:

1) Processor

Based on current trend, duo core is common. But please take note that out there there are dual core processor and core 2 duo processor. Technically, core 2 duo means there are 2 processor inside while the dual core means 1 processor that was divided into 2 parts. In this situation, it is recommended that you choose core 2 duo because it is faster than dual core.

2) Memory / RAM

Easy to say, the highest the better. If you are a kind of user that lives in the world of IT (like me a computer science student), 4GB RAM is enough. It depends on the type of Operating system you use too. I fyou use windows XP, 1GB RAM is sufficient, if you use Vista, At least 2GB RAM is recommended. The usual type of RAM is DDR SDRAM. Look at the DDR number though, as if it was DDRII, it is twice much faster than DDR. DDRIII is of course much faster. Depending on the processor, DDRII is more suitable to be used with core 2 duo since it can utilizes up to 75% of the bus speed, which is typically 667MHz (bus speed is the transfer speed of data between processor, memory (RAM), and Hard disk drive ; the highest the bus speed, the better).

3) Wi-fi

There are 4 standard in place currently for wifi which are 802.11 a/b/g/n. Each standard delivers different speed (refer here for more description), but the common are 802.11g and the latest is 802.11n. Technically speaking, 802.11n has a data rate of more than 100Mbps, double of 802.11g data rate.

4) Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology are common in laptops but it is unnecessary because it consumes laptop battery. If we intend to have bluetooth, just buy a bluetooth adapter (cost not more than RM30). Bluetooth can be used to setup a private area networks (PANs) on which involved user can transfer files up to 1Mbps between each other in a 10m range. Indeed limited, there are research going on to enhance the speed and range of bluetooth that will boast the speed equivalent to that of Wi-fi by the bluetotoh special interest group (SIG). The research propose that bluetooth use the wifi channel to transmit data on 'use as needed' basis.

5) Battery

Battery lifespan is the most important thing to consider when buying a new laptop. Typically, a laptop can reach a 3 hour mark base on norm usage. If we use it at home, plugged the power adapter and remove the battery from its compartment. Fail or forgot to do so, the battery may drain. Also, only charge when the battery is about to drain, don't charge if it still has more than quarter of power. Before buying a laptop, look at the battery power specification, there is a number like 4800mAh. The highesr the number, the longer the battery can last.