Going for the Right Amount of Laptop Power
You have a lot of choices
to make when it comes to getting a laptop. What do you need
to consider when deciding how powerful your laptop should
be? You want to mull over three basic items when matching
your laptop's hardware to the software that you need:
The microprocessor
Memory or RAM
Hard drive storage
The microprocessor is the laptop's main chip. It's not "the
brain" - your computer's software does that job, telling the
microprocessor what to do. You want to ensure that you get a
microprocessor that's plenty fast enough to deal with the
applications that you may need not just today, but in the
future. You may want to invest in a fast microprocessor now,
which extends the useful life of your laptop by ensuring
that you can run tomorrow's software before tomorrow comes.
So find a laptop with the fastest microprocessor that you
can afford and then buy the next most expensive
microprocessor. You'll be thankful later.
The action happens in a computer's memory, where the work
gets done. If the software states that it wants more than
256MB of memory, then get a laptop with however much RAM the
software requires. The more RAM your computer has, the
happier it appears to be and the more your software can
effectively use the computer.
Hard drive storage is the electronic closet where you store
your stuff. This stuff includes not only the computer's
operating system, but all the software that you get and
later install, plus all the data files and junk that you
collect. Again, the software should tell you how much hard
drive space it requires. Total the space that each
application needs, then at least double that number to give
yourself a general figure for how much hard drive storage
you need.
Here are some additional tips on how to figure out the kind
of laptop power you need:
- Laptop microprocessors cost more than their desktop
counterparts. That's because manufacturers have to design
the laptop microprocessors to use less power and generate
less heat. Those designs take time, so their development
cycle is longer, hence the added cost.
- When reading the hardware requirements on a software box,
use the "recommended" values, not the minimum. For example,
a program may request 256MB of RAM but really thirst for
384MB. If so, get 384MB - or more.
- RAM is where it's at! If you can't afford a faster
microprocessor, you can afford to buy more RAM. Pack your
laptop with as much RAM as you can afford.
- Buy the fattest hard drive you can afford. Especially if
you plan on putting music on your laptop - you need at least
an 80GB hard drive for that, maybe more.
-If possible, go for a laptop with at least 512MB of RAM in
it. If you can afford 1024MB of RAM, get it. If you can
afford 2048MB of RAM, get it. The more RAM, the better.
- Graphics image files (such as digital photographs), music
or audio files, and video files consume huge amounts of hard
drive space. If you plan on collecting any of these types of
files on your laptop, get the biggest hard drive you can!
- By investing in the latest, fastest microprocessor, a lot
of RAM, and a ton of hard drive space now, you extend the
life of your laptop. That's a good thing. You want your
laptop investment to last for years to come. So pay more
now, and you can earn it back down the road when you're
still using your laptop while others have to buy a new one.
By Laptops for Dummies
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