FAQ

What is the best microprocessor?
How much memory do I need?
How long will my battery last?
How much space should my hard drive have?
What other drives should I have in my laptop?
What is a swappable drive?
What type of screen should I get?
What type of input/output ports should my laptop have?
What is a PC card slot?
What is a docking station?
Which type of input device is the best?
Do I need to buy a carrying case?
Should I buy an extended warranty?

What is the best microprocessor?
If you do lots of graphics (computer-aided drafting, engineering design) or programming, then you will probably need the speed of a Pentium III or G4 microprocessors. On the other hand, if you will use your laptop for basic word-processing, Web browsing or office management, then the AMD or Celeron microprocessors will be fine.

How much memory do I need?
You should have at least 64 MB of RAM. Check to see whether your memory is upgradeable. If so, then your laptop should have an easy access panel to get at the memory chips.

How long will my battery last?
You should look for a laptop with a lithium battery, because lithium batteries tend to hold their charge longer than nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries, and have no memory effect. Whatever battery you choose, you will need a minimum of two hours of battery life; but of course, four hours is even better. The battery life varies depending on what type of rechargeable battery you have and how you use your computer (frequent use of disk drives consumes a lot of battery power).

How much space should my hard drive have?
All laptops have an internal hard disk drive, usually 6 to 20 GB (10 GB is a reasonable storage capacity).

What other drives should I have in my laptop?
You should have at least a standard floppy drive; you may want a higher capacity Zip drive as well. Also, if you want to be able to play music or movies on your laptop, you'll need a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

What is a swappable drive?
To make the laptop smaller and lighter, many models have "swappable" or interchangeable drives. With a swappable drive, there is only space in the case for one drive (floppy drive, Zip drive or CD/DVD drive). If you want to change from one type of disk drive to another, you just pull one out of the bay and put the other one in. In some laptops with swappable drives, you must turn the computer off first, change the drive and then reboot the computer. Other laptop models may have a "hot swappable" drive, in which you can interchange the drives without turning the computer off; this feature saves you the time involved in restarting the computer. While swappable drives allow you to use several types of drives in your laptop, remember that you will have to carry those extra drives with you if you want to use them on the go.

What type of screen should I get?
Large LCD screen sizes, active matrix displays and backlighting will make your laptop's screen easier to see, but these technologies will also increase the price of the computer. A 13- to 14-inch, active matrix, color screen is worth the investment, especially if you plan to search the Internet often or make multimedia presentations.

What type of input/output ports should my laptop have?
Computers send and receive information through various input/output ports, which can include serial ports, parallel ports and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. At minimum, you should have a printer port, which is usually a parallel port, and one or two USB ports.

What is a PC card slot?
In addition to ports, some laptops have expansion slots for PCMIA standard adapter cards (Type I and Type II) or "PC " cards. These cards can be used to upgrade your laptop by adding memory, a modem, a network connection or a peripheral device (such as a CD-ROM drive). One or two PC slots will help extend the life of your laptop by allowing you to upgrade rather than replace your laptop in the future.

What is a docking station?
If you will use your laptop as a desktop as well, you may want to look for a docking station. With the docking station, you can connect several peripheral devices (full-size computer monitor, full-size keyboard, mouse, disk drives, printer) permanently. You just plug your laptop into the station, and you're ready to use it as a desktop computer; in other words, you make one connection to your laptop instead of many. Most laptops have a docking connection.

Which type of input device is the best?
Laptops use either a trackball, trackpoint or touchpad technology to move the cursor across the screen. All of these devices have buttons that act like the right and left buttons on a mouse. The type of device you choose in a matter of personal your preference. Some people prefer the feel of a trackball to a touch pad. If you can, try various input devices out to see what feels right for you. Remember, most laptops have a port that allows you to hook up a mouse to your laptop, if you wish, but that will be another device to carry around if you want to use it on the go.

Do I need to buy a carrying case?
A carrying case provides a single place to store your laptop and its accessories. If you travel frequently, you will definitely need one. Look for a carrying case that has the following features:

• lightweight
• fits comfortably on your shoulder (padded shoulder strap)
• waterproof or water-resistant (After all, you may have to walk in the rain.)
• has enough space for your computer and accessories (disk drives, disks, AC adapter)
• has a padded compartment to protect the laptop should you drop the carrying case

Should I buy an extended warranty?
Read the fine print of your warranty. A good warranty will cover parts and labor for three years. Also, toll-free, around-the-clock technical support is great. Some warranties have a 24-hour replacement/repair policy (good when you are away from home). If these features are not in your warranty, consider a supplemental extended service contract.

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