Time
for a new laptop?
Here’s
a ready reckoner to go through before you get a new machine
Specifications
More than looks or anything else, such as the brand name, the technical specifications are the most important aspect of any laptop. Each comes with a loadout to suit different needs. The RAM capacity of the machine and expansion slots, the size of the hard disk and whether it is solidstate, the processor (most important), the kind of video card and so on — these are all key factors. If you decide to cut corners with your purchase, you will soon find that the newer programs out in the market today — from browsers to image-editing software — will place a big strain on your system and in some cases, might not even be compatible. So, the basics you need to have in place before you even step inside the store, is at least 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Disk, Dual Core i5 processor and a reliable graphics card.
Build quality
The second thing you need to keep in mind is the actual size of the thing. If you’re travelling a lot, you probably won’t want to lug around a big laptop; you’ll only end up with a neckache. Portability and the size factor also plays a part. Generally, a laptop should never exceed two kilos. Anything more than that and you might as well get a more powerful desktop to park on your table-top. But netbooks however, are laggards in terms of performance.
Furthermore, if you’re working in an outdoors environment, you’ll want one of the sturdier ones that are out in the market. These kinds of laptops have a metal chassis or high-impact plastic as well as motion sensors that activate if the laptop is dropped, to ensure that there is no internal damage to the hard disk. Taking these factors into consideration, you should only make the decision to buy it if you are satisfied with the build quality of the piece.
Battery life
This is a huge factor in deciding what kind of laptop to buy. Some laptops are extremely zippy with a bootup time of just a few seconds, but have a completely useless battery that’s completely flat in about 40 minutes. If the battery life is poor, you will have to constantly plan to have the machine next to a wall socket for frequent charging. The standard is about 8-10 hours per full charge. Other factors like the screen brightness settings, actual use and so on, also play an important part.
Cost factor
We’d all like to get a machine with a spec-sheet that will be the neighbour’s envy. But breaking the bank balance is not an option. Says corporate lawyer Karan Vaswani, who spends long working hours on his laptop analysing legal documents, “Price and features would be a factor and I guess, the warranty. And incidentally, the features of a laptop do not always increase in direct proportion to the price.”
Bells and whistles
You might want to look at what kind of display the piece uses. “Cancer surgeon Rajay Kumar uses his laptop for editing videos of his surgeries as well as for watching movies. “Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are a given these days. But I need a meaty processor to edit hours and hours of videos of operations. The number of USB ports also come in handy for sharing files to other computers.” Having said that, ultimately, the best thing would be to match the feature set of the piece you intend to buy, to your lifestyle and usage patterns.
Reagan Gavin Rasquinha BT12122
More than looks or anything else, such as the brand name, the technical specifications are the most important aspect of any laptop. Each comes with a loadout to suit different needs. The RAM capacity of the machine and expansion slots, the size of the hard disk and whether it is solidstate, the processor (most important), the kind of video card and so on — these are all key factors. If you decide to cut corners with your purchase, you will soon find that the newer programs out in the market today — from browsers to image-editing software — will place a big strain on your system and in some cases, might not even be compatible. So, the basics you need to have in place before you even step inside the store, is at least 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Disk, Dual Core i5 processor and a reliable graphics card.
Build quality
The second thing you need to keep in mind is the actual size of the thing. If you’re travelling a lot, you probably won’t want to lug around a big laptop; you’ll only end up with a neckache. Portability and the size factor also plays a part. Generally, a laptop should never exceed two kilos. Anything more than that and you might as well get a more powerful desktop to park on your table-top. But netbooks however, are laggards in terms of performance.
Furthermore, if you’re working in an outdoors environment, you’ll want one of the sturdier ones that are out in the market. These kinds of laptops have a metal chassis or high-impact plastic as well as motion sensors that activate if the laptop is dropped, to ensure that there is no internal damage to the hard disk. Taking these factors into consideration, you should only make the decision to buy it if you are satisfied with the build quality of the piece.
Battery life
This is a huge factor in deciding what kind of laptop to buy. Some laptops are extremely zippy with a bootup time of just a few seconds, but have a completely useless battery that’s completely flat in about 40 minutes. If the battery life is poor, you will have to constantly plan to have the machine next to a wall socket for frequent charging. The standard is about 8-10 hours per full charge. Other factors like the screen brightness settings, actual use and so on, also play an important part.
Cost factor
We’d all like to get a machine with a spec-sheet that will be the neighbour’s envy. But breaking the bank balance is not an option. Says corporate lawyer Karan Vaswani, who spends long working hours on his laptop analysing legal documents, “Price and features would be a factor and I guess, the warranty. And incidentally, the features of a laptop do not always increase in direct proportion to the price.”
Bells and whistles
You might want to look at what kind of display the piece uses. “Cancer surgeon Rajay Kumar uses his laptop for editing videos of his surgeries as well as for watching movies. “Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are a given these days. But I need a meaty processor to edit hours and hours of videos of operations. The number of USB ports also come in handy for sharing files to other computers.” Having said that, ultimately, the best thing would be to match the feature set of the piece you intend to buy, to your lifestyle and usage patterns.
Reagan Gavin Rasquinha BT12122
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