Posts Tagged ‘Laptop Computers’
Types of Laptop Computers
Are you thinking of buying a laptop for yourself or for a loved one? This is a great idea if you want to your office to be more mobile or simply if you wish to have a personal unit that you can take around and use anywhere you wish to. With the massive success that these devices have gained, there are a large variety of good laptops available in the market of today from different companies. While this diversity gives you a larger spectrum of choices, with so many options for good laptops it often becomes difficult to choose which one is ideally suited to your specific requirements and personal preferences.
One of the most important ways to decide which laptop is perfect for you; you should have some general knowledge about the types of laptops available in the market today. Laptops are divided broadly in to five categories.
1. Desktop Replacers – the desktop replacement laptop is not like most of the slim tablet like laptops of today. However, these function well enough and most of the time, these will be able to manage your workload comfortably. These are not the most mobile varieties of laptops as they weigh about seven to eight kilos, but moving them around the house or office from one place to another should not pose too much of a problem.
2. Mainstream Laptops – laptops that fall into this category are ideal for people who want a unit for light usage. This means listening to music, surfing to internet and chatting with friends, listening to music, doing homework or watching a movie. Typically laptops in this category weigh about three to four kilos, have a wide screen stretching a little over fifteen inches, come with a wifi card, some usb ports and 512MB of RAM.
3. Ultraportable – if you want one of those super small, ultra thin and very light weight laptops that function great, unit falling in this category are just the thing for you. These have a wide screen of about ten to twelve inches are can be used easily on the road. Furthermore, it offers a great deal of computing power and a long battery life.
4. Business notebooks – if you want a high tech and efficient system which is portable and can handle heavy duty professional work, laptops in this category are the best choice. They offer more durability, a battery life that is longer, enhanced security features and more.
5. Gaming monsters – Spending most of your time gaming? If so, this is the laptop for you. These are the units with the best memory, the speediest processors and awesome 3D display.
Desktop Computers Vs Laptop Computers – Which One is Better?
As geeks correctly predicted in the late seventies, computers have become indispensable pieces of equipment in everybody’s lives. Computers enabled people to share photos and videos in a manner that would have been mind boggling decades earlier. However, in this world where information is at their fingertips, people still encounter a little bit of difficulty in choosing which type of computer is the best for them. Desktop computers claim to have functionalities that can never be rivaled, while laptop computers assert that they have desktop power and the advantage of being mobile. So between desktops and laptop computers, which one is better?
This question is undoubtedly in the minds of computer buyers when they visit a computer store. Laptop computers have become a little bit cheaper today than it was before that price consideration between the two types of computers is now almost never an issue. This dilemma, however, can be helped resolved by properly determining your purpose of use. Bear in mind that though today’s laptops claim to have desktop power, the upgrade functionality of desktop computers may overshadow that fact. In addition to these, heavy graphics require huge technology muscle and this is a requirement that most desktop computers have. In like manner, mobility has gained importance in almost any field that requires computers that it is almost impossible to do without a laptop computer at your side.
So which is better for you then? Well, it really depends on how you intend to use the computer. If your job requires you to sit at a desk for long hours doing 3D designs and rendering them as fast as you can, then probably desktop computers would work out quite fine for you. Desktop computers do have a great capability in dealing with heavy graphics, particularly if you use design and render animated 3D graphics.
However, if your job requires you to be in several different places while designing animated 3D graphics, then laptop computers would be well suited for you. Laptop computers give you desktop power plus mobile capability. Though laptop computers may be a little bit slower than a desktop when rendering animated 3D graphics, it still has the power to do that. Laptops nowadays take pride in possessing almost the same processor power that enables desktops to design and render 3D animations. The added factor which takes it to the top is you can bring your laptop anywhere you wanted to and work on the same graphics design wherever it is convenient for you to do so.
So which computer is good for you? The answer to this question actually depends on you. If you feel that a desktop computer is sufficient then you can go for a desktop. However, if you feel that you are more comfortable with having a laptop at your side, then go ahead and buy that laptop.
Best Laptop Computers for College Students
1. Overview
Before we look at the laptops most suitable for college students, we should understand what makes a good student laptop. Typically, a student would want a laptop that’s lightweight and comfortable enough to lug to and from their various classes. In addition, the laptop has to have great battery life and performance. And price is sometimes a concern, so the above features need to be packed into an affordable package.
After considering the types of laptops suitable for college students, I’ve decided to split them into three categories: budget, thin and light and ultraportable. So let’s take a look at them now …
2. Budget Laptops
For a college student who is short on cash, a budget laptop is a good buy. Some of the best budget laptops include those from Dell, Toshiba and HP. I personally find the Toshiba Satellite A215-S4747 to be a great budget laptop. You get an AMD based dual core CPU, which perfroms very well with most applications. You also get a huge 200GB hard drive and a large number of peripheral ports.
There’s also a nice Sony VGN-NR160E/S model that is (surprisingly) within the budget category. Out of the box, this machine gives you the Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 processor, 1 GB of RAM and a large 160GB hard drive – that’s a lot of computing power at budget price.
3. Thin and Light Laptops
If you prefer a more powerful laptop and don’t mind a little bit of weight, then try going for a thin and light laptop. Some of the models I can think of include those from Lenovo, HP and Sony.
The Sony VAIO VGN-FZ280E is a pretty good choice for a thin and light notebook. This system comes with a Bluray compatible writer that can also burn CDs and DVDs. You also get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and a very large 250GB hard drive.
Another model I’d consider is the HP Pavilion dv6675us. You will get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 4GB RAM and 250GB of hard drive space. The 4GB of RAM is a great feature which will come in handy if you’re a student of finance or science and need to run intensive computational applications.
4. Ultraportable Laptops
If the size and weight of the laptop is of high importance to you, then go for an ultraportable laptop. These laptops give very good computing performance in a very small, compact package.
In this category, I think the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 is a great choice for students. It is slightly pricey (but not outrageously so) but it is one of the best performing laptops around. It weighs only about 3 pounds and is hence an extremely portable piece of hardware. You also get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and an ample 100GB hard drive. You don’t get a built-in DVD writer though – that unit is external to the laptop.
Another good choice is the Toshiba Portege R500-S5001X. It weights 2.4 pounds and is less than an inch thick. This is one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks you will find in the market. It’s also very reasonably priced.
Conclusion
Well! I hope this article has shown you the various types of laptops which are suitable for college students. Regardless of your needs and budget, make sure that you do proper research before shelling out any cash. Until next time, best of luck and happy shopping!