Laptop: Understanding The BasicsA laptop is a personal computer that offers portability. It's light and small enough that you can carry it around, as a prized personal possession, wherever your life or work takes you. What was first created purely for mobility has expanded into various horizons. Today too you can find a general purpose laptop however along exist many specific avtars that are designed to meet specific needs. The reason why you want to buy a laptop may vary but like anyone else, I am sure, you want to buy the perfect one. Hence, it's important to first understand the basics of a laptop before ordering one. Laptop Configuration: The first and foremost step is to understand what all constitutes a laptop. What are its different components and which ones of them are critical? At a very fundamental level all laptops are essentially same in so far as basic operations are concerned. The combination that would suit you the most is finally a function of the purpose you want your laptop to serve.
Whether it is a Sony Vaio, Dell Inspiron, Acer or Asus, the various components of a laptop are;
Central Processing Unit (CPU): CPU is the 'brain' of a laptop and is a vastly improved version of the traditional desktop processors. They are more efficient, have advanced features and produce less heat. Intel with a wide range of processors including Core™ 2 Duo predominates the processor market, though AMD has its own share of loyal customers.
Memory (RAM): Random Access Memory is another critical component of a laptop. Keeping in line with the size, utility and needs of a laptop, RAM used in laptops is usually SO-DIMM (small outline dual in-line memory module), a smaller version of desktop DIMM. DDR2 (double data rate) is the most common, with DDR3 being the latest, RAM which most of the laptops use. The performance of your laptop is a direct outcome of the efficiency of your CPU and RAM.
Storage: Laptops make use of small sized hard disks without compromising with the actual storage capacity. To make the laptops more compatible few upcoming laptops are now using flash-memory based storage systems. What all you can store in your laptop depends upon the storage capacity of its hard disk.
Operating System: Operating System is the interface that allows you to manage resources and coordinate activities of your laptop. Microsoft with its Windows family of operating systems has virtually monopolized the market. Linux and Apple Mac OS are also popular operating systems which are favorites of many. But going by the history of Google, its upcoming Chrome OS could just turn out to be the revolution that everyone has been waiting for.
Battery: Battery is one of the most critical components of a laptop. One of the prime reasons behind the popularity and success of laptops is the ease of mobility they offer. Mobility itself is simply dependent upon the life of the battery. The longer the better, but you also don't want a bulky battery as it will add to the weight of the laptop.
Size and Weight: Size and weight also govern the mobility of a laptop. Compact size and lower weight form core of the decision of any potential buyer. Very small size may make screens and keyboards less convenient so depending upon your usage requirement, you need to pick the laptop with suitable dimensions.
Energy Efficiency: You may be a bit surprised to find energy efficiency being mentioned as a part of the basic configuration of a laptop. It is not just a 'green gimmick' as the world we live in demands that whatever we do energy consciousness should be a part of it. Being energy efficient should and does form an essential part of any laptop.
Buying a laptop is a fun exercise. However, paying too much upfront for something that you won't really use or paying too little and setting yourself for an expensive near term upgrade is no fun. We hope that this and our related posts on laptops will help you gain enough knowledge to buy a laptop that best meets your needs.
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