Buyer's guide - Laptop computers

Home and student laptops

Are you looking for a laptop to use basic office applications and the internet? You're spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a laptop! Laptop computers are small and lightweight (1.5-3.5 kg for a screen size of 14-15.4") and offer loads of great functions at an affordable price. You can pick up an entry-level laptop PC for around £350 (€400) - a price that will particularly appeal to students. These models have a battery life of around 3-4 hours so they're great for use on the move. To narrow down your choice, you should look for a laptop with a minimum capacity of 160 GB on the hard drive and at least 2 GB of RAM. This will ensure smooth operation when you're using several applications simultaneously. In other words, you'll be able to read your emails, shop online, download your holiday snaps and more, all at the same time!

Desktop performances in a space-saving package.

If, like many other laptop buyers, you're looking to replace your desktop computer with a more mobile IT solution, then read on! First of all, with like-for-like specifications, a laptop will be more expensive than an equivalent desktop computer. This is because all the technology has to be made more compact and more robust for optimal use on the move. So if you don't have much space at home, you should look for what's known as a "desktop replacement". These laptops offer all the power and comfort of a desktop computer but take up much less room. They are usually heavier than other laptop models (often weighing over 3.5 kg) and have a maximum battery life of 3 hours. However, they are extremely comfortable to use, particularly because they have a typical screen size of 17 inches or larger. This makes them ideal for enjoying all your films and video games. Plus, you'll be able to take full advantage of loads of multimedia functions without any lag, because desktop replacements have an average RAM of 2 GB and graphics cards that are just as powerful as those found in desktop computers. So whether it's for watching your favourite DVDs, playing games or even touching up photos, a desktop replacement will do everything you want and more.

Laptops for gamers

Any games fans out there should look for as much power as possible, whether you're playing for a few days or just whiling away an hour or two here or there. As video games graphics become ever-more advanced, power is important because it ensures impeccable results and maximised response times. Gamers should also invest in a model with a 17-inch screen, with HD compatibility if possible, as well as a good battery life for total, uninterrupted immersion in the virtual world! So what exactly should you be looking for? For starters, you should choose a laptop with a dual-core processor and a 320 GB hard drive, because the latest games require a large amount of storage space and excellent response times. For life-like images that flow seamlessly, you'll need a laptop with a high-quality graphics card and plenty of RAM (3 GB minimum).

Compact accessories for complete freedom

Carrying your laptop

If you plan on taking your laptop out and about with you, then a laptop bag is an absolute must to protect your computer from any knocks or bumps that could cause it severe, sometimes irreversible, damage. Don't forget that you'll probably also need to carry a few accessories (power cable, CDs, USB keys etc.) and keep them just as safe as your computer. Ideally, you look for a bag with enough room and enough pockets to fit in everything you need. Be careful not to overload yourself though - the main advantage of a laptop is supposed to be its portability! To help you travel light while still protecting your computer, some manufacturers' laptops come with a handy carry case. See the full range of laptop accessories

Enhanced user comfort

If you just can't get used to the touchpad, you can always buy yourself a mini mouse. Similarly, if the keyboard feels uncomfortable, there are plenty of solutions out there! A wider keyboard or a numeric keypad can be easily connected to any laptop computer, and some can even be connected wirelessly. When you're watching films or viewing photos, your laptop screen may sometimes seem a bit small. If so, you can connect your laptop to your television or to an LCD monitor to increase your visual comfort. For anyone who's serious about music, headphones (for the more discreet) or speakers (for those who want to share) are a must-have for optimising your laptop's audio power. You can even pick up an external sound card to boost your computer's audio performance. With all these different accessories, you may think your laptop is starting to look more like a desktop with cables sprouting out all over the place! If so, a docking station can prove particularly useful. These user-friendly laptop stands have a built-in fan to keep the components cool. They also usually integrate a USB hub (can be purchased separately) for connecting all your peripheral devices nice and neatly!

Store, transfer and share!

Your new laptop will be just the job for enjoying all your favourite films and sharing them with your friends and family. Instead of slowing down your computer by keeping all your films on the hard drive, you might want to consider storing them on a portable external hard drive. Some models offer up to 500 GB of storage space (and soon much more), which is particularly handy when you consider that a video, especially in HD quality, can take up quite a lot of room (around 4 GB for one DVD). Cinema fans with huge film collections may want to look for a larger external hard drive. Some units integrate several external hard drives, and can store up to 5 TB of data (that's (5,000 GB). Such models are generally restricted to use at home, as they can be quite heavy (often 8 kg!). When choosing an external hard drive, you should watch out for the data transfer rate, as you're likely to be storing, moving and sharing large volumes of data. Data transfer can be a long process, so to ensure you don't end up nodding off while you're waiting for your data to transfer, you should look for a hard drive that has one of the brand new eSATA interfaces. An eSATA port transfers data twice as quickly as a FireWire port and ten times faster than a USB 2.0 port, which can only transfer data at an average speed of 34 MB per second. Although they may be more expensive than drives with a FireWire interface, drives with an eSATA port allow you to work at speeds equivalent to those of internal hard drives. If you're just looking to swap a few photos or a film between friends, or transfer files onto your desktop computer, then a USB key is ideal for high-speed data transfers in a perfectly portable package. In terms of capacity, they range from 128 MB to 32 GB (soon more) so there's something out there for everyone. Make sure you watch out for those transfer speeds though! You should go for one with a write speed of at least 5 MB per second and a read speed of at least 12 MB per second. For wireless data transfer, a Bluetooth key will allow you to connect your computer to any compatible device - no cables needed! You could, for example, transfer files between your computer and your mobile phone, camcorder or PDA. Synchronising your Bluetooth devices and swapping files between them has never been quicker or easier. For example, for friends or family who couldn't make it to your birthday party, you can use Bluetooth to transfer the home video of the event directly from your camcorder to your laptop, where you can edit it and then send it so they can see what you got up to! Plus, for hard copies of all your most treasured memories, a Bluetooth-compatible printer offers a quick and easy way to transfer and print photos and documents stored on your laptop, mobile phone or PDA. See the full range of storage solutions

Power and performance

The core of every computer is its processor. This component manages a computer's performance, i.e. its ability to deal as quickly as possible with any programs running at the same time. AMD and Intel have gone head-to-head in a technology war to make processors that are more powerful and increasingly energy efficient. Dual-core processors are the perfect example of just how quickly technology is advancing. In fact, the operating frequency of a processor, expressed in GHz, is no longer the best way to choose a processor. Nowadays, what matters is the number of "cores" that make up the processor, although you should also watch out for the amount of heat emitted and the amount of cache memory. As a deciding factor in your computer's operating speed, the random access memory (or RAM) is essential for carrying out all your tasks simultaneously. Basically, the more RAM you have, the faster the computer reacts when switching between applications or running several programs simultaneously. This memory is crucial to your laptop's performance, as the computer uses it to temporarily store all your programs for quicker access than directly via the hard drive. You also need more memory to work in Windows Vista than Windows XP, or to play latest-generation video games. If you feel that your PC is slowing down, it's probably because it doesn't have enough RAM. You may want to consider giving it a boost by adding a memory bar. Just make sure it's compatible with the motherboard and processor first. The graphics card is responsible for displaying images. If it's built into the chipset (the circuit that deals with all of the computer's internal communication), then the laptop is likely to be cheaper. Such laptops are also likely to have an increased battery life, as the card will require less power. However, in terms of performance, built-in cards are less effective than dedicated graphics cards. These are faster as they have their own graphics memory. Users of multimedia and office applications will find a built-in card perfectly adequate, whereas hardcore gamers should look for a dedicated card. The eternal question of the best operating system remains unanswered, both in this guide and elsewhere. Why? Because anyone choosing between Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X will be more tempted to go for a system they're already familiar with. Just make sure you choose what's best for you! Macs are renowned for their ease of use and user-oriented design, whereas PCs offer a greater selection of compatible software. When software exists for both PC and Mac, the main files will generally be compatible with both operating systems. You can therefore have a desktop PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista and a laptop with Mac OS X and still transfer files between them easily.

The ultimate in mobility

As well as being your main interface with your PC, the [#url typecms=m;id=1899,type=pm#]LCD screen also determines the size of the laptop. Make sure you think about how you're going to use your new computer so you don't weigh yourself down unnecessarily. If you plan on working on your laptop for long periods of time, you might want to look for a screen of at least 15.4 inches and with a resolution of at least 1,280x800 pixels to reduce eye-strain. Screen technologies remain fairly similar, the only real differences are the forms of treatment applied to the screen and the various brightness settings they offer. If you're looking for excellent image quality, then a Full HD screen is certainly a must-have. These offer optimal definition and deep, rich colours that are sure to please multimedia and video games fans. they also make a great choice for film buffs as you can enjoy films on Blu-ray disc in all their glory (so long as your computer can read them!). If you want to use your laptop to surf the web with complete freedom wherever you go, then you'll need to check its network connections. It's perfectly possible that a laptop may not have a built-in Wifi adapter, even if it's equipped with an Ethernet network card and a 56K modem. If your laptop doesn't come with built-in wireless connectivity, you can also add a wireless network card. With one of these, you'll be able to hook up to a wireless network or HotSpot wherever you go.