Out of all the customers we deal with finding ideal laptops for students going back to school is easily the most difficult. For gamers simply the most powerful laptop is the name of the game, for multi-media playback a good screen, Blu-Ray and a HDMI output fit the bill yet a back to school laptop will be expected to do a bit of everything ; while offering exceptional value for money. The need for long battery life, portability and even styling all come into consideration.
In this introductory guide I hope to be able to help you navigate through the often baffling lists of specifications and features listed on laptops and direct you towards what features make an ideal “back to school†machine.
What types of Laptop are available?
There are several types of laptops available for different uses. There are notebooks for general use, desktop replacements which are intended to be your only machine with limited portability, Ultra Low Voltage models with huge battery life suitable for use on the road and Netbooks which are suitable for use browsing the internet with long battery life. The most useful units for students will be a combination of a good quality general purpose unit or one with extended battery life; there is no point in your laptop shutting down in the middle of a note-taking session!
What parts of the specification are important?
The specification of the laptop is what ultimately decides its performance, battery life and general suitability for you. Getting the correct laptop specification for your intended use is crucial to you being happy with your expensive purchase.
Screen Size:
You need to take into consideration both physical screen size and resolution (how many pixels are on the screen, the higher the resolution the more screen ‘space’ you will have for programs). Screen sizes can range from 7 to 22 inches on the very large desktop replacements. The screen size determines the overall size of the laptop computer. Resolution rises from 1024x600 to above 1920x1200 which is above 1080p HD resolution. For a laptop in the classroom then you do not want anything bigger than 15.6†due to limited desk space, although most students will find a 13†or smaller laptop will give the ideal trade-off between rucksack space, desk space and screen space. The screen resolution you should be looking for is 1024x768 or higher on an 11†model and 1280x800 or higher on a 13†screen.
Processor:
The processor determines the overall multi-tasking performance of the machine and its ability to perform complex tasks. With a dual core processor or even a quad core you’ll be able to use several applications at the same time and accelerate processing time in applications such as games, video editors and photography programs. Ultra Low Voltage processors are available such as the Intel Atom that offer limited performance but make them ideal for use in Netbooks. Intel CULV chips while expensive offer a brilliant combination of performance and power usage making them the default choice for people looking for exceptionally long battery life and good performance. An Intel Core i3 processor is perfect for a back to school model giving enough power for any classroom task while also being great for movie playback and some light gaming when you need to unwind. For those on a tighter budget keep an eye out for a Pentium Dual Core as these offer a sizeable step up in performance over a Celeron or AMD Athlon processor.
Graphics Chipset:
The graphics chipset is responsible for rendering the picture you see on the screen. The main benefits of having a high powered graphics chip in the laptop is it enables the latest games to be played and improved performance in many photo and video editing applications. Although not crucial in an office or home laptop it is always a nice addition. It is worth considering that even basic Intel integrated graphics can now playback HD video and play browser based flash games easily. Most laptops in the £250-350 price bracket will come with on board Intel Graphics; while not great for gaming they will handle note-taking, movie playback, presentations and desktop publishing with performance to spare. While nice a dedicated graphics card is rarely essential.
Memory (RAM):
This is what determines how many programs can be open and running at the same time, if you run out of RAM the PC will slow down dramatically and feel sluggish. For a basic machine to browse the internet 1GB of memory is ample and is what most Netbooks come equipped with. Running Windows 7 a basic home office machine with 2GB of memory will be more than sufficient for running office, messenger, internet explorer and music all at the same time. For a high performance laptop intended for gaming or video/photo editing 3Gb is now accepted as being the minimum amount you should look for with 4GB being preferable. Â 2GB will be fine for most students although if your budget can stretch to it 3 or 4GB is the way to go, with memory you truly can never have enough.
Hard Drive:
This is how much space the laptop features to enable you to store your folders and files such as pictures, movies, documents and music. The higher the capacity the more data you can store, it is that simple! It is recommended that even on basic machines that you look for a capacity of 120GB or greater, this should be enough for thousands of work documents. If you plan on keeping your music and videos on the laptop then you really need to be looking at hard drive capacities of 250GB or greater.
Optical Drive:
Netbooks and ultra-portable models with large battery life will often omit an optical drive, mainly due to space constraints of their smaller chassis. Most laptops of 15.6†and above now feature a DVD-RW drive allowing you to burn your own CD and DVD disks. Some models are also equipped with Blu-Ray players for watching HD films. These are gradually becoming more and more common on multimedia oriented machines however it is worth checking that the screen is a high resolution to get the most out of the HD Blu-Ray format.
Connections and Outputs:
Check that there are enough USB ports for your peripherals and devices, 2x USB ports are considered standard on most Netbooks, Ultra Portables and Notebooks while desktop replacement Notebooks may feature 4x/5x ports. Mini jacks are indispensible for outputting to speakers or headphones for most people so are worth looking out for. Other connections you are likely to find include Ethernet Sockets for connecting to a network, e-SATA for high-speed connections to external hard drives, FireWire for connection to cameras and devices and Express Card for upgrades. For connecting to a projector in the classroom VGA is the standard output that is required although newer projectors are using HDMI. If you are looking to connect your laptop to a TV then HDMI will be an essential connector.
Memory Card Reader:
Almost all laptops now include one. The choice comes in terms of compatibility with the different formats and transfer speed. The minimum is support for SD and SDHC as this is the standard that most devices now use.
Battery:
The battery life can vary greatly from just over 1 hour to over 10 hours on some ultra portable low voltage models and select netbooks. The battery life of a laptop varies depending on how hard you are making the laptop work, the size of its battery, brightness of the screen and if the WiFi is in operation. Look for a quoted battery life that exceeds your needs. If you are looking for enough battery life to get you through the school day then a quoted run time of 7+ hours is the figure to aim for. While you can get away with less you may find if you use your laptop in every lesson the need to dive for wall sockets far too frequently to keep the laptop running.
Weight:
13†models are normally as large as you want to go for a portable laptop as they usually keep their weight below 2KG. Over 2KG and you will find the laptop noticeable in your bag and could regret taking it along to school.
Is a Netbook suitable for me?
Netbooks are designed primarily for browsing the internet and information consumption. They are ultra-mobile and are a complement to your main machine. With super low weight and impressive battery life of over 5 hours on most models they are brilliant for use on the daily commute or while watching television. They trade this for much lower performance and compromised keyboard and track pad size. They are entry level machines intended for reading and light editing of office documents and browsing the internet, it is worth remembering that many of the early models are not capable of running youtube videos and playing games. There are exceptions but they require extensive research to ensure they will meet your requirements.
Do laptops and netbooks come with cases in the box?
Unless specifically stated most laptops, netbooks and notebooks do not come with an included case or bag.
What is the difference between a laptop bag and a laptop slip case?
A laptop bag will hold the laptop, notebook or netbook with its charger and accessories and feature a carrying strap. The slip case style will just hold the laptop on its own without any carrying handles and rarely any space for a charger and accessories.
What different styles of laptop bag are available?
Laptop bags come in a variety of styles to suit everyone’s taste. The features of each style vary to offer different markets the features they desire. A bag aimed at a home user will differ from one designed for a mobile professional for example. Here is a brief list of the different styles of bag currently available:
- Briefbag laptop bags
- Top Loading laptop bags
- Backpack style laptop bags
- Messenger style laptop bags
- Rolling laptop bags
- Ladies laptop bags
- Men’s laptop bags
Each style also comes in different sizes suitable for 15†notebooks, 17†notebooks and of course bags for netbooks.
