If you are planning to buy a laptop this year (2009), you will find the market is overcrowded with laptops from various brands and with different specifications. This can be overwhelming if you do not have a clear idea of what you are really into.

First take into consideration your requirement and the various specifications available for your requirements when going to make the purchase. Also make sure that you do a little homework on the latest computer hardware technologies available in the market.
I will guide you in this article on how to understand and select the specs for the laptop you need.

Processors:
As we all know, the processor is the ultimate brain of any computer. Check the brand, type and speed of the processor that is inbuilt in the laptop.

The two major brands available are that of Intel and AMD. Intel at present is marketing its Core 2 range of processors. Intel also has the Celeron and Atom range of processor available for the economy conscious customers.

According to Intel website, “Based on Intel Core microarchitecture, the Intel Core2 Duo processor families is designed to provide powerful energy-efficient performance so you can do more at once without slowing down.”

By the present standards for a normal home or business user, the Intel Core 2 Duo processor would be a good buy. Take into consideration also the speed of the processor and the Last Level (L2) Cache it supports. The faster the processor and more the L2 Cache, the faster the processing speed. The Core 2 Duo comes in various speeds and starts with varying L2 cache as per each processor type. Also take into consideration the Front Side Bus (FSB) of the processor. The FSB speed is also critical in determining the overall performance of the processor.

For the heavy gamers and graphic designers, we have laptops based on the Intel Core2 Quad and Intel Core2 Extreme Processors. These processors have more processing speed and L2 caches compared to their Core 2 Duo cousins and are relatively more expensive.Intel also got its Atom processors in the market. A new range of the mini laptops or Netbooks with small LCD screens come with this processor. Such laptops also have a limited memory capacity compared to its big Core 2 Duo bros.

I would also like to remind the buyers that Intel has released the next range of latest Intel Core processor, called the Intel Core i7. We can expect laptops based on this technology to hit the markets in the near future. These processors will be much faster than the Core 2 Duo series as it supports more inbuilt cores and more L2 cache. The Core i7 offers an onboard dedicated memory controller,
and reintroduces Intel Hyper-Threading™, which allows Windows Vista to recognize all Core i7 processors as 8 different individual processor cores!… But remember that the latest stuff will always be expensive.

AMD is marketing its Turion 64 Dual Core and Turion X2 Ultra 64 processors as a main rival with the Intel Core 2 Duo series. These processors are 64bit but will need a 64bit Operating System like the Windows Vista 64Bit Edition, to squeeze the full juice out of it. It would also perform well with the 32bit Operating systems.

Recommendations: Choose a processor that is sufficient for your needs but not the latest and most expensive (unless you have a big pocket). For the normal home and business user, the Intel Core 2 Duo processors with speed above 2 GHz is a good buy. For the heavy PC gamers and hardcore video editors the Intel Core2 Quad Processors and the Intel Core2 Extreme Processors is recommended with speeds above 2.3 GHz and sufficient L2 cache.
The Core 2 Duo series starts with processing speeds starting from 1.83 GHz and goes on to 3.06 GHz. The more the processing speed of the processor, the better the performance of the laptop. Don’t go for the most powerful processors as they will increase the price of the laptop manifold.

Memory:
It is highly recommended you have a large amount of memory (also called RAM) on your computer. By today’s standards and needs it would be perfect if you pump in 3GB or 4 GB of Memory into the laptop. The new laptops come with operating systems like Windows Vista and other applications that are hungry for more and more system memory. So more the memory, smoother the performance. The latest laptops use Memories based on the SDRAM-DDR2 (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory – Double Data Rate) technology.
Recommendations: So 3GB or 4 GB of SDRAM-DDR2 Memory would be perfect.
More memory increases not only your ability to run complex programs but also to run multiple programs simultaneously.

Hard Disk Drive:
The size of the hard drive depends on the amount of data you will need to store on the laptop. Especially if you are planning to have a lot of videos and music files stored on the hard drive, then you need lots of hard drive space.
The present basic standard hard drive size is 160 GB… This trend is slowly changing with 250 GB and 320 GB Hard Drives becoming more frequent with new models of laptops. Remember the price of the laptop keeps going up when you demand more heavy hardware. As the size of the hard drive increases, so will the price.

The present hard drive technology used is that of SATA or Serial ATA which is much faster than the previous IDE technology. Hardcore gamers would also be looking for hard drives with more RPMs or Rotations Per Minute. The more the RPM the faster the data retrieval speed of the hard drive and so faster the games. For  normal users 5400 RPM would do fine, but the gamers would need the 7200 RPM hard drives for a smoother hi-end 3D gaming experience.

Drives also have onboard RAM (called “cache”) to store frequently accessed information. 2 MB is the default. Faster drives with 8 MB are increasingly common, and some models have 16 MB. The 4200 RPM drives are slow and nowadays usually found only in ultra-portable laptops.
Recommendations: 250 GB or 320 GB of SATA Hard Drive with 5400 RPM (for the normal user) and 7200 RPM (for the 3d gamer). The hard drive should have at least 8 MB cache.

Size of the laptop:
The size and weight of the laptop is crucial and will entirely depend on the how the buyer would be planning to use it.
The laptops with the 17 or 16.4 inch LCD screens are mostly used by users who would be using their laptops as a replacement for the Desktop computers. As they are heavy these laptops would be fixed at a particular place and would be used mostly for gaming and watching movies.

Now days we have the Ultra portable laptops which come in very small sizes and weighs very less. But remember that you will have to strain your eyes as the screen becomes smaller and reading becomes more difficult.

Recommendations: Select the right laptop with the right size and weight that suits to your lifestyle and work. If you are a heavy traveler then a light weight laptop with a 14.1 or 13.3 inch LCD screen would be perfect. If you need a Desktop replacement laptop, then the 17 or 16.6 inch LCD laptops are for you. If you come between both these categories then the 15.4 inch LCD laptops would be perfect.

Inbuilt Webcam and Mic:
If you have an inbuilt webcam and mic, you don’t need to be running around searching for them in the middle of a chat session. Most of the present laptops come with inbuilt webcam and mic. A 2.0 Mega Pixels webcam would be perfect for getting a clear video input. Always make sure to use webcam in a well lighted room for getting better video quality.
Recommendations: Get a laptop with a 2.0 Mega Pixels webcam and mic inbuilt. It would also be better if the webcam can be rotated for capturing video from various vertical angles. Also some of the latest laptops from major brands come along with 1.3 Mega Pixel webcams. These too will do fine.

LCD Screen:
Laptop Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) is made by a small group of suppliers, who sell the screen as a component to the laptop manufacturers. Display quality varies only slightly among top-tier manufacturers (correspondingly, no-name laptops tend to have dimmer, fuzzier screens), so your decision revolves around screen size. When you are in the computer store, get a feel for the size you are comfortable working with. Make sure you are comparing similar resolutions too; common laptop screen resolutions start at 1024×768 (called “XGA”) and go higher, rising proportionately with screen size.

Battery:
Battery power is critical when it comes to a laptop. Make sure the laptop brand has not had any previous history of complaints with its batteries, like that of over heating. Most of the latest laptops use Lithium Ion (abbreviated Li-ion) batteries and come in 6 cells or 9 cells. If the battery has more cells and is of better quality, then the laptop will get more battery backup and the battery will last longer.

The 9 cells are able to store power and are for the same reason more expensive compared to the 6 cell batteries. Check how much battery backup you can receive from the laptop you plan to purchase and the number of cells it has. If you travel a lot and need more battery power, you can also consider buying an external universal notebook battery.

Wireless Technology:
Most of the laptops available today in the market are WiFi ready. Just switch on the WiFi button and you can connect to a wireless network and browse the internet without worry about cables.
Recommendations: Go for the laptops that support the latest 802.11 g/n WiFi technology.

GPU Processor:
GPU stands for Graphic Processing Unit. This refers to a dedicated processor for processing graphic intensive applications like video editing, 3d graphic designing and 3d gaming. Having a laptop with a dedicated GPU will enhance the all round performance as the main CPU will not be doing all the work.

The most popular and latest series of GPU from nVidia is the GeForce Go series and the ATi Radeon series. Special gaming laptops released by some dedicated gaming laptop companies like the Alienware, can have two GPU built into the laptop to provide unbelievable graphics. You can connect two of the hi-end graphics card of nVidia GeForce using a technology known as SLi and two of ATi Radeon using a technology known as CrossFire X. Some of the laptops come with onboard graphics from Intel.
Recommendations: Having a 254 MB or 512 MB DDR3 dedicated GPU from renowned GPU manufactures such as nVidia or ATi inbuilt in your laptop would be damn cool. Dude, its time for some serious gaming…

DVD-RW and Blue Ray Disc Drives:
The age of the Blue Ray Disc (BRD) has dawned and the age of the DVD technology is slowly setting. Blue Ray discs can store more than their DVD counterparts. This feature enables the Blue ray to support HD (Hi–Definition) video quality and also store large amount of data files. So if you have a new Blue Ray Disk then you can view Blue Ray Disc movies in HD quality and also burn huge amounts of data on to blank Blue Rays Discs. Their unparalleled capacity, up to ten times that of DVDs, means that with a Blue ray burner you can back up your entire media library on just a handful of Blue ray discs.

Recommendations: If the laptop supports the Blue Ray Disc Drive the price of the laptop will be much higher than its DVD-RW Drive model. So if you have a big pocket and desire the latest, go for it.

Don’t forget these – USB 2.0, FireWire and DVI Ports, HDMI and Bluetooth support:
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to interface devices to a host computer.Today we have a wide range of devices that can be connected to computers using the USB ports. So more the USB ports available on the laptop, one can connect more devices to the laptop at a time. If the laptop is small in size, the number of USB ports available would also become limited. This issue can be solved by using a USB Extension Hub. All the ports should have the USB 2.0 standard, as it supports faster data transfer rates (maximum speed of 480 Mbit/s) compared to the USB 1.0 standard which support data transfer rates of only 1.5 Mbit/s.
Many new Laptops come with inbuilt FireWire ports. These ports are capable of supporting high speed data transfer and will become a standard in the future.

The higher end laptops also come with ports to connect the laptop to external monitors. They usually support S-Video, HDMI and DVI ports.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. The latest LCD and Plasma monitors come equipped with this technology. It would be just great to see a Hollywood HD (High Definition) movie from you laptops DVD player or browse the internet after connecting your laptop to a 32 inch LCD monitor through the HDMI port using just a single HDMI cable. DVI (Digital Visual Interface) ports are also a must, as it is used for connecting the laptop to the latest LCD and Plasma monitors.

Recommendations: Laptops with at least three or four USB 2.0 ports, One FireWire 400 port, one HDMI port, built-in Bluetooth support, one or 2 DVI port, S-Video, Built-in-card Reader with support for the most popular formats.

Hope you have a great time with you new laptop and that this guide was useful in making your decision. By the way… do remember that the technologies that we see today took a long time to develop into what they are now. The dedicated life and intense passion of many men and women over the years have brought the computer that filled a huge building to you lap with 1000 times more the processing power.

- By George Mathew

Send me your opinions at geogm77@gmail.com