Laptop buying Guide for September 2010

[Head-Hunter]

Restricted to the wealthiest few years ago, buying a laptop to replace and / or add to the desktop PC is an option that should be considered today. Indeed the price of these concentrates technology has dropped significantly over the years 2005 and 2006 due to declining prices of LCD panels. Of course, the essential interest of a laptop is its very small footprint compared to a traditional desktop computer. However this space is particularly expensive because of the miniaturization of components, but offers some advantages related to mobility. With their multimedia options (17-inch screens, powerful graphics cards and other DVD players / recorders integrated), the least we can say is that the latest models of laptops have almost nothing to envy the great.

First, you must decide that for what purpose your laptop will be used. This will be primarily used to enter information and access the Internet? Consider a thin and light notebook that is easy to load and does not occupy much space or a combination of a laptop / tablet PC with touch screen and a keyboard. You need a system to replace the desktop computer that handles everything from the Computer Aided Design (CAD) up games? So you will need a more powerful processor and high-end graphics. Maybe you want a laptop that can perform all tasks of multimedia, from video editing and DVD burning to work as a portable video recorder for your favorite TV shows. Fortunately there are computers that meet all these classifications, and most providers will instruct you properly in relation to how they classify the lines of the system. However, it is good to have some specific things in mind when planning the purchase of a laptop.

[Head-Hunter]

Now that your choice is made, you decided to purchase a laptop computer, you just have to choose. But not easy to find in the jungle, where prices range from 400 $ to 4000$. The purpose of this guide is to help you choose the laptop that best fits your needs and your budget. First some important points to consider:

1.1 The choice of the diagonal of the screen (portable, laptop or ultra-portable?

It is necessary to determine if you need a laptop, a portable PC (also called desktop replacement) or, conversely, an ultra-portable see a netbook. These terms are used to define four major categories of laptops that we are currently in stores:

• The transportable, as their name suggests, are a heavy weight (over 3 kg) and generally have little autonomy (about 2 hours in office use). This is especially models with screens 17 inches (see 19 or 20 inches), the difference in weight and dimensions with a 15 inch standard is far from negligible (to take the train every days for example). Can be regarded as models with 17 "screens have a range of about 10% lower compared to a 15-inch model exactly the same: indeed, the larger the screen, the greater the demand for energy to operate.
  
  
• Instead the phones are quieter and lighter and consume less power (range of about 3-4am in office according to the associated battery). The daily use of his mobile phone is the parameter that determines the choice of one or other of these categories. For travel very frequently, choosing a lighter laptop and autonomous will comfort some to the user. For everyday use in the home with some travel from time to time, a portable enough and provides comfort with its bigger screen.
  
  
• The ultra-portable: it can be classified in this category are models that have a small footprint and very low weight (less than 2 kg). These machines are usually fairly quiet and autonomy is high, at least 4 hours in the office. But the ultra-portables have the defects of their qualities: they are less efficient (debatable depending on model and size), their screens are smaller (below 13.3 inches, the screen becomes uncomfortable to work long periods) and above all they are expensive. Miniaturization and low volume sales make it even buying a luxury ultra-portable even if the trend is a significant drop in prices in this segment. There are now powerful models (Swift cpu and graphics card) fitted with 13.3 inch screens that have almost nothing from their big brother in 15 inches for the players, for cons will have to spend at least 1500 dollars.
  
  
• Netbooks: Asus launched by the end of 2007, these small machines ultralight (less than 1 kg) currently face a great success. Their performances are modest (entry level processor, hard drives limited ...) but sufficient for small office and surfing for very competitive prices around 400 dollars. These little laptops are often used for many users, see 2nd 3rd computer booster use very mobile.

1.2 Graphics Cards

The component to look closely when buying a laptop is the graphics card. The graphics card is, unlike the desktop, almost always welded to the motherboard (for reasons of space), it better not be wrong! For non-players, the choice is of little importance, performance 2D (office, DVD, surfing ...) will be equivalent regardless of the graphics card. The integrated graphics solutions will be well suited for inexpensive and consume less energy.

For those who want to play with their laptops, this component is critical, because the fact that the card is integrated or welded greatly limits the possibilities in 3D. There are still some interesting solutions include current GTS 160M, 230M GT, GT 240M Nvidia are an excellent choice for gamers in the middle range (models sold from 1000 dollars) and equivalent ATI, the Radeon 4650 and Radeon 4670. The worst performing cards like the Radeon 4570 will be struggling in recent games but represent a more efficient solution that integrated chipsets for small budgets.

For best performance, we must aim at Nvidia GTX 260M which is very efficient as well as the mobility Radeon HD 4850, 4860 and 4870 are comparable and current models of players at $ 1650.

For those seeking high performance, the ultimate solution is the GeForce GTX 280M (and 285m) and the rival ATI Radeon 5870 Mobile with performance well above other mobile graphics cards on the market. It is the only graphics card that can really compete with the high-end cards office, but unfortunately the models using the very expensive, Dell , Toshiba and ALIENWARE (now a subsidiary of Dell) are the two best-known brands selling this type of Notebooks.

[Head-Hunter]

1.3 Monitor

The laptop screens are LCD type and it is difficult to know the type of tile used (the quality is pretty good). There are displays of various sizes from 12 "to 17" see 20 ", size 4 / 3 standard or more often 16/10, otherwise known as" wide ". On 16/10, close to 16 / 9 is well suited for watching movies (no black bars as a 4 / 3) and the desktop (larger screen). By cons, some older games do not support resolutions 16/10 format: images displayed in resolutions 4 / 3 is then slightly deformed. Hard to choose between one or the other formats, each with advantages and disadvantages depending on usage but the 16/10 is the norm.

The most common models are currently 15 "(or 15.4" in wide) for conventional phones. As flat panels offices, these screens have a native resolution and resolution change is not really possible because the fonts are blurred due to interpolation. Feel free to get in stores FNAC or Darty type to test the machine and see if the font size you would like for surfing or office in native resolution. The current standards for screens are:

• The standard SXGA (Super eXtended Graphics Array) defines a resolution of 1280 x 1024 in 16 million colors. This mode has the characteristic of having a ration of 5:4 in contrast to other modes (VGA, SVGA, XGA, UXGA).
• Mode UXGA (Ultra eXtended Graphics Array) 1600 x 1200 with 16 million colors.
• Mode WXGA (Wide eXtended Graphics Array) 1280 x 800 with 16 million colors.
• Mode WSXGA (Wide Super eXtended Graphics Array) 1600 x 1024 with 16 million colors.
• Mode WSXGA + (Wide Super eXtended Graphics Array +): 1680 x 1050 with 16 million colors.
• Mode WUXGA (Wide Ultra eXtended Graphics Array) 1920 x 1200 with 16 million colors.
• Mode QXGA (Quad eXtended Graphics Array) 2048 x 1536 with 16 million colors.
• QSXGA mode (Quad Super eXtended Graphics Array) 2560 x 2048 with 16 million colors.
• QUXGA mode (Quad Ultra eXtended Graphics Array): 3200 x 2400 with 16 million colors.

The tiles can be matte or gloss (after treatment by the manufacturer). The glossy panels are becoming more common because this technique allows to bring out the colors but, in return, it makes the reflective screen, a bit like a windowpane. What may make the use very embarrassing outdoors or in a window lit by the sun. The matte screens are becoming more rare, there is no real choice ...

1.4 What brand to choose?

The brands that offer phones and service quality (for affordable) that we particularly recommend at this time are Asustek , MSI and Toshiba . Brands Samsung and Sony are also interesting for their quality (and design) in the high-end and ultra-portable. The consumer brands such as HP and Dell in particular the entry level are generally very good products at prices competitive enough. Dell is also crucial for high-end models and performance in games. We recommend less marks Packard Bell , Acer and Lenovo are very aggressive on price, but often at the expense of quality (on machines at low prices): rarely of the components which are the same for all laptops (Intel, AMD NVIDIA ...) but at the quality of the plastics, hinges, power supplies, finishing or the VAS (there are no secrets to offer rates as low ...). Some very cheap models of Lenovo or Acer, however, can be adapted for some uses (internet or office) for a reduced budget. There is also the manufacturer Alienware (now a subsidiary of Dell) that offers high performance machines and high-end prices finally reasonable enough in view of performance (a must for demanding gamers).

Regarding the VAS, it is very difficult to know the quality of service in terms of brands, they generally are not very efficient and very long: it cost a lot of money to businesses (and not they relate directly to anything ...). In the case of professional use highly dependent on the laptop, it is advisable to subscribe to a security professional to obtain a standard exchange across your country 24h or 48h. Dell offers this type of Options ... but, obviously, is very expensive.

[Head-Hunter]

1.5 Budget Matters too

Small budget (less than 1000 $)

• Use non-playful (office, internet, pictures, video playback )

For small budgets who want a machine in 15 inches for the office and surf, the Samsung R530 I7P-31X is especially noteworthy for its quality and attractive price (Intel Celeron Dual-Core T3100 2GB 250GB 15.6 "LED Burner DVD Wireless N Webcam Windows 7 Premium from 600 $). Along the same lines include also the Dell Vostro 3500 (Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz / 2GB / 250GB / LED15.6 / DVDRW / Win 7 Home Premium ) from 600 $ HT in Dell and normally targeted at small businesses, but individuals can buy it without proof. Quality-performance/prix The report of the Dell Vostro is very interesting, most components can be improved choosing options (more powerful processors, larger hard drive, more memory, etc.).. There is also a 17-inch version is good value for money, the Dell Vostro 3700 (Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz / 2GB / 250GB / LED17.3 / DVDRW / Win 7 Home Premium) and models of smaller sizes as the Vostro V13 (Intel Celeron 743 1.2GHz / 2GB / 250GB / LED13.3 / 7 Pro Win).

Always for the office, surfing, photos and video, but more powerful than the above models (slightly more powerful processor, more memory and hard disk a little bigger) while remaining in low price (less than 700 $ ), the ASUS-K50IJ SX264V (Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4400 4GB 320GB 15.6 "LCD DVD Writer Wi-Fi N Webcam Windows 7 Premium 64-bit) is a robust, simple and efficient. In addition it has two year warranty as most machines manufactured by Asus.

• Recreational use (office, internet, pictures, video playback, video games, 3D application ...)

For quite good performance in 3D games, while remaining within reasonable prices, we must turn to models with powerful graphics cards. For example towards the Toshiba Satellite l670-14E (330M-i3 Intel Core 4GB 500GB 17.3 "LED DVD Writer Wi-Fi N Webcam Windows 7 Premium) with a Mobility Radeon HD 5650 around 900 dollars which is good for the game 17 inches. Always 17 inches, the Dell Studio 17 (Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz / 4GB / 500GB / LED17.3 / DVDRW / Win 7 Home Premium) is an excellent model for a versatile multimedia and games.

• Netbooks (e-mail, internet, office light)

In this price range, a new class of machines rather special is growing strongly since late 2007, it already accounts for 20% of mobile phone sales: these are netbooks. These phones are designed for ultra mobility: they are very light (less than 1 kg), small (<12 inches), not very successful and sold at attractive prices, typically between 200 and 650 dollars (or even less taking advantage of a bundled with a subscription to a 3G phone operator).

Average budget ( $ 1000 - $ 1600)

• Use non-playful (office, internet, pictures, video playback)

For non-gamers, Dell offers the excellent Dell Latitude E5500 (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz / 2048MB / 160GB / TFT15.4 / DVDRW / Win Vista Business), 15-inch high enough quality, very suitable for those who looking for a workhorse for non playful and / or professional. In large (17 inches) include the ASUS-N71JQ TY024V (Intel Core i7-720QM 4GB 28.1 TB (2x 640GB) 17.3 "LED Blu-ray / DVD Writer Wi-Fi N / Bluetooth Webcam Windows 7 Premium 64-bit 2-year manufacturer warranty) which is a very powerful machine with Intel Core i7-720QM.

• Recreational use (office, internet, pictures, video playback, video games, 3D application)

For those seeking a multimedia machine with a large screen comfortably include the Dell XPS Studio 16 (Core i5 520M 2.40GHz / 4GB / 500GB / LED15.6 / DVDRW / Win 7 Home Premium) sizes 16 inches and have intermediate Radeon HD 4670 with a performance for newer games. For the game by 15 inches, include the MSI GT640-023 (Intel Core i7 720QM 4GB 500GB 15.4 "LCD DVD Writer Wi-Fi N / Bluetooth Webcam Windows 7 Premium) with integrated GeForce GTS 250M.

At 17 inches, include the MSI GX740-075 (Intel Core i5-430M 2.26GHz / 4GB / 500GB / TFT17 / DVDRW / Win 7 Home Premium) and the very powerful and large (18 inches) Toshiba Qosmio X500-12Q (Intel Core i7-720QM 4GB 640GB 18.4 "LCD DVD Burner Wi-Fi N / Bluetooth Webcam Windows 7 Premium 64-bit).

High budget (over $ 16000)

For gamers, 17 inches, the ASUS-G73JH SZ050V (Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz / 8GB / 640GB / LED15.6 / BD / Win 7 Home Premium) with a GeForce GTS 360M for a price around 1800 euros great for the players. Like the ASUS-G73JH TY098V (Intel Core i5-520M 4GB 1TB (2x 500GB) 17.3 "LED DVD Writer Wi-Fi N / Bluetooth Webcam Windows 7 Premium 64-bit) for gamers on a budget scarcely less important (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 and Core i5).

Another example is the excellent and high-end Dell Alienware m15x sold from 1650 $ depending on options and Alienware M17x (from 2100 $ ), it is assuredly a must for players, it is roughly the same laptop the world's most powerful for the game.