Your budget: cheap (budget), moderate, high-end power notebooks
Portability is the greatest feature of a notebook computer.
It offers you from minimal features to all features included
options in the form of cheap computer notebooks, moderate
laptop notebooks, and high-end power notebooks. Inclusion
of features is directly proportional to the price, hence a
cheap laptop is the lowest priced laptop notebook, a moderate
laptop is a moderately priced laptop notebook and a high-end
power notebook computer is the most expensive laptop notebook.
Previously, laptops were considered to be companion computers
but with advancement of science and technology, nowadays,
high-end power notebooks are sophisticated enough to be at
par with a top configuration desktop computer.
Determining features affecting the budget
Processor. Commonly known as the brain of the computer,
it is actually a microchip that does all the computing. The
performance of the processor is usually measured by clock
speed in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz), besides the
Front Side Bus (FSB) and the Cache. Intel, AMD, and Cyrix,
are some of the companies manufacturing laptop notebook computer
processors.
Random Access Memory (RAM). Every computer comes with RAM
that can be upgraded as per requirements. RAM is a temporary
storage area where the computer stores data to perform calculations
for current applications. More memory means more space to
store data and thereby faster calculations. Multitasking requires
more RAM and buying extra RAM is the most efficient way to
boost performance, with the same processor speed. Cheap notebooks
need a minimum of 256 MB RAM where normal and basic computer
operations can be done. Moderate laptop notebooks need a minimum
of 512 MB RAM as it can perform special applications and can
connect to many external devices like camcorders. High-end
notebooks need a minimum of 1 GB or more RAM as many graphic
applications can be done and can connect to any external devices
along with wireless connectivity like bluetooth etc.
Hard Disk Drives. RAM is temporary storage used by the laptop
to perform calculations. The data in the RAM is erased once
the computer is switched off. Permanent storage is achieved
by hard disk drives. Hard disk drives storage is defined in
terms of the capacity of storage like 10 GB, 20 GB, 40 GB,
or 80 GB. Basic applications need about 10 to 20 GB whereas
high-end applications like digital video editing need 80 GB
of hard disk storage. Along with the capacity of storage,
the hard disk's rotational speed also makes a significant
difference in the overall speed of the laptop notebook. Most
notebook drives have a hard disk spin of 4.200 rpm (rounds
per minute) as a standard. High-end drives have a rotational
speed of 5,400 rpm. Cheap notebooks usually have 20 GB of
hard disk storage space while moderate notebooks have 40 GB,
and high-end notebooks have at least 60 GB.
Removable storage media. Data can also be stored outside
the computer to facilitate extra file space and portability.
Removable storage media are floppy disk drive (1.44 MB storage),
LS-120 drive (high density 3.5" floppy disks, 120 MB
storage), zip drive (100 MB to 250 MB cartridges), flash drive
( SmartMedia, CompactFlash, and Memory Sticks, needs a Flash
Reader), CD ROM Drive (Compact Disk Read Only Memory, only
reading of data is possible), CD-RW Drive (Compact Disk ReWritable,
reading and writing of data is possible), DVD Drive (Digital
Versatile Disk, can read from CDs, CD ROMs, DVDs, and DVD
ROMs), CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive (can read and write to CD ROMs,
read DVDs, but cannot write to DVDs), and DVD-RW Drives (can
read CD ROMs, CD-RW, DVDs, and write DVDs). Cheap laptops
usually need CD/DVD drives, moderate laptop notebook computers
need CD-RW/DVD combo drives, whereas high-end laptops need
DVD-RW drives. Notebooks offer these options as fixed drives
(cannot be easily removed, like hard disks, CD ROM drive),
swappable drives (can be easily removed from the laptop, like
you can pull out the CD ROM drive and swap in a combo DVD/CD-RW
drive. Some laptops also give the option of extended battery
life by the option of installing a second battery. Swappable
drives give increased flexibility.), and external drives (connected
through USB, FireWire, or a docking station. External drives
make a laptop notebook thin and light, but increases the inconvenience
of carrying the external drive along.).
Screen. The size of the screen makes a difference in the
price. Screen size is measured on the diagonal. Notebooks
use TFT LCD screens, which usually range from 12" to
17" screen size. A cheap laptop may have a 12" TFT
LCD screen, a moderate laptop may have 14" TFT LCD screen,
whereas a high-end laptop can have a 15" or more TFT
LCD screen.
Size and weight. The more compact and light weight a laptop,
the more is the cost.
Connectivity. Wireless connections, also known as WiFi or
802.11 networking, typically use the radio waves to connect
to the a network or the Internet. Most wireless notebooks
incorporate a PCMCIA slot to enable wireless networking. Technologies
like Bluetooth, and Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology
is used for wireless connectivity.
The Budget
Laptop computer prices have dropped dramatically in recent
years. A cheap notebook would range from $480 to $700, a moderate
laptop notebook would range from $800 to $2500, and a high-end
notebook computer would range from $2500 to $6000, depending
upon the features chosen.
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