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“Dad , I want a laptop “ , this clause is part of the conversation of almost every B.Tech entrant, followed by consent of the
parents and then people start searching the internet, find the best configuration that best fits their budget, advice from a
laptop user is given a serious consideration, an interplay of brand name, price, specs fuelled by interactive web sites (e.g. DELL).
Then a smile shows up on the face when finally after much calculations & comparisons a laptop is decided. End of story………..
seldom people think about
To what extent will it be used beyond movies , playing games & watching T.V. serials. What processor to choose i3, i5 or i7
and why?
What RAM to choose
What display to choose.
Blue-Ray or DVD disk-drive
32 bit OS or 64 bit OS
Storage issues
Not only these,there are certain faulty assumptions
For better gaming I need more RAM.
- Obviously you need, but how much? 3 GB’s ( 1333 Mhz { the
most common one } ) can process almost run all state of the art games.
Better think about graphics card or GPU ( Graphics processing unit )..
here I ran 3 games all together, but still the RAM usage is below 3GB
(the processor is i7 720M),also other images do show that over a GB
of RAM that your system has is usually left unused. Furthermore even
Alienware comes with 4GB RAM ….so 3 GB is optimal
- I need a good processor
- Well here the definition of good is mystified, most of the time what
people do is browse the internet, watch movies , play games and while
working use some software which does not consume much resources
(Students indeed work on image processing ,BioTechnology softwares,
AutoCad which are a little heavy on the hardware resources, but it is
taken into account that’s their population is not in multitude)
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Therefore it’s better to know what your requirements are before shelling out huge amounts of money......some
categories may be
(i) I watch movies (and I sometimes game ) and use some stereotypical softwares(which are used generally..
including the academic ones).
Advised configuration
3GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM(it’s far more than enough)
Full HD(if you’re really into movies) screen, 15.6’ screen( or adhere to your budget, the bigger the better)
Processor: i3(or lesser may be Core 2 Duo or Intel Centrino)
HDD:500 GB or higher(for those undeletable movies or TV serials) for storage issues
please refer to Dell Help Me
Example: HP Pavilion dv3-2300 Entertainment Notebook PC series and Dell inspiron
(ii) I’m into gaming and watch movies and use stereotypical softwares and do some image processing /use AutoCAD like softwares/virtualisation softwares
Advised configuration
3 GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM (again this is optimal)
512 MB-1 GB graphics card ( depending upon your budget ) e.g Dell Inspiron I3-i5(i3 is optimum). The dell
XPS is a good laptop, it even has resources which remains unused..so is the HP Pavillion DV6
(iii) I am an insane gamer / I do intense image processing or use graphic rich applications
4 GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM
I5 Proccessor
At least 1 GB graphics card(or more for richer experience)
(iv) I do not watch movies or play game. I just want work on some light software’s and
I can even manage with a smaller screen
Processor:1.66GHz Intel Atom
Memory:1 GB
Netbooks are best solution for you
e.g.Dell Inspiron Mini 10(1018), Toshiba Mini NB205, Samsung N120,
Asus Eee PC 1005HA, are some really good netbooks.
Besides all your the precious money can be spent on
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I. Gaming mouse and extra keyboard(to save the early tampering of your keyboard)
Logitech G500
Razer Imperator
logitechG9x
Microsoft sidewinder
Logitech mx518
II. Portable audio solution ( when you need extra sound boost to experience movies or games )
Philips Portable Speakers Model No: SBP1500( Rs. 990)
Altec Lansing BXR1120 Speaker 2.0(Rs. 949)
III. Headphones (although dell and some other brands provides good earphones still)
IV. Cooling pad ( trust me especially for gaming, as gaming produces a lot of heat and if the laptop is your lap,
it’ll literally burn you up )
V. Invest more in battery ( a 9 cell battery is always better if you are on the move, although 9 cell makes it a
little heavier)
Another relevant issue: Why Microsoft?
This is not another aeon old saga against Microsoft’s dominance over the OS world and crying out loud for open
source but this is about having a better experience and better utilization of resources
(i) Try biting the ‘Apple’ : Apple is all about having richer interface, better graphics, almost null bugs,
sophisticated, aesthetic and sleek peripherals (though it can burn a hole in your pocket).for more reference
on mac, checkout: Mac Website
(ii) The age old penguin : if you are a developer ( at least CS & IT students should nod their head in an affirmation)
using linux is always better low on resources high on usability and performance. The interface is very simple to
handle and it’s a good experience overall (hey author..it’s very tough to learn and use) this is a misconception
as Linux distros like Ubuntu(10.10), Mint, OpenSuse has a user friendly interface and have a large pool of forums
at your disposal if something goes wrong.
(iii) ( hey author I just wanna game .. I don’t care about anything else in the world ) – A high end laptop with
windows is best for them from the vocal chords of the Aayushman who possesses an Alien ware(M17x),“ the gaming
experience on this machine is mesmerizing but I do work on software’s and read e-books on this very machine….it’s
a good experience overall”. The last verdict is of the readers’. Your money your choice.
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