5 Sure-Fire Tips for Buying a New Computer
So you're thinking of buying a new computer... Where do you start? There are so many brands and models of computers available, and it can all be a little overwhelming when you start to look around. How do you decide what type of computer you need?...
Advice about the latest and accurate help concerning computer components.
When you're after superior information about computer components, it will be intricate unscrambling quality advice from misguided computer components submissions and help so it is important to know how to judge the information you are presented...
Buying a (PC) Personal Computer
For alot of people the computer language is a seeming unsolvable jungle filled with mysterious words. Here is a guide to help you understand the personal computer and to give you the information needed to make a shopping decision you can live...
Computer Data Recovery Options
Losing files on your computer can be a frightening experience if the files are of importance to you personally or professionally. Computer data recovery techniques include the most simple of operations, like simply retrieving an accidentally...
Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems - Part 2
The following article is the second in a series that helps solve many of the common boot problems with hard drives. (To read the first in article in the series click here). The article explains how to reconstruct the Volume Boot Record and will...
Selecting a Laptop
Small Can Be Beautiful
When purchasing a new computer, you may be better served by a laptop than a traditional desktop computer. Recently, laptops with capabilities similar to desktops can be purchased for a comparable price. Laptops are convenient because of their small size and ability to run from a battery. Except for the power cable to recharge it, a laptop doesn?t have any external wires, so it won?t be contributing to a cable mess.
When looking at laptops, consider how often you will travel with it. If you plan to travel only infrequently, get a model with a larger screen and lower price. If you are a digital nomad, you should be concerned mainly with the laptop size, weight, and battery life. For maximum portability, get a laptop that weighs less than 3.5 pounds, has a 12? or smaller display, and a minumum 4-hour battery life.
Unlike desktops, laptop computers can be difficult and expensive to upgrade. When you purchase a laptop, consider that any internal features such as CD-ROM or hard drive may be difficult to replace. Laptops can be upgraded externally with USB, FireWire, and the PC Card slot. Because each of these methods is external, however your laptop will become less portable if you need to carry around the external devices.
Take One Tablet...
A Tablet PC is a custom
laptop that allows you to write on the screen to save notes and work with programs. Tablet PCs are typically smaller than laptops and feature a specialized processor that is extremely battery-efficient. Some Tablet PCs do not have a built-in keyboard, but can connect to an external keyboard. These are ideal for people who use the Tablet PC mode most of the time and need to use the keyboard occasionally.
If you have little need for a portable computer, a "desktop replacement" may be for you. A desktop replacement looks like a laptop, but is much larger and priced competitively with desktops. Whatever kind of laptop fits your lifestyle, gone are the days when laptops were expensive and less capable than traditional desktop computers.
Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.
