How to Buy a Laptop: Holiday 2006 Edition

Wed Nov 8, 2006 6:55PM EST

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I offered buying advice for desktop PCs for the 2006 holiday season a few weeks ago. At popular request, I'm turning my attention to laptops. Here's what to consider if you're making a notebook purchase in the new year.

  • CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo is just now arriving on laptops, and it's the CPU of choice no matter what type of user you are. However there are some great deals to be had on Core Duo machines, most of which were released only a few months ago. Most users will find the original Core Duo plenty fast.
  • Memory - As with desktops, get all you can afford. 1GB minimum, especially for Vista.
  • Operating System - Same deal as with desktops. If you're planning to go with Vista, wait until 2007 to buy a notebook. Driver issues are far more complex with portables than with desktops, and you don't want to be stuck trying to upgrade only weeks after you bought the machine. See my comments in the desktop shopping story for more detail.
  • Hard Drive - 160GB is tops for notebooks right now, but about 80GB is more common and less expensive. That should be plenty for most users for the foreseeable future. If you're a digital movie collector, go with the big one.
  • Optical Drive - A few systems are now including HD-DVD drives instead of standard DVD, however I've found all HD-DVD laptop drives slow and very buggy. I'd stick with a DVD-RW drive now, dual layer of course.
  • Graphics Card - This varies widely, as manufacturers are still putting year-old graphics cards in laptops in many cases. High end cards like the Nvidia Geforce 7800/7900 series are pricey, but they're absolutely required if you want to have any hope of playing the latest games on your laptop. Remember that graphics cards are generally not upgradeable, so it's important to get the best you can afford right when you make the purchase.
  • Screen - A critical decision. Widescreen displays comprise virtually the entire market now, so don't expect to find many 4:3 aspect ratio machines for sale. The big question here is whether you want a 17-inch monster display, a standard 15.4-inch display, or something smaller. The weight of the machine will vary accordingly: Expect to carry 8 pounds and up for a 17-inch system, 6 to 7 pounds with a 15.4-inch machine, and as little as 3 pounds with an ultralight. Laptops aren't going to get much lighter in 2007, so don't hold out for anything that'll be easier to pick up.

Again, I haven't really touched on the issue of going with Mac vs. PC, but if the MacOS is attractive to you, the new MacBook Pros are outstanding (if pricey). Yes, they can also run Windows, but they have a fatal flaw: The single mouse button means you'll have to use an external mouse if you want to get anything done with the machine in Windows. (Again, for the various Mac comments below: This is an issue for those running Windows!)  Plan accordingly.

As always, feel free to send me specs or a link to the laptop you're considering via email and I'll weigh in with an opinion. Happy shopping!

Comments on How to Buy a Laptop: Holiday 2006 Edition

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  • 6 Posted by keyman6788 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a macbook with a one button touchpad mouse and I still get stuff done on it on the go :P Go apple!

  • 7 Posted by fastkeyjd on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    is there an advantage with the mac os?

  • 9 Posted by jmaher_01 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    Basic users wouldn't need all the power of a core 2 duo, a gig of ram, or a high end video card unless you want to spend a lot of money. If you're really interested in Vista don't wait to buy a laptop, Best Buy and Circuit City have a deal with HP and Sony that if you buy a laptop now you get a free Vista upgrade if it has XP Media Center or better...wait until later and pay tons for the upgrade.

  • 10 Posted by kahmuff on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Definately consider the weight and screen size. I bought a laptop with a 17" display, which was originally intended to be for home use and the occassion trip out of the house. About 6 months after buying it, I had to travel for work and needed to take it with me. My flight was delayed for 4 hours and I was stuck lugging this monster computer around the airport the whole time. When I went through security, they looked at it and said, this is not a computer, it is a TV. Sure felt like I was carrying one. I have since gotten a laptop dedicated to work, A tiny one with a 14" screen, a duo Core and an extended battery. Even with the double size battery, it is still a whole lot lighter than the other. Also the battery life on the big ones is not so great if you go with the standard. I have about a 2 hour life on the big one, if I shut down everything. On the new one, I can get at least 8 hours with everything running, but it an extended life battery, not the standard. But definately worth it. Wish I had known all this before I bought the first, But the screen size is worth it. But now, that one never leaves the house.

  • 11 Posted by sw_khong on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    For Mac, single button is hardly a drawback at all, and you don't necessarily need an external mouse. For Mac, ctrl+single click = right button click. It's just so much joy in using a Mac, once you are used with it.

  • 12 Posted by joshua_wold on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    Mac vs PC. I have used and owned both over many years. The longer I work with PC's the more I realize they are great and often necessary for business. However, for my family and friends for almost all personal use (except heavy gaming), I now heartily recommend the Mac computers. They are easier for the day to day things of dealing with the photos, music, video, and of course, web, email. I'd recommend getting the MS Office suite (still the best for word processing and spreadsheets) unless you are up for trying out the free Open Office suite which has a Mac OS version. Again, from my experience, Mac OS for home and personal use, and Windows for business. Because the Macs are now Intel based, you can run both OS's on them, so for almost all users looking for laptops for personal and home use - get a Mac. They are not pricey compared when compared apples to apples and you have seen other posts stating that the one mouse button is easy to learn to deal with (you can easily do right mouse clicks with it).

  • 13 Posted by katieholt on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    actually the one button mouse is easily cured by holding down the control key and clicking. doing this causes the 'one click' into a 'right click.'

  • 14 Posted by daniel_remillard on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just to correct you, Windows Vista is provided by the manufatcturer via mail in rebate (completely free) as of Jan 30th. At most all retailers, they have a form that they can give you to mail in. Why wait for Vista to buy a pc, especially with the holidays around the corner. I wouldn't wait 2 1/2 more months when you could enjoy it now, and have Vista when everyone else does. And for all you people considering Mac... Macs are fantastic for video and audio editing and studio purposes, but if you want games or other 'everyday applications,' then you can expect to have to buy them online, or go searching from store to store to find them. (good luck, haha!) Expect to pay a little more for certain titles, as well. Normal users should stay with the mainstream PC in order to have the most cost effective experience while getting the best all around. (BTW, since Macs have started using intel processors in them now, isnt that saying something...?)

  • 15 Posted by strunke on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Anyone else find it funny that all the Mac supporters are having trouble with their mouse and posting things more then once? :-)

  • 16 Posted by anarchyangel202 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just to put this out there but having researched both mac and pc in the last few monthes I have noticed that games are becoming either or. They work on both and it might not be like that imedaitly upon release but soon after. Also the new macs have right click functions.

  • 17 Posted by kkbrad2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just want to thank you for your very clear and concise review. I'm looking to purchase a laptop for my son, and don't know a thing about them! He's in elementary school, so we don't need the fanciest pc...and we're on a tight budget. Now, I feel that I have a good place to start, and your article was in a language that I could understand - thank you!!!

  • 18 Posted by shehzad_salim on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hey I am willing to buy laptop, i am general user, will be using mostly pictures editor softwares and play some games what do you recommend about this laptio http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/117431

  • 19 Posted by lj_605 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    My mom and dad just told me they are looking for a laptop - and I am thinking of getting it for them as a holiday gift. I am not computer savvy and need to know what is the best option for them. They like to play games (solitaire, poker, etc), draft letters, use excel, and very basic stuff. I was thinking of something with bluetooth so they don't have to be plugged in when they travel - any suggestions? And do you any suggestions for a compatible printer - also good for travel (when they go to FL for a few months in the winter) - that will be good for printing off photographs as well as letters. Thanks LJLow

  • 20 Posted by escort95@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are interested in buying a mac the writer is wrong I bought a mac book and to get the right click feature you only need to put two fingers on the track pad and then click the button. Not that hard.

  • 21 Posted by cx72mr5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    Maybe you should re-read the part about the MAC right click, its saying its a problem if you run windows on a Mac Laptop, not runnning Mac on a Mac like you all are saying.

  • 22 Posted by kmfdavis on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    This article is very helpful because it allows you to read views from other consumers with similar interest.

  • 23 Posted by cjavsromo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:26PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is the first time I'm concerning buying a laptop. Its for my husband he's stationed in Iraq. Do you think that a Sony VAIO is the way to go. He says he trusts me to make a wise choice but i have no clue. Help, cris

  • 24 Posted by kaddyc06 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    I want to purchase a laptop for my son..I want a good one, but I am sending it to Iraq and have fear on a pricy investment. Primary use to email family, watch dvd's and play games. The game ROME seems to require something special in a graphic card. Could you give me some advice. Thank you, a pro's input was just what I needed.

  • 25 Posted by surflax27 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    there is no flaw with the single click function on the new macbooks and macbook pros, if you want to right click there is a way you can press on the mouse pad with one finger then two and click the mouse to right click

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