Laptop Lexicon for Laymen

This article was originally printed in Greater Wilmington Business Vol. 7.7, July 2006.

As I write this article on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop computer, I'm amazed at how the combination of cheap, ubiquitous wireless access and increasingly powerful portable computing technology have changed the landscape of how we work.

Excited about jumping on the laptop bandwagon? You’re not alone; by many reports, laptop sales will surpass desktop sales within the next year. If you’re constantly traveling, delivering presentations, or shuttling your computer between work and home, a laptop is the answer.

In this article, I’ll discuss screen size, recommend a base set of specifications and suggest additional upgrades, along with their estimated costs and benefits. Remember, a laptop will cost 20-30% more then a comparably powered desktop and you will pay more money for accessories or upgrades.

Screen size should be your first consideration as it dictates the weight of your laptop. The tradeoff with laptops is power vs. performance. As processor speed or display size increases, a laptop will consume more power.

The 4 main screen sizes, measured diagonally, and estimated weights are:
- 12", 4 pounds – the lightest of the bunch, great for road warriors
- 14", 5.3 pounds – the “sweet spot” for weight, power consumption and readability
- 15.4", 6.2 pounds – a great desktop replacement
- 17", 7.65 pounds – big and beautiful, often with upgraded speaker system, great for audio/video editing

A “Wide Screen” option will give you 25-30% more screen area. Add to this your mouse, AC adapter, notebook bag, CD’s, or books, and you could be looking at an additional 6 pounds!

Consider these my minimum recommended requirements for running MS Office applications like Word or Excel, checking email and surfing the web: 512MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, 802.11g/54Mbps internal wireless card, Microsoft XP Home, CD/DVD burner, and 2- year warranty. (“GB” = Gigabyte; “MB” = Megabyte; 1GB = 1,024 Megabytes. A digital picture is about 1-2MB.)

The AMD Sempron and Intel Celeron M are entry-level processors, good enough for most business applications. The Intel Pentium M (now called the Core Solo and, with 2 chips, the Core Duo) and AMD Turion are the most power efficient and the Intel Pentium 4, while the most powerful, is also the most power hungry.

Here are some additional recommended upgrades:

- Upgrade to 1GB RAM to increase the performance of your favorite computer programs. Cost = $100.
- A larger battery will increase battery life by up to 50% and add half a pound to the laptop. Cost = $100.
- A 128MB dedicated graphics card increases display performance, but will drain more power from your battery. Cost = $100.
- A DVD/CD Writer costs an additional $60 more then a CD Writer, extending your backup storage per disc from 650MB to 8.5GB.
- Upgrade the standard 1 year mail-in warranty to a 2-year onsite warranty. Cost = $150.

NotebookReview.Com and PC Magazine ( http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1738,9,00.asp ) have advice from experts and money-saving coupons. Also, you can save money by downloading OpenOffice.org, a free open-source alternative to MS Office.

As a small business owner, keeping expenses down is always a priority. Leveraging your technology investment is the path to productivity gains, leveling the playing field, and competing with "the big boys". The portability and power of today’s laptops may be just what your business needs.