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Buying Tips

I've finally, updated this page. What's amazing is that some of the stuff here still applies so there wasn't too much for me to change. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. As before, this is split into a bargain category and a high-end category. I've also made notes on what you should "GET", and what you should "FORGET". Another good article to read is Erick's Laws.

• CPU:
  • Bargain: Celeron Processor (any speed) or AMD K6-2
  • High-end: 600 PIII or higher, make sure you get the 600 mhz chip or higher because they use Speed Step Technology
  • For best performance, make sure you get a TRUE mobile chip, there are some notebooks out there that use a desktop Celeron or AMD K6-2 so be careful. PII and PIII notebooks are only available in mobile design.
  • Intel has phased out the PII mobile chip, so you may be able to find a good bargain on PII-based notebooks.
• Screen:
  • Bargain: 12.1" Dual-Scan (DSTN), or even better... the High Contrast or Fast Scan displays that Toshiba and Sharp are selling. They are better than regular Dual-Scan, not quite as good as Active Matrix (TFT). If you can find a notebook with an 11.3" TFT, that would be a better buy than a 12.1" Dual-Scan.
  • High-end: 13.3", 14.1-2" (or even 15.1" and higher) Active Matrix (TFT). But beware, they are native XGA mode (1024x768). If you try and use SVGA (800x600) or lower, you will get a stretched image or a smaller image with a border around it (unless it uses the ATI Rage chipset which supports anti-aliasing).
  • Also... if you do get Active Matrix, you should expect dead or stuck pixels, this is normal.
  • After reviewing some of these HPA (Dual Scan / DSTN) screens, I really think you should either get a smaller TFT or wait a little. I don't like the way they look.
• Memory:
  • Bargain: Minimum 32MB, you could use 16MB but it will be SLOW. Update: I don't even think any notebook ship with less than 32MB anymore.
  • High-end: 64MB or more
  • If you can afford it, max out on the memory you can get, if it takes 72 MB or 80 MB, get it. You can upgrade later but you have to sell or give away your old memory chips (most notebooks only have 2 memory slots). Some notebooks don't have to use both slots so you can just fill one with as much memory as you can afford now and buy more to fill the other later.
  • Just remember that if your notebook is a Pentium MMX or lower, more than 64 MB of memory will slow the system down if you are using Windows 95/98. The older chipsets cache only up to 64MB of memory, so when you have more installed, Win95/98 loads into the higher memory... which is uncached and therefore slower. You don't get this problem with the Celeron or higher notebooks as the newer chipsets (440BX and higher) can cache more memory.
• Hard Disk:
  • Bargain: 4.3 GB seems to be the smallest notebook drive out there
  • High-end: 8.2 GB or higher
  • You can always buy another disk, and unlike memory, you don't have to get rid of your old one, you can use both, one for backup, storing files or a second primary hard drive.
• Keyboard/Pointing Device:
  • This is a user-defined preference, meaning... whatever you like best.
  • I prefer having both pointing devices, the touchpad and the pointing stick, but only two manufacturers support this, WinBook and Hewlett-Packard
  • As for keyboard, I like to have separate Home/Pg-Up/Pg-Dn/End keys, and a nice layout that is very similar to desktop keyboards
  • Windows 95 keys are good
• Battery:
  • Bargain: NiMh, does not have as much a "memory effect" as NiCad and the charge lasts longer. However, it is subject to "leaking".
  • High-end: Lithium-Ion, holds more power per ounce and does not have "memory affect". One con though, it cannot be re-charged as many times as NiMh or NiCad.
• Ports:
  • The more the merrier!
  • Bargain: Most notebooks have all the basic ports, one that you should have to help with future peripherals is a USB port.
  • High-end: Video out AND in. Most notebooks have video out but only a few have video in.
  • Make sure that the lid covering your ports are sturdy if you will be accessing them a lot, many complaints of having these snap off the first month or so. Micron XPE and Dell LM have the nicest layout, covers swing open AND have sliding cover.
  • So "GET" USB!
• Bus slots, expansion slots, PCMCIA slots, etc.
  • Bargain and High-end: Should have at least 2 PCMCIA II slots
  • Zoomed Video Support and CardBus support are very good, but CardBus is more important (I have an article for this too), as it is for a variety of interfaces where Zoomed Video is basically only for direct video input to the LCD.
  • An expansion slot for a docking station and/or port replicator are usually standard
  • So "FORGET" Zoomed Video but "GET" CardBus
• Accessories:
  • Notebook Bag: A must or else don't ever move your notebook (which of course means you should have just got a desktop)
  • Extra Battery: If you are really on the go, this will be your lifesaver
  • Fax/Modem: If you need Internet access from anywhere, need to send or receive faxes, well... this is what you need. 56k or higher, also try and get the low-power cards as it will help with battery life.
  • External Mouse/Keyboard: So... you like the notebook but hate the pointing device and/or keyboard? Most notebooks have ports to plug in an extenal monitor and keyboard.
  • Docking Station/Port Replicator: If you would like more out of your system when it is at home, get these things, the docking stations have multi-media options, PCI/ISA/SCSI interfaces and all the stuff your desktop had. The Replicator is just an easy way to connect your notebook to the external monitor, keyboard, mouse, modem, speaker, etc. without having to plug and unplug 57 cords.
  • Network PCMCIA card: This card is a must if you are planning to connect to your office/home LAN (Local Area Network).

If you are looking to buy now but want to keep waiting until the prices drop or newer technology comes out, just buy now. Lower prices and new technology will always come around so whether you do it now or later, you will always have that decision to make.