Laptop Buyer's Guide

Choosing the right portable computer

How to buy a laptop/notebook/portable...
Portable computers are increasingly important for presenters, traveling sales reps, consultants and many other categories of overworked people. In this article, we'll look at the key features to look for, identify some of the caveats to watch out for and pick a few models to check out first.

What to look for

1. A good screen. In laptops, bigger screens can add thousands of dollars to the price of a portable computer, but no matter what size and resolution you choose, you should definitely make sure that you pick a unit with an "Active matrix" screen. This technology, also known as TFT, for "thin film transistor," uses a grid of tiny transistors wired in such a way that the picture elements ("pixels") that make up the screen are continuously powered -- in other words, they are actively refreshed by the display circuitry. Less expensive displays include "Passive matrix" and HPA" display technologies. Neither is as bright nor as quick to refresh as a TFT display. 

   The biggest laptop displays available in mass production are currently around 15 inches, measured diagonally. These displays, primarily found on laptops in the over-C$2500 price range, typically have a maximum resolution of 1024x768, although some units go even higher. Those willing to put up with a slightly smaller screen size may be able to save a thousand dollars or more by choosing a unit with a 14.1 inch or 13 inch screen. These units are usually also capable of 1024 by 768 resolution -- a screen size ideal for viewing web pages, presentations and complex spreadsheets or other tabular data. Currently, we recommend a 14.1-inch display for those looking for the best balance between functionality and economy.

   There are several other smaller screen sizes available, at further diminishing price points. 10.4 inch through 12 inch displays were popular a few years ago and can still be found on some bargain-priced units. Most displays of this size are unable to display a full 1024x768-pixel screen without scrolling, however. There are also "subportables," sometimes known as ultralight portables that typically have a smaller dimensions, and a smaller screen to match. Toshiba's Libretto series of mini-laptops, and Sony's Vaio C1 and U1 portables fall into this category.

   There are many other issues related to screens and display technologies worth mentioning. Some portables, such as Apple's now-discontinued candy-colored iBooks, lack a video out jack, making them unsuitable for connecting to external video screens or projector systems. (Current iBooks support composite video out; many of its competitors support higher quality S-video output as well.) Units with S-VHS and/or RCA (composite) video output jacks are ideal for connecting to hotel TVs or video recorders -- some models even have analog or digital video input capabilities. Note, however, that units with the ATI Rage Mobility chipset that provides analog video input often yield very poor quality results from video captures -- we'd recommend trying before buying if this feature is important to you. ATI's mobile graphics chipsets (most recently, based on the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 series chip or the slightly slower ATI Radeon Mobility) continue to be the best choices for general-purpose laptop use -- ATI has perfected the ability to change resolutions on the screen without the display quality degrading into a jagged mess, the way it does with HP's ZT series of consumer notebooks, or other models based on the inexpensive SavagePro4 chipset. Those seeking the highest 3D performance in a mobile computer should look for a model based on nVidia's Geforce2Go chipset, such as Dell's Inspirion 8200 or Toshiba's Satellite Pro 6100. And, if you're looking at used models or lower-end laptops, chances are good that many of the portables you'll see while shopping will use some variant of ATI's ATI Rage 128 Mobility or the relatively obsolete ATI Rage Mobility graphics. Still, we'd pick either of these choices over Trident, SavagePro, Neomagic or other lesser-known graphics chips.

   How to tell the graphics chipset in a portable: Open the Windows System control panel (or right-click "My Computer" and choose Properties) and click on the Device Manager tab. Click on Display Adapters and examine the name of the adapter listed. 

   Most laptops with a video out port utilize a feature called "mirroring" to display the same text on an external screen as on the internal display. Typically, the external display is enabled by pressing a key combination such as Function ("Fn") F4. Often, the first press of this key combo switches off the internal display; a second press enables both screens, and a third returns you to the built-in display only.

   A few luxury portables even have a feature that allows the external screen to display a different area of your desktop than that shown by the internal display. Some Apple PowerBook models have this feature, and it is now showing up on some high-end portables from Toshiba and other PC laptop manufacturers, too. Occasionally, an optional add-on such as a docking station is required to enable this feature. Ask your dealer if this is important to you.

   A final point about screens to consider: some TFT screens suffer from one or more dead pixels. Worse, many manufacturers do not consider a small number of these dead pixels to constitute a defective product and may not accept warranty or return claims resulting from this complaint. Some people, therefore, consider it important to examine the unit's screen before buying. At any rate, we'd encourage you to find out about the company's policy in this regard before buying. Apple Computer, for example, considers up to five dead pixels "normal." We sure wouldn't want four or five dead pixels on our brand new $6000 laptop.
    

2. Battery and Power considerations. Battery technology has come a long way in the past few years, but many "bargain" laptops -- especially discounted models from last year's stock, use older and less reliable battery types. Currently, the preferred type of battery is "Lithium-Ion;" older models used Nickel-Metal Hydride or --  even worse -- Nickel Cadmium ("NiCad") batteries, the latter being particularly prone to a so-called "memory effect" that caused the battery to lose its ability to be charged after a relatively small number of charges, especially if not fully discharged first. Our advice is: avoid used laptops using these battery types.

   Of course, even the best batteries will last longer if you don't subject them to activities that are heavy power drains. Hard disk activity, in particular, drains batteries quickly. This is why a laptop with 64MB of RAM or more tends to benefit from longer battery life than a unit with, say, 32MB. The hard disk isn't spinning up so often to deliver the "virtual memory" that Windows (or virtually any other operating system) needs to work with, when real RAM memory is not available. As well, battery life is affected by plug-in PC Cards (PCMCIA modems, network adapters, SCSI adapters, etc.), or other attached devices that draw power from your battery. If long battery life is important to you, look for a model that can accept a second battery in one of its internal bays to deliver extra longevity when you're away from AC power. Generally, Apple portables tend to have longer battery lives than their PC counterparts.

   Other power considerations: some models can be run off an automobile "cigarette lighter" adapter, and/or can accept power supplies designed for use in foreign countries. In fact, most laptop models can be adapted to work in foreign countries with the use of a plug and power adapter, such as you might find at a Radio Shack or other electronics supply store.
    

3. Pointing Device. The earliest portables typically included a "trackball" pointing device. These fell out of favour as users discovered how quickly they became dirty, and how clumsy they were to use. These days, most portables include a touch pad that allows you to control the pointer by sliding your finger on the pad and, in most cases, tapping or pressing a nearby button to "click." Because the pad is typically directly underneath your hands as you type, some models, such as HP's ZT series of portables, include an "on/off" control that allows you to disable the pad if desired.

   Some manufacturers, such as Toshiba and IBM, offer alternatives such as the "Accupoint" pointing device that moves the pointer by pressing one's finger in a particular direction with a small pencil eraser-shaped gizmo in the middle of the keyboard. The idea of the Accupoint device is that the fingers do not need to move from the keyboard as much as with a mouse or a touchpad, thereby theoretically leading to improved productivity. A few models use other input devices: pens, touch-screens, pop-out mice, and so on, but these are uncommon. In practice, most people still find the greatest productivity gains can be had by plugging in an external mouse via the PS/2 ports or, in newer models, the USB ports on the computer's rear panel. In short, the use of any pointing device, whether it is a trackball, mouse, Accupoint or touchpad, is mostly a matter of personal taste. For the record, we prefer to carry a mouse along with our laptop when we travel.
    

4. Built-in Drives. There's a tradeoff between storage options and portability on most laptops. Sure, a few of the mega-featured models have it all: a huge internal hard drive, built-in floppy, Zip drive or LS-120 "SuperDisk," CD- or DVD-ROM drives -- perhaps even a CD recorder or CD-RW/DVD "combo" drive. But these units typically weight eight pounds or more. Those looking for a more svelte portable may decide to forego a built-in floppy drive or CD drive to trim off a few pounds. Many of the "ultralight" portables, in the four-pound and under category utilize external modules for floppy and/or CD-ROM drives.  (Some models, taking a cue from Apple, don't offer a floppy drive at all.) This is fine, but remember, you'll probably end up carting these external modules around with you anyway. Some manufacturers attempt to rationalize this dilemma by supplying machines that are convertible: the Compaq Presario 1920 model, for example, includes both floppy and DVD-ROM drives on a detachable wedge that, when separated, results in an inch-thick portable PC with only a hard drive, weighing only about 5 pounds. In general, we find portable designs that force you to choose "either/or" scenarios, such as a single bay that can accept a floppy drive or a CD-ROM, to be a hassle, particularly when dealing with software that expects to access both simultaneously.

   About DVD-ROMs: As described in our article entitled Watching DV, DVD-ROM drives also need an MPEG2 decoder to display the audio and video data encoded onto DVD movie discs. These decoders can be either software- or hardware-based. (And some graphics chipsets contain special hardware features to help software-based players achieve better performance. In general, most laptops use one of the many software-based DVD players on the market to deliver unspectacular movie playback performance. CPUs slower than 400 MHz are likely to display movies with some visible jerkiness or other minor visual anomalies. We've had the best results from ATI's graphics chipsets, when used with a DVD player that supports the onboard motion compensation and display overlay capabilities of these chipsets.
    

5. The CPU. Similarly, there's a tradeoff between performance and portability. The high-end models use Intel's latest low-power Pentium 4-M design, with its power-saving SpeedStep technology. (The most power-smart Apple CPU is the G3 processor, although the now-discontinued 550MHz PowerBook G4 is also praised by owners as much more power efficient than current PowerBook models. Although Apple processors tend to be clocked lower than comparably priced Intel and AMD-based units, their raw performance in many cases, exceeds that of PC compatible designs. See the features in the hardware section of Mac Buyer's Guide or more details on Apple products and their capabilities.)

   We recognize, however, that most readers will be looking for a PC laptop. If you are going for "bang for the buck," don't overlook the consumer-oriented, value-priced Windows-compatible models utilizing Celeron, AMD or Pentium III processors. Although they're not quite as powersmart as the newest Pentium 4-M models, they are fast enough for almost any task, and usually priced quite a bit lower. In our tests, we've found Celeron and AMD-based models to be very competitive with the more expensive PIII and P4 in terms of real-world performance, yet are priced significantly lower. In any case, we'd recommend a unit with at least a 500 MHz processor (almost any new portable on the market will be at least twice as fast as this) and at least 128MB or RAM.
    

6. Adding peripherals: Most PC-compatible portables include the following:

   - At least one serial port (useful for connecting an external modem, graphics tablet or serial mouse)
   - A parallel port (typically used to connect a printer, although numerous scanners and external drives are connected this way -- often leaving compatibility issues or printing problems in their wake)
   - Two PCMCIA ("PC Card") slots. These slots can accept two "type 2" PC Cards, such as modems, network cards, SCSI adapters, video capture devices, gameport adapters, etc., or one "type 3" card -- a thicker device such as a miniature hard drive or other storage device. Some ultraportable models have only one PC Card slot, and some Apple models have none.
   - One or more USB ports. There are now hundreds of USB devices available for PCs and Macs, including keyboards, mice, scanners, drives, modems, graphics tablets, cameras, printers and so on. USB is, in fact, our recommended method of adding new devices to your PC or USB-equipped Mac. It is the easiest and most trouble-free expansion method currently available. You can add more USB ports with a USB "hub" -- essentially, a box with several more USB ports on it. These hubs can be daisy chained together, to support a maximum of 127 USB devices. (Now there's a battery drainer.)
   - Video out port. As mentioned above, not all units include this feature, nor do all video ports share identical features. Check the manual.
   - PS/2 ports for mouse and/or keyboard. If you prefer to use a PS/2 mouse, you can attach it here. You'll use up one more IRQ than you will if you use a serial or USB model, though.
   - Sound input and/or output. If you plan to use your portable for speech recognition tasks, be sure that it is on the supported hardware list at the software vendor's site. Dragon System, for example, says that the sound circuitry in many portables is inadequate for speech recognition tasks and some units, such as some models in Toshiba's diminutive Libretto lineup, don't include sound input features at all. To address this limitation, Dragon makes a USB version of its speech system available -- another good reason to have USB ports onboard.
   - You may also want to consider the security features of the portable you choose. Many models have a place in which the unit can be bolted to a security lock, such as the Kensington security system, that will help keep your portable on the desk while you're away.
   - Also consider the memory and hard drive upgrade options available for the model you choose. Can you add more RAM? A second hard drive?
   - Lastly, don't necessarily believe the marketing brochures about what options are supposedly available. Be sure that the claimed components or options are actually available and still in production -- we've seen a number of units that never came out with promised options, particularly expansion docks and other high-priced options. Again, you are likely to find that high-volume, "big name" products have a greater number of options available than off-brand, no-name units.
   
   Note that some of the newest portables forego "legacy" ports, such as PS/2, parallel and/or serial ports, in favour of USB. Whether you consider this an advantage or not depends on your point of view. Certainly, for the widest compatibility with printers, mice, external modems and other external devices, it is best to have USB and a full array of legacy ports... and, if you can swing it, an IEEE 1394 (also known as "iLink" or "Firewire") port, too.
    

7. Operating System: Windows 98/98SE and Me continue to be the operating systems best supported by portable computers, but virtually all PC portables shipped today are compatible with (and, in many cases, are shipped with) Windows XP and Windows 2000, as well, so the decision is up to you.

   Any of theses versions of Windows, with their onboard power management, USB peripherals and hot-swappable PC Card support, are a much better choice than Windows NT, which is very weak in its support of portable computers (or large hard drives, for that matter -- but that's another story!) and includes support for none of these features. For corporate users, Windows 2000 may be an attractive option, due to its support of these features, but be cautious: Windows 2000, like the newer (and, in our opinion, generally superior) Windows XP, has fairly specific hardware requirements. Be sure that the unit you want fully supports the operating system of your choice before making the switch.

   OS compatibility is less of an issue on Apple portables. Apple ships the systems it supports on its hardware, and that's it. Running third-party operating systems, or attempting to run a version of Mac OS on a model other than that for which it was designed, and you're pretty much on your own.
    

8. Warranties. Portables are, by their nature, subject to a lot more wear and tear than their desk-bound counterparts. As well, the demand by consumers for portables that are light in weight contributes to the fact that many manufacturers produce laptops that are rather flimsy in construction. Thus, a portable, more than most other types of computers, deserves a good warranty. Be sure to find out how -- and where -- your vendor deals with defective units or components. Business-critical machines, in particular, shouldn't have to be out of your hands for weeks while a repair is performed.

Brands to consider:
Dell Latitude notebooks tend to be highly regarded by many reviewers, although as ConsumerAffairs.com notes, Dell's reputation for quality hasn't kept it out of the "Rogues Gallery" when it comes to consumer complaints. Currently, we consider Toshiba, Apple, Sony and Dell the makers of the best-balanced notebooks, with IBM, HP, Gateway and Fujitsu (usually) capable of producing well-rounded, decent quality machines. (It's worth mentioning that Acer, Compaq and eMachines are usually rated poorly in terms of overall reliability.) Whether you choose one of these brands, or a lesser known model from Quanta or other Asian sources, you should try to aim for a model that is not too close to the bottom of the line. As we've seen, the "bargain" models have second-rate graphics chips, less memory, or other more severe limitations.

We do not recommend purchasing a used laptop. There are a number of components in portables that tend to break: keyboards, screen hinges, battery packs, fans, port covers and so on. Maybe you'll be fortunate, but we've had relatively bad luck. Caveat Emptor.

For Further Reading:

• San Francisco Chronicle: Choosing the right portable
• Ars Technica: a discussion of warranties and Celeron vs. PIII.
• www.aapltalk.com/shootouts/ - Comparisons of leading laptops at all price points - and not as biased toward AAPL (Apple) as you might think.