Holiday Laptop Buying Guide: Shopping for the Right Notebook
Shopping for your first laptop, or looking to upgrade your old system? Follow our advice to find just the right one for you.
Holiday Laptop Buying Guide 2011
Our advice will help you sort through all those confusion options to buy the laptop that best suits your needs. Are you in the market for a new laptop? Looking to buy a new laptop, or upgrade that four-year-old system that just can't keep up anymore? Maybe you're buying one as a gift this holiday season? Navigating the labyrinth of brands, product names, and specifications can be tough. From tiny netbooks to big and powerful desktop-replacement systems, the differences in pricing, features, and performance are staggering. Follow our comprehensive guide to make sure you get the ideal laptop.
Deciding what to buy is tough not just because of all the makes and models and the dizzying array of specifications and customization options, but also because every user is different. Maybe you're buying for a college student whose aging notebook doesn't have the battery life to last through a day of classes. Maybe your child needs a laptop for doing their high-school homework during the week and playing some games, chatting with friends, and watching videos on the weekend. Or maybe you're shopping for a gaming enthusiast who wants something really powerful but a little easier to carry to a buddy's LAN party than a desktop computer. Even if you know what you want, with so many laptop models available it can be hard to decide.
If you need to buy a new primary PC, look elsewhere. Netbooks' limited screen resolutions (10-inch netbooks typically top out at 1366 by 768), RAM, and processing power make editing photos or spreadsheets a pain. In addition, some Web pages, Flash games, and applications simply don't fit well on a small screen. Still, there's something to be said for a system with a battery life of 6-8 hours or more; in PCWorld Labs tests, that's how long most of the newest netbooks last.
Most netbooks are based on Intel's Atom line of processors. These chips can run the standard Windows operating system you're accustomed to and all your usual applications, but they're not fast compared with more-expensive Intel CPUs found in larger, more expensive laptops. Some netbooks use AMD's Fusion E-series CPUs, which are far more powerful but don't last as long. In either case, the speed of a netbook will pale in comparison to laptops that weigh and cost a little more. A netbook is fine for simple Web browsing or word processing, but it struggles to play games, edit large photos, or run multiple applications simultaneously.
One more drawback: Netbooks almost never have an optical drive, so you can't play DVDs or load software off a disc without buying and using an external, USB-attached DVD drive.
If you need something as light (or lighter) than a netbook, with similar battery life, but with considerably more processing power, check out the new emerging class of extremely thin ultrabooks. They'll cost a lot more than a netbook, but with larger screen sizes, more powerful processors, and solid state drives, they provide a much better computing experience.
These systems are ideal for users who need a fuller PC experience but still want a machine that's easy to carry around. Screen sizes vary, from around 11 inches to 14 inches, but models with larger screens are usually considered "ultraportable" only if they're especially thin and light. You can expect an ultraportable to weigh from 2 to 4 pounds, typically; battery life extends from 5 to 8 hours. Prices generally land in the $600-to-$800 range, but some superthin models with larger screens can cost more than $1000 - sometimes much more.
Compared with netbooks, ultraportables have more processing power. In pricey models, you can even get performance that rivals much bigger, heavier laptops. Ultraportables typically use dual-core CPUs or low-voltage processors from Intel or AMD that aren't as powerful as what you usually find in bigger notebooks (or more expensive ultraportables) but are far more capable than Atom or Fusion netbook processors. Most ultraportables have 4GB of RAM or more, too. As a result, ultraportables perform a lot better than netbooks on everyday applications, and they're far more suited to running multiple applications at once.
In the name of saving weight, lowering cost, and improving battery life, many ultraportable laptops stick with integrated graphics chips that lack the oomph to handle modern games or other strenuous 3D rendering. Still, it's not too hard to find ultraportable PCs with dedicated GPUs from Nvidia or AMD; typically these laptops are powerful enough to run modest 3D games, and they do a good job accelerating video playback.
If you want to play DVDs or load software from a disc, make sure to look for an ultraportable with an optical drive. In slimming down, many ultraportables these days have omitted the optical drive, but you can find some models (typically the pricier ones) that incorporate them.
Deciding what to buy is tough not just because of all the makes and models and the dizzying array of specifications and customization options, but also because every user is different. Maybe you're buying for a college student whose aging notebook doesn't have the battery life to last through a day of classes. Maybe your child needs a laptop for doing their high-school homework during the week and playing some games, chatting with friends, and watching videos on the weekend. Or maybe you're shopping for a gaming enthusiast who wants something really powerful but a little easier to carry to a buddy's LAN party than a desktop computer. Even if you know what you want, with so many laptop models available it can be hard to decide.
Netbooks
Although netbooks are great for their intended purpose, they aren't satisfactory for much else. They typically aren't powerful enough to do everything you need a PC for. Rather, they're meant to be companions to your main PC. Small and light enough to carry around all day, they're the perfect thing for taking notes in class or surfing the Web from a commuter train. A typical netbook weighs about 3 pounds or less, and has a screen size of 6 to 10 inches. Most cost about $300 to $400, but premium features can drive the price up further.If you need to buy a new primary PC, look elsewhere. Netbooks' limited screen resolutions (10-inch netbooks typically top out at 1366 by 768), RAM, and processing power make editing photos or spreadsheets a pain. In addition, some Web pages, Flash games, and applications simply don't fit well on a small screen. Still, there's something to be said for a system with a battery life of 6-8 hours or more; in PCWorld Labs tests, that's how long most of the newest netbooks last.
Most netbooks are based on Intel's Atom line of processors. These chips can run the standard Windows operating system you're accustomed to and all your usual applications, but they're not fast compared with more-expensive Intel CPUs found in larger, more expensive laptops. Some netbooks use AMD's Fusion E-series CPUs, which are far more powerful but don't last as long. In either case, the speed of a netbook will pale in comparison to laptops that weigh and cost a little more. A netbook is fine for simple Web browsing or word processing, but it struggles to play games, edit large photos, or run multiple applications simultaneously.
One more drawback: Netbooks almost never have an optical drive, so you can't play DVDs or load software off a disc without buying and using an external, USB-attached DVD drive.
If you need something as light (or lighter) than a netbook, with similar battery life, but with considerably more processing power, check out the new emerging class of extremely thin ultrabooks. They'll cost a lot more than a netbook, but with larger screen sizes, more powerful processors, and solid state drives, they provide a much better computing experience.
Ultraportables
Slim and light, ultraportable laptops are a step up from netbooks. Sure, in choosing an ultraportable over a netbook you tack on maybe a pound of weight, but that added heft means a more powerful processor, more RAM, and often a larger screen.These systems are ideal for users who need a fuller PC experience but still want a machine that's easy to carry around. Screen sizes vary, from around 11 inches to 14 inches, but models with larger screens are usually considered "ultraportable" only if they're especially thin and light. You can expect an ultraportable to weigh from 2 to 4 pounds, typically; battery life extends from 5 to 8 hours. Prices generally land in the $600-to-$800 range, but some superthin models with larger screens can cost more than $1000 - sometimes much more.
Compared with netbooks, ultraportables have more processing power. In pricey models, you can even get performance that rivals much bigger, heavier laptops. Ultraportables typically use dual-core CPUs or low-voltage processors from Intel or AMD that aren't as powerful as what you usually find in bigger notebooks (or more expensive ultraportables) but are far more capable than Atom or Fusion netbook processors. Most ultraportables have 4GB of RAM or more, too. As a result, ultraportables perform a lot better than netbooks on everyday applications, and they're far more suited to running multiple applications at once.
In the name of saving weight, lowering cost, and improving battery life, many ultraportable laptops stick with integrated graphics chips that lack the oomph to handle modern games or other strenuous 3D rendering. Still, it's not too hard to find ultraportable PCs with dedicated GPUs from Nvidia or AMD; typically these laptops are powerful enough to run modest 3D games, and they do a good job accelerating video playback.
If you want to play DVDs or load software from a disc, make sure to look for an ultraportable with an optical drive. In slimming down, many ultraportables these days have omitted the optical drive, but you can find some models (typically the pricier ones) that incorporate them.
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