How to Laptop Guide, Using Your Laptop

If you have a new laptop, or are thinking of getting one what is the difference between this and a desktop computer?

The main difference is the size, most laptops are designed to be portable computers unlike a desktop pc, and you will find a laptop will cost more than a similar specification desktop pc due to the size and portability. how to laptop article

This can involve spending around 1.5 times the price of a desktop computer if you want a really powerful laptop.



Laptops also offer freedom as you can work or use them from anywhere such as in the garden, or on the sofa

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Can a laptop be considered a true desktop replacement?
There are some very powerful laptops around which offer more performance than many desktop computers, its just a questions of how deep your pockets are.

It also worth looking around for a docking station so the laptop can easily be connected to external devices and monitors very easily.

How many types of laptop are there?
I see around 4 separate types of laptops on the market today, this includes.

Netbooks These are very small low powered, and generally cheap laptops that are ideal for travelling, general surfing, email, word processing and very light gaming.

Due to the low power profile and small screen the battery life is generally excellent.

General Laptops This type of laptop is aimed at the home user and offers a mid range processor, mid range graphics (usually the shared memory type) average RAM and hard drive, which is fine for the needs of most home users who are not into high end gaming or graphics.

This type of laptop is perhaps the cheapest to purchase. how to laptop article

Business Laptops The business laptop is the next step up from the general laptop, it usually offers a more powerful processor, more RAM, larger hard drive, but the same type of graphics card.

This type of machine is aimed at general applications, but also spreadsheets and other business applications.

Gaming Laptops If your into high end gaming or graphics there can really be no compromise with the laptop you need, everything, the CPU, RAM, Hard drive and especially the graphics card must offer the most performance possible, otherwise high end games and graphics will be glitchy .

What should a good basic laptop have built in, or as an extra?
Dual core processor, either AMD or Intel
2gb of RAM as a minimum
160gb hard drive as a minimum
Wireless and wired network capabilities
Forget built in web cams they are not usually the best quality and are very hard to fix
At least 3 USB ports (you can never have enough USB)
Should have a docking station or port replicator available
Built in or external CD/DVD Writer (preferably dual layer)

There are many other options available such as Biometric finger print login, Crystal Brite type screens and flip over screens.

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How fragile are laptops
Like any electronic device if treated rough or dropped etc they will break, but different makes offer different levels or durability, IBM laptops come with a rubbery coating which makes them one of the most resilient makes on the market.

How long should a laptop last?
Specification wise, not just laptops but any new computer will be out of date in around 12-18 months after purchase.

As for the laptops life before failure, if looked after properly there is no reason why it should not easily last 8 years, the main parts that seem to wear out quickest are the battery, then the actually screen as the back light bulb fails.

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