November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Laptop computers

Posted by John Morris @ 9:15 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide, Notebooks, PCs, Peripherals, and Software

Tags: Processor, Hard Drive, Performance, Apple MacBook, Memory, Graphics, Laptop Computer, Netbook, Computer, Intel Corp.

This year the laptop list was a tough assignment for several reasons.

First, the emergence of a new class of ultra-thin laptops–spawned by lower-cost processors from Intel and AMD–has made things more complicated. Second, there’s a fresh crop of Windows 7 laptops, and very few of them have received full reviews. Finally, Intel is preparing to release its first 32nm processor families, Arrandale for laptops and Clarksdale for desktops, early next year, and this is likely to really shake things up.

The good news is that there’s more choice than ever at all prices ranges. The bad news is that it’s becoming very tough to choose. Here are some guidelines.

Not long ago, the laptop market was relatively straightforward. The so-called mainstream systems with 15-inch displays were the least expensive (and most commonplace) and everything smaller (thin-and-lights and ultraportables) and larger (desktop replacements) cost more–often a lot more. Today mainstream models with 15.6-inch displays still tend to be the cheapest (not counting netbooks). These will typically cost anywhere from $300 to $550, though you can easily spend more depending on the configuration. The difference is that smaller, and more portable, laptops are closing the price gap. Sure, you can still spend $2,000 or more on an “executive-class” ultraportable if you really want, but now there are many low-cost ultra-thin alternatives. These typically have displays ranging in size from 11.6 to 13.3 inches, and start at around $600. At the opposite extreme are desktop replacement laptops with 17.3-inch, or in some cases even 18.4-inch, displays. These are more expensive than mainstream systems, are typically toward entertainment or gaming applications, and are only marginally portable.

Some of the larger laptops are now offering quad-core processors, but most users will be better off with a fast dual-core processor combined with more memory. You may notice that many laptops come with a new type of system memory, DRR3, which is faster and uses less power than DDR2 memory. Most laptops use an Intel chipset with integrated graphics (Arrandale will actually put graphics processor in the same physical package with the CPU) and this has advantages in terms of battery life. But it can’t match either the integrated or discrete graphics from AMD or Nvidia in terms of performance. More computer makers are offering solid-state disks in lieu of standard hard drives, but this market has yet to materialize largely because NAND flash remains too costly, though performance has been an issue as well. Microsoft designed Windows 7 to take better advantages of SSDs, so as the price comes down, we may see some pick-up in 2011. But for now, you can ignore them.

Finally several PC makers have started dropping internal optical drives from some larger laptops with displays of 13, 14 or even 15-plus inches to make them thinner and lighter. This is largely a matter of personal preference, depending on how much you travel, and whether you are accustomed to downloading all of your applications and content. Many entertainment notebooks have optional Blu-ray players or burners.

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November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Netbook computers

Posted by John Morris @ 9:07 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide, Notebooks, PCs, Peripherals, and Software

Tags: Microsoft Windows 7, Battery, Microsoft Windows, Netbook, Computer, Ion, Mini 311, NB205, Eee PC 1005HA, Samsung N120

The debate over whether netbooks are a real phenomenon or a passing fad is pretty much over. Whether you consider them a distinct category, or simply an inexpensive and under-powered subnotebook, the fact remains that some 25 million shoppers will choose netbooks this year. In other words, they are here to stay.

The exact definition of a netbook remains somewhat fluid though, and it has certainly evolved over the past year. Last year the market was shifting from 9-inch netbooks to models with 10.1-inch displays. Now this niche is split between 10.1-inch displays and 11.6-inch models, and there are even a handful of models (Lenovo IdeaPad S12, Samsung NC10) with the 12.1-inch displays commonly found on ultraportable laptops. Many of the 11.6-inch netbooks also support a higher resolution of 1366×768, which is useful since you can see more and scroll less (Sony is the only one that squeezes this higher resolution onto a10.1-inch display with its VAIO W series). To add to the confusion, many of the same PC makers have started shipping laptops with the same display sizes–11.6 or 12.1 inches–paired with Intel’s ultra low-voltage, or ULV, processors typically at prices of around $600 and up. The HP Pavilion dv2 also falls into this category, though it is based on an AMD Athlon Neo dual-core processor.

One thing that hasn’t changed much, though, is the basic specs. Nearly all netbooks have the same starting configuration–an Intel Atom N270 or N20 processor, 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive. Not surprisingly, the performance also tends to be the same, which is to say not very good, among netbooks. After dragging its feet for more than a year, in early 2010 Intel will reportedly release new netbook platform, known as Pine Trail, which should deliver better performance. In the meantime, Nvidia has attempted to fill the void with its Ion chipset, which gives netbooks (and nettops) the graphics mojo to play HD video. Three netbooks currently offer Ion: the HP Mini 311, Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and Samsung N510. Though there were some concerns about the price and battery life, early reviews have been quite good and it’s a nice option if you want a netbook with a little more oomph.

One of the clearest distinctions between netbooks and notebooks–the operating system–is also about to disappear. Windows 7 replaces both Vista on notebooks and Windows XP. A few netbooks will offer full versions of Windows 7, but many will stick with Windows 7 Starter edition. There are two drawbacks here. First, to entice customers to choose more expensive versions of Windows 7, the Starter edition has some limitations. You may have heard that Microsoft planned some onerous restrictions, most notably a limit o the number of applications you can run at one time. They’ve since dropped that plan and now the primary distinction is that you can’t change the wallpaper/theme, which simply seems arbitrary. Second, it is likely that netbooks with any version of Windows 7 will cost more because Microsoft is charging more. If you want to upgrade your Windows XP netbook, things are a bit more complicated. Microsoft will offer a version on a USB drive (since netbooks don’t have optical drives), but you’ll need to back up all of your applications, files and settings and then reinstall them on Windows 7. The bottom line: The vast majority will simply get Windows 7 on a new netbook, and it is a big improvement in terms of usability and features.

Despite all the changes, netbooks still aren’t for everyone. But as long as you know exactly what you are getting (or giving, since this is a holiday gift guide), a netbook is a good second PC, and even in a in some specific cases, a reasonable primary PC.

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November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Desktop computers

Posted by John Morris @ 9:04 pm

Categories: Desktops, Holiday Gift Guide, PCs, Peripherals, and Software

Tags: Hard Drive, Hewlett-Packard Co., Gateway Inc., PC, Memory, Apple iMac, Model, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Series, Graphics

A lot has changed since I made a list of desktops and checked it twice last year.

Intel released its Core i5 and Core i7 processors, based on a new design known as Nehalem, which brought significant performance improvements to desktops (not to mention servers and workstations). AMD is still playing catch-up with its processors, but on the positive side it has had a string of hits in graphics including the Radeon HD 4000 series and now the HD 5000 series. Nvidia will release new graphics processors based on its Fermi architecture early next year, but for now AMD is delivering the best bang for the buck.

But the biggest change in the world of desktops is the release of Windows 7. The problems with Windows Vista were a bit overblown, but everyone was eager for a fresh start and Windows 7 makes desktops easier to use, more capable and even a bit faster under certain circumstances. With some desktops shipping with as much as 6GB of memory now, there’s no longer any reason to buy the 32-bit version of Windows, and nearly every new desktop comes with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, which will still run your 32-bit applications. Windows 7 also has support for multi-touch displays built-in, so you’ll notice many more desktops and laptops that include these features such as HP’s TouchSmart 600. I’ve tried some of these new Windows 7 multi-touch PCs, and they’re intriguing, but until someone comes up with killer apps for multi-touch on PCs, it will remain a niche.

One other new category you’ll notice on store shelves this year is the nettop. These look like small -form factor PCs, but they are actually the desktop’s answer to netbooks complete with Intel Atom processors. Some have slightly more powerful Nvidia graphics and they run Windows 7, rather than Windows XP, but don’t be fooled. Netbooks have their place, but I’m much more skeptical of nettops. The truth is there’s very little price difference between a nettop and a budget desktop, and the trade-off in terms of performance and features simply isn’t worth saving a few bucks.

As you’ll see from this year’s gift guide picks, there are plenty of better deals on desktops.

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