November 1st, 2009
Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Laptop computers
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.
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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