Laptop Buying Guide 5 (Connection)

To send and receive e-mail, browse the Web, and share files or printers, your notebook must be able to connect to a network or the Internet. This is usually done via a modem, an Ethernet hookup, or a wireless connection (either WLAN or WWAN). But your notebook has additional connectivity needs, too. Notebooks include a variety of ports, or connectors that physically link to and communicate with different kinds of equipment, including digital cameras and external monitors.

If you can't find the port you want, you can usually buy a port replicator or a docking station that adds connectors. These notebook-expansion options tend to be pricey, however, so you're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything that you'll need out of the box. Find out about each type of connection below.

PC Cards and ExpressCards

The PC Card, a credit card-shaped device that plugs into a slot on your notebook, can provide a number of connection types--modems, USB connections (say, for your digital camcorder), and wireless WAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC Cards are handy because they're easy to upgrade and because you can buy third-party PC Card solutions after you purchase your notebooks. However, most notebooks come with only one or two Type II PC Card slots, forcing you to limit the number of PC Cards you can add.

ExpressCards are the next generation of the PC Card. Smaller than existing PC Cards, ExpressCards promise data-transfer rates that are twice as fast, which means the cards can be used for high-bandwidth interfaces, such as Gigabit Ethernet ports and HDTV tuners. The standard is still relatively new, so there aren't many ExpressCard modules on the market today; however, most current laptops include an ExpressCard slot for future use. If you know you'll want to add some of these high-bandwidth functions to your laptop after you buy it, consider a system that supports the new standard.

Networking options

Though the standard is being phased out, most notebooks still come with a 56Kbps-modem (RJ-11) connection, and virtually all include Ethernet (RJ-45) or even faster Gigabit Ethernet connections. Almost all notebooks also include built-in antennas for wireless networking (802.11, or Wi-Fi) so that you can access wireless hot spots.

If your travels regularly take you beyond the reach of Wi-Fi hot spots, you may want to consider spending a little extra for a notebook with a built-in WWAN card. These systems let you tap in to a cellular provider's data network. They can be incredibly useful when connectivity is spotty, but the technology has its downsides: data plans still tend to be pricey; throughput speeds, while improving, are still slower than most high-speed Internet; and your built-in cellular card can work with only one cellular provider.

Depending on the model you choose, you may also have the option (often for an additional cost) of ordering a Bluetooth adapter in your laptop. This will let you connect your laptop to other Bluetooth-enabled devices (such as a printer, a cell phone, or a PDA) that are in close range.

Laptop Buying Guide 4 (Types of Drives)

To choose a right laptop, First decide how big of a hard drive you need, this will depend on how much data you store. After that, determine what you'll use your laptop for. Will you be tackling the most basic computing tasks, or do you plan to make your own DVD movies?

Hard drive

A laptop hard drive removed from the system.This magnetic disk provides you with space to save programs and files indefinitely or at least for the life of the drive. Laptop hard drives can provide up to 120GB of storage some laptops incorporate two 120GB drives for extra storage space but these giant drives cost hundreds of dollars more than the default 60GB to 80GB notebook drives. The 60GB to 80GB drive should be sufficient, unless you store lots of music and movies or tons of pictures. Be warned that capacity alone does not make a good hard drive. The hard disk's rotational speed also makes a big difference a 7,200rpm laptop disk delivers significantly faster performance than a 5,400rpm model. The faster the disk spins, the better your laptop will perform overall, though a faster disk will also shorten your laptop's battery life.


CD and DVD drives

Nearly all laptops, even budget systems, include a CD-RW/DVD drive (either built in to the laptop or external and connected via USB) for burning discs and watching movies on the road. DVD burners, which let you store large amounts of information on one disc, are also commonplace, double-layer DVD burners can pack even more data on a single disc. But unless you need to store huge files, such as movies, you may not need these more expensive DVD-RW drives.


Swappable vs. fixed

The least expensive laptops come with fixed (built-in) drives. In other words, if you buy your laptop with a fixed DVD-ROM, you're stuck with that drive. A swappable drive bay, on the other hand, gives you optimum flexibility. For instance, you can pull out the DVD-ROM drive and swap in a combo DVD/CD-RW drive or even a second battery. We recommend going with a swappable bay if you can afford it. Keep in mind, however, that the smallest and lightest ultraportable notebooks may include neither fixed nor swappable optical drives, relying instead on external drives that connect via USB.

External drives

External drives storage and media-burning options that hook up to your laptopvia cable come in many shapes and sizes. Most of these drives connect to your notebook via a USB or FireWire cable. Drive choices include DVD/CD-RW, DVD-RW, hard drive, and others. There are also smaller external drives, called thumbdrives, that plug directly into your USB connector sans cable. These little drives are brilliant for transferring small amounts of data between notebooks or between notebooks and PCs, and they're much more convenient than burning data onto CD. Many notebook users don't need external drives, but there are scenarios that require them. For instance, if you buy a tiny ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, determine whether you'll need an external one to load software or read data discs.