Laptop Buying 101 Help

[Tatonkaland]

Hi Everyone:
I am having to buy a new laptop and have been reading review after review anc now am totally confused.
I run an office on a wireless network of 8 computers and now we need laptops for travel presentations.
So I need laptops with wireless card built incorrect I assume?
I have some questions I need simple english help with the following items:

1 - What is the difference in
Pentium 4 or Pentium 4-M or Pentium M ?

2 - What and why is there difference in the Processor Speeds?
I need the speed and memory for extensive-complicated spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations.
What processor speed am I really looking for?

3 - Video Memory Clarified:
8MB Shared or
Graphics Description : Integrated Graphics
GPU/VPU : Intel Extreme Graphics

GPU/VPU Nvidia GeForce FX Go5700
Video Memory 128MB

Graphics Description Dedicated Graphics
GPU/VPU ATI MOBILITY RADEON 7500

4 - What does bluetooth simply mean?

5 - What does it mean when it says it has no firewire?
or review reads:
Integrated LAN
Integrated Modem
Integrated Wireless LAN

I truely appreciate any help and and any suggestions.
Dee

 

[iamme]

1 - What is the difference in
Pentium 4 or Pentium 4-M or Pentium M ?

2 - What and why is there difference in the Processor Speeds?
I need the speed and memory for extensive-complicated spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations.
What processor speed am I really looking for? cpu's can get a little confusing. the latest cpu is Pentium M, which is Centrino technology. these will usually yield the best battery life. be sure to look at RAM too. 256MB is bare minimum. look for 512MB and above, for the laptop to run smoothly.

3 - Video Memory Clarified: i don't think the video card will be very important if your primary function will be office applications and presentations. these are usually for those who play many 3D intensive games

4 - What does bluetooth simply mean? think of bluetooth as wireless for peripherals (mouse, keyboard, printers)

5 - What does it mean when it says it has no firewire? firewire is a connection usually found in video cameras and external hard drives or CD-RW/DVD-RW's
or review reads:
Integrated LAN the laptop has an ethernet port
Integrated Modem the laptop has a 56K modem
Integrated Wireless LAN the laptop has wireless capabilities

other things to consider, since you are doing travel considerations:
screen size: are you presenting straight from the laptop screen? or do you plan on connecting the laptop to an external monitor or projector. many laptops will have a VGA or S-Video out.
battery life: how much time will you spend away from an outlet? battery life can be anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours.
weight: laptops are basically divided into 3 weight classes: Ultraportable (2-3lbs), Thin & Light (4-6lbs), and Desktop Replacement (7lbs+). will your employees be carrying the laptops around for long periods of time? heavy laptops can be a burden.
price: most important, how much do you want to spend?


as far as recommendations, IBM Thinkpads have an awesome reputation for building solid work laptops. The IBM T-series has had excellent reviews Link. The T-series is a great balance between weight and performance. Many users here have THinkpad T40's and T41's.

hope that helps!

 

[Tatonkaland]

Thank you, you have this immensely
I have been looking at the IBM - T40 - T41 and T42, also one salesperson has a G40.
Presentation will be straight from the latop in 95% of cases, at about 45 min to an hr.
I am in the 1500 range per laptop, weight was not a big issue to these sales people as much
as the applications keep moving smoothly.
I was considering 512 and upgrading if possible to 1024.
The video Memeory thing was leading me astray - Shared or dedicated and such?
Thanks for you imput again,
Dee

 

[jacksonian]

If I'm mostly doing web surfing, email, office functions like powerpoint/word, will integrated graphics like the Intel 855 chipset be fine? I know that a dedicated video card is better, but would I even notice if I don't game or play movies?

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Tatonkaland
The video Memeory thing was leading me astray - Shared or dedicated and such?

Originally posted by: jacksonian
If I'm mostly doing web surfing, email, office functions like powerpoint/word, will integrated graphics like the Intel 855 chipset be fine? I know that a dedicated video card is better, but would I even notice if I don't game or play movies?

The "shared video" means that it uses your system RAM (the 512MB or 1024MB) for video. "Dedicated" means the video card has its own RAM (anywhere from 8MB-128MB) just for video. Dedicated video ram yields better video performance.

However, if you are NOT playing 3D games, you won't notice the difference. Even with watching movies, the video card does not make a huge difference.

Any extra money would be better spent on system RAM or maybe even an extra battery for more laptop time away from an AC adapter.

 

[iamme]

btw, system RAM upgrades are pretty easy on laptops. usually just one small screw and then plug the RAM module in....usually easier than upgrading on a desktop.

if money is a concern, you can buy RAM seperately and upgrade yourself, saving money.

for example, take an IBM Thinkpad T42 straight from IBM's website. It starts with 256MB RAM.

1. Adding another 256MB for a total of 512MB = $100 upgrade
2. Buying 256MB from Crucial.com and installing it yourself, for a total of 512MB = $53

 

[jacksonian]

iamme,
Thanks! That helps a ton.

 

[Tatonkaland]

Thanks everyone and Iamme
i have been able to finally make a decision everyone will be happy with.
Dee.