E-TEI TECHNOLOGY

I have owned a laptop off and on for a number of years. Due to battery life and accessibility, they have just not been a cost-effective solution for work or pleasure. That is until recently.

Last fall, I purchased a Dell Inspiron 700m laptop primarily for work. It has been the best computer investment I have ever made … and I have five computers in my home (Note: I am writing this sitting in the passenger seat of our family SUV after visiting Grandma.).

This is not a commercial for Dell. This is about laptops in general and the minimum specifications you should look for if considering a purchase. Keep in mind, advances are constantly occurring and the technology here will be outdated soon. Use this guide as a minimum starting point.

To me, the biggest concern or problem with a laptop has been its portability … portability meaning the battery is needed. You absolutely have to have a computer with Centrino™ Mobile Technology. The Centrino™ technology allows my battery to power my notebook for up to four hours! Four hours!

With four hours of computer time, you need to be able to access the Internet (Thank you Al Gore). That is where WiFi comes in. Of course you want your laptop to have the modem and cable adaptors, for online hookup, but it would be an absolute crime if you didn’t get WiFi capability. WiFi is nothing more than having a wireless Internet connection, thus no cables or plugs for the laptop.

Third, you want to have as light weight of a laptop as you can without sacrificing keyboard size. This makes it that much easier to carry around and you will find yourself carrying it around more frequently.

Fourth, you want a CD/DVD recorder on board and at least two USB ports. The CD/DVD player allows you to watch movies or backup important information. The USB ports allow you to hook up peripherals such as cameras, printers, etc.

Last, but not least, are the “other things” you need to make your laptop perform as good as its big brother. You want at least 256 RAM (I recommend 512), a 30 GB hard drive (I recommend 60 GB) and a screen and keyboard size that fits you.

In our fast paced and technology savvy society we only want the best when it comes to the top gaming experience. The latest in the highest performance gaming experience however comes from a source you probably won’t be expecting…

In general the most serious of gamers are considered to be a very demanding group of people. They know their computers inside out and they know what they want from them but did you know that many of these serious gamers are opting for laptops over desktops?

Things have really changed in the world of laptops. There have been some major developments in not only the way that laptops are constructed but also the technology that is placed in them. Quad processors are now available in gaming laptops but what really has broken the gaming barrier is the introduction of SLI technology which makes hooking up two or more Graphics Cards or GPUs possible within laptops. Throw in much more RAM at higher speeds and you have the formula for higher performance gaming in a smaller package.

This new technology has now made the laptop nearly or as powerful as your desktop PC; so it’s no wonder that more and more gamers are switching from their desktop PC in favor of a laptop. These laptops aren’t just any laptops however; they are specifically built, pimped out if you like, to be able to run and play games better than your standard laptop or desktop computer.

Gaming laptops are the elite; they are the top of the line laptops for all of your gaming needs. The reason for this is that these laptops are built to perfection and not only that, they can also be built and tailor made to fulfil everything that you need to have the ultimate machine when it comes to your gaming laptop.

Custom building a laptop to meet a certain specification is what many gamers are now choosing over buying a standard laptop that simply meets the requirements needed; these gamers want to take it a step further. They want to, in essence, produce their own blueprints for what will be the best gaming machine on the market.

If you’re ordering a gaming laptop from some of the gaming specialist like Alienware, Rock in the UK, or even a local HP or Dell XPS rig; and you can config or order the amount of RAM, type of Processors and most importantly, the type of GPU or Graphics Card you want in your gaming laptop. Obviously, the more cash you’re willing to spend, the more ‘pinped-out’ your gaming laptop will be.

It has only been in recent times that laptops have shown what potential they have to be the best of the best in the computer world. They are powerful mobile machines that are made to feature vital components to make the laptop the fastest, sharpest and brightest it can be; it makes a laptop the perfect gaming machine.

Whatever your gaming habits are you are able to pimp out a laptop to make a gaming monster to rival others. You can design your own gaming system and then have it custom built by experts. When you design your gaming laptop there are certain considerations that I’m sure you are already aware of, that you will need to include in your gaming laptop to make it the best it can be.

You will be looking at getting the fastest processor, largest amount of RAM and best resolution. Not just any laptop will do for a gamer; you need what is essentially considered to be a powerhouse that can handle the intense graphics of some of the best 3D games that are on the market today. So you need to keep in mind the fact that you are unable to upgrade the graphics card in many laptops so when you are custom building your ultimate gaming laptop it is highly important that you buy a laptop with the fastest graphics card that you can; the latest DirectX graphics cards are highly recommended. Most gamers go with high-end NVIDIA or ATI GPUs which usually gives them the best performance.

If you are a gamer who is looking into what makes up the best gaming laptop I suggest that you take it one step further like many people already have done, and get your gaming laptop custom built. This way you get the best of all worlds. You get a fast processor, high quality graphics card and a large amount of RAM.

Custom building laptops is what you need if you want the best from your gaming laptop. So get your gaming laptop specs figured out now and get them sent out to the laptop manufacturers. Ordering your custom gaming rig online is easy and fast to do and you will be gaming with the best of them in no time!

I received this question yesterday and wanted to help clarify the meaning for some readers who may be wondering the same thing.

Used Laptops

Used laptops, as the name suggests, are laptops that have been used by a company or individual, and are resold to another individual or company. Just like used cars, these notebooks come in various conditions and levels of performance. In the industry, used laptops come in 3 different categories

“As-is”
7 day, (or similar amount), DOA
30 day warranty

We’ll discuss each briefly.

“As- is” – used notebooks

Again using the used car analogy, “as-is” means that there is no warranty expressed or implied when purchasing this notebook. You bought it, you deal with it. These notebooks should either be inspected before purchase by someone who knows about laptops, or should be purchased at such a cheap price that if it has mechanical problems shortly after purchase, it won’t be a strain on the users budget.

“As- is” notebooks should be thought of as units that will get you by. As-is units are also acceptable as replacement parts units if purchased at a cheap enough price.

7 day DOA

This type of DOA notebook warranty can be any amount of days; however, 7-10 days is standard. This is essentially a notebook that has been given a warranty of 1 week. These units rarely make sense for the purchase of any notebook computer that you expect to use heavily unless.

The price is incredible
You are very skilled at diagnosing and repairing laptop computers

30 day warranty

Most Used laptops will fall into this category. These notebooks have been at least certified by the vendor to boot up to an operating system without crashing, have a decent display quality, etc. Believe it or not, some great bargains can be found in this lot, depending on many factors such as The initial quality of the notebook. Thinkpad Notebooks are usually very good in this category because of their high quality and good durability.

Used laptops can be good bargains, however the saavy shopper will attempt to stay away from AS-IS or 7 day DOA systems unless they can inspect the laptop beforehand or have great knowledge of how to repair such systems if something were to go wrong.

Refurbished laptops

Refurbished Notebooks and Laptops are systems that have been returned to the factory due to some initial mechanical flaw. The system is repaired with the correct replacement parts, and re-tested again to insure that the laptop works to original specifications. Refurbished Laptops are an exceptional bargain for the following reasons:

1.) Systems are given steep discounts. Some models are available at up to 50% off of the original retail price..

2.) Systems have been thoroughly tested. – Refurbished Notebooks have been checked and re-checked for quality control and will have a lesser defect rate than a new system.

Refurbished Notebooks and Laptops come in various categories:

Grade A Refurbished

These Notebooks are in pristine condition. They may only have minor scratches.

Grade B Refurbished

These Notebooks are in good condition. They may only have minor scratches and such other things as dings in the case.

Grade C Refurbished

These Notebooks are in used condition. They may be off lease returns from a leasing companies.

Why consider refurbished notebooks?

When I am asked this question, I always respond, “Why consider a recertified used car?” Yes it’s great to have the “new car smell” but is that new car smell worth an extra couple thousand? It’s the same with a notebook. A brand new whiz bang Laptop 3000xyz may cost $1000, but a refurbished whiz bang Laptop 2500xyz may cost $759 and probably has many the same features, looks, and even processors but may be one step behind the current one in speed or memory.