Make Your Laptop Runs Faster Than Ever!

2008-11-23T02:27:00.001+08:00

You might have experience a situation where you have to wait for a few minutes before your laptop fully loads the system. While you are waiting, you have plenty of time to go in the kitchen, eat a bowl of noodles and walk around and have a cup of ice-cream and when you come back to your laptop again, it does not get its job done yet! The cursor is still freezing with the sand clock turning up and down beside it.

That would be annoying, especially when you need to get your job done, fast. Waiting for your laptop to start more than a minute is a disaster! You might be wondering why it becomes slower as time goes by. It is totally different from the first time you bought it where it was extremely fast, loaded in seconds and shut down just in a few moments. What actually went wrong?

Basically, Windows system comes with hidden functions that no one knows. These functions are kept in a place where we call it as registry. Registry is the place where all of your computing tasks and activities such as browsing the net, installing and uninstalling programs, corrupted or incomplete files and junks are kept ‘safely.’ So, if these junks become overload in months and years without treatment—the last thing you can do is to see your laptop crash!

However, there is a solution for this problem. The only thing that you can do is to clean up your registry—regularly. Where can you find this registry? How are you going to do that? Well, it is not recommended to clean the registry yourself. You need a tool that can help you with the cleaning job. There are so many registry cleaning tools available in the market.

The thing is that, these tools like PC Booster, TuneUp Utilities, RegCure, Super Utilities, Glary Utilities and many more would help you to clean your registry and restore your initial laptop’s performance. The result is your laptop would run faster, loads faster and shuts down faster. No more eating noodles while waiting your laptop to start up and you can work faster.

Furthermore, you should make sure that you clean up your registry at least once a month. It is better of you could do it every day to maintain the performance of your laptop and avoid any hitches in future.

Buying New Laptop? What to Consider?

2008-11-22T18:02:00.001+08:00

Buying new laptop is not as easy as eating what you want. It may need some calculation and very rational consideration in order to be satisfied with the one that we are going to get. Laptop has now become a popular gadget as it is easy to use, and it can be brought everywhere. Let’s see how we can find a better solution in searching the most suitable laptop based on our needs.

There are few things that we would consider before buying a new laptop.

1. Budget
2. Platforms
3. Performance
4. Build Quality
5. Specifications

So, let’s take a look over few items that you have to consider when buying a new laptop.

BUDGET $$$

Laptop costs you money. So, you may not want to waste your money for such a ‘below par’ performance with the money that you are going to spend. Even so, you may not want to find something that would crack your head and never want to spend over the budget you have. A new laptop that is essential for typing, listening to music and play simple games yet giving you adequate performance would cost you no more than $620. That is so much cheap to be considered. Furthermore, you can get less than that—depends on the platform that it is using.

So, the price really matters, no matter what. This is because we are going to spend our money on a machine that we are going to use for years. Therefore, to make sure that you are spending on the right machine, why not we take a look on other factors that can affect the pricing of the laptops.

PLATFORMS

Of course there are two different platforms that are very common now days. They are AMD and Intel. Some prefer AMD for it is cheaper, but some prefer Intel for its reliability. But then, these two platforms always have their own advantages and disadvantages as well. The thing is that, it is really up to you which one you are going to choose. The common AMD laptop processor is Turion 64 X2. For Intel, there are Intel Core and Core 2 options. The Core 2 is the 64-bit CPU just like Turion 64 X2. I will discuss this further in Specifications topic.

PERFORMANCE

Laptop performance might be the third thing to be considered here, as well as the platforms. The performance however—depends on the budget that we have set. A moderate performance laptop may cost less and if the price is higher, the better the performance would be. However, most of the laptops sold now days have become apparent in the performance ability. The specifications might be different but the performance may not vary if the differences are very little.

For instance, an Acer Aspire 4520G—packed with AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 might not give any huge difference in its performance to compare with its other sibling, the Aspire 4520 with the same but lower class AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-58. These laptops use the same graphics, NVIDIA GEFORCE® 7000M integrated GPU (Graphics Processor Unit). And what really matters is that, the prices are definitely different for both Aspire 4520G and the ordinary 4520. The different might be around $180 only for the CPU difference.

So, performance can be measured from the price, but there are solutions in finding cheaper laptop with equivalent performance to the performance laptop. There are two purposes that can be listed here in order to find a laptop that really suits you. The first one is gaming performance and the other one is essential performance.

Gaming Performance

Gaming laptops are definitely the best laptop that can be used for multi-purpose tasking. You can play games with extreme graphics requirements and at the same time, do your graphical art on Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Flash or maybe dealing with your animation task with no hassle. You can also keep hundreds of movie files and watch any movies you want with ease. You can do your assignments while listening to loads of song in you Media Player List and so much more! Is this the kind of laptop that you have been searching for?

Some of the performance laptops:

1. Acer Ferrari 5000
2. Alienware M17
3. Asus G50Vt
4. Dell XPS M1730
5. MSI GX730

Essential Performance

Essential performance laptops can be used for typing your work in Microsoft Office with the capabilities of keeping and playing your favourite songs whilst surfing the net at the same time. If you are not a game-mad and want to keep your budget low, then this type of laptops are definitely suitable for you.

Lists of essential task laptops:

1. Acer Aspire 4730Z
2. Compaq Presario V3658TU
3. Del Inspiron 1525
4. Dell Vostro 1400
5. MSI VR220

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality is some of the aspects that we need to consider when buying a new laptop. It is undeniable when some laptop companies produce laptop with slightly unpredictable build quality. Do we need to argue this? We have to, anyway. This is because some of mass-production laptops in the market may encounter Q.C problems. There are few common problems such as display problems, compact disc reading failure, touchpad malfunction, and keyboard breakdown. Some of Acer and FTec laptops always encounter these kinds of problems. Besides, other problem that is quite common is the difficulties to find hardware drivers or driver compatibility issue. Compaq seems to have this problem. So, re-formation of the laptop might be a bit difficult if the correct drivers hardly provided. Some (mostly) Compaq models especially the mass-production V3000 series come without resource CD.

Therefore, users have to depends on the retailer or maybe find it themselves through the net. But the problem is that, Compaq hardly put the drivers fully available. Most of the drivers in its website may have only few rather than complete drivers set. Look at Compaq V3658TU for instance; the drivers provided by Compaq in its website are not fully updated whether it is for Vista or even XP. Believe it or not, users have to find equivalent drivers that are compatible with this 3658TU system.

To make your life easier, try to choose a laptop that will not give you so much hassle or totally hassle free! The build quality is the thing to be considered, other thing is all of the systems are working properly, including the software and hardware. Choose the one that has good reputation and therefore it will not give so many problems after sales.

SPECIFICATIONS

This is another aspect that can be considered as important. To choose a good laptop, you would want to seek for laptops that have a very good specification. These are some specifications that can be considered:

Processor

This can be the most crucial part that makes a person think which one to choose. Some prefers AMD and some prefers Intel. There are arguments on both processor brands in performance, durability, reliability, power saving, and of course price wise. However, price has never been the main issue that can be taken into account to evaluate the processor’s ability.

The thing is that, if you want a cheaper processor yet reliable and good for overall performance, AMD is the best choice. But there is one disadvantage that is noticeable for any AMD-based laptops—it can be over-heated. This overheating issue however can be solved by using laptop cooling fan. Do not ever hesitate about AMD processor’s ability. It can be better than Intel in some ways. And still, Turion 64 X2 is the best processor ever produced by AMD.

If you are looking for performance and reliability at the most, Intel is unquestionable for that. Price wise, it can be a bit expensive. But still, many consider Intel as their first choice because of its reliability, durability and performance. Most of all, it promises best battery performance with its power saving feature. Normal Lithium Ion 4000 mAh battery can lasts up to 2.5 hours with Intel Core 2 Duo processor operated in idle mode.

Random-access Memory

Random Access Memory or RAM acts out as data storage manager for the laptops. This is the most important component for your laptop to work. If RAM is not installed, there is no use of having a laptop with great processor, best graphics unit and so on. It is like the lamp starter that starts out the lamp to make it lighting. In current modern days, the RAM needs has become so vital, that the very least a laptop needs to have is 512MB.

In order to bring out the very best performance of your laptop, you should have to consider 1GB of RAM at least. Therefore, 512MB is no longer adequate even though it can make your laptop runs—but not smoothly. So, the very best option is, to look at a standard factory fitted 2GB of RAM to give you splendid laptop operation with hassle free!

Storage

Storage is another part that can be considered as important. Storage or hard disk drive (HDD) is the place where your operating system is installed. And this is also the place where you put all of your stuffs together such as music, movies, documents and pictures. Having at least 80GB of hard disk size is fairly adequate. But now days, you might want to consider of having at least 160GB so that you can store two times more than usual.

Hard disk drives installed in laptops now days are basically the Serial ATA type. This type of HDD operates faster than the traditional Parallel ATA or IDE type. However, there are some laptops that are still using IDE connections.

Graphics
Integrated Graphics

Integrated graphics are the type of graphics that utilize the laptops’ RAM. This type of graphics is cheaper to implement rather than dedicated graphics. It is unreliable to some extent, whereas it cannot play extreme games with high graphics demand and it can slow the system down if the RAM is too small. However, modern integrated graphics are still struggling to give the best performance for high-end game and therefore, many have opted for dedicated graphics instead.

Dedicated Graphics

Dedicated graphics are the stand-alone graphics system that operates on an expansion slot available on the motherboard. This type of graphics basically operates on its own, without utilizing the laptops’ RAM. That is why dedicated graphics works better in many laptops as the RAM is not shared; therefore it creates enough space for the laptops to operate at its best performance.

Different Graphics on Different Platforms

AMD Turion 64 X2 can be good for value to compare with Intel Core 2 topflight. The performance is not that bad at all, considering many laptops with this processor come together with NVIDIA Graphics. Let’s compare any AMD-based laptops (except Sempron) like Acer Aspire 4520, Compaq Presario V3417TU, Compaq Presario V3243TU and many more, they are the laptops that use the AMD Turion 64 X2 processor and come together with NVIDIA integrated graphic.

It is adequate to play games even with high graphic demands such as FIFA 2009 or even Need for Speed Pro Street. The only disadvantage is integrated graphic is known for its memory sharing with the physical RAM. Thus, there might slow down the system if the RAM is not big enough and therefore the laptop might not give its best graphic performance. The only solution is to upgrade the RAM assigned to the graphics. Therefore, the graphics will work better.

Intel-based laptops usually come with Intel integrated Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA). There are few chipsets to name, such as Intel ® GM965 Express Chipset for laptops. This chipset utilizes Intel very own Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. It is usually found on lower cost laptops. The performance is fairly acceptable, especially to smoothly run Windows Vista Aero experience. It is also enough to run any game that does not require high graphics demand. Arcade games can be played excellently without any problems.

However, there are some laptops manufacturers that utilize none of Intel GMA. They use dedicated graphic instead—to ensure better gaming experience and performance. There are two leading graphics processing company that produce dedicated graphics especially for laptops. They are ATI and NVIDIA. These two companies have come up with excellent Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that can deliver the maximum graphics ability and great performance. The combination of Intel Core 2 processor and ATI or NVIDIA dedicated graphic will make your laptops more reliable and superb.

Wireless Capability

Wireless internet system is the most common endorsement to LAN internet system. The best thing is that, only laptops are provided with wireless capabilities. This is the advantage of the laptop. With this advantage, you can reach out the internet anywhere you want (as long as there are wireless hotspot signal connections).

The question is, are there any differences in the wireless system provided by different manufacturer? And the answer, yes! Definitely! Acer for instance, has become the world leading company in producing a laptop with advance and excellent wireless capability with its very own SignalUp InviLink system. There are no other laptops that can beat this system so far, and Acer is known for this capability as its trademark. So, you would want to consider which laptop that offers the best wireless strength on earth? You can find it yourself.

Physical Attraction and Design

Some want a small laptop, some other want as big as possible. Others may want something moderate, not too small and not too big. So, the physical attraction can be another factor to consider if you are buying a laptop. Laptop usually comes with 8”, 12.1”, 13.3”, 14”, 15.4” and a massive size of 17”. Many may choose 14” as it is not too big or even too small. How about 13.3”? Would you consider? Dell XPS M1330 is the one that come with 13.3” screen.

How about the design? Well, most laptops come with homogenise design. Therefore, the design and style may differ in accordance to the size. Some consider good design as their first choice. But laptops now days have come up with many fascinating designs that can be chose. Some of them are coloured and some are very attractive with vibrant colours offered. Dell is one of the companies that offer coloured laptop in their Inspiron line up. And it is up to you customers to choose what you want.

Weight

Bigger laptops are weightier. The basic 14” laptops weighted around 2.2 Kg. Most laptops weighted around 2.2-2.8 Kg, depends on the size. Laptops with 13.3” or less weighted less than 2.2 Kg. So, you can imagine yourself what is the weight of a 17” laptop right? Definitely it would be more than 2.8 Kg. It is not possible for it to reach the 3 Kg figure. Which one do you choose—lighter or weightier?

Integrated Webcam

More and more laptops now days are produced to come out with factory fitted integrated webcam. This would be a great thing as users do not have to think of buying external webcam. But there is no problem if you were to buy a better external webcam right? It is a matter of how often would you be using the webcam? If it is important and you always use it to chat over with your friends and see each other’s face, you may need it.

Speaker

Some want a speaker that is ear-friendly. You may not want to listen to your favourite song when the speaker sound broke up just after you toggle up the sound beyond 50%. There are best speaker-expert handing over their expertise for laptop manufacturers such as Altec Lansing (Compaq) and Dolby (Acer). However, you can choose to have additional subwoofer and bass speaker for better music experience instead if the sound is not so pleasant.

Conclusion

So, there it is! I hope you can use this information as your reference before you go out there and buy a new laptop for yourself. The thing is that, think carefully, make you own judgement and make a wise decision. Do not waste your money with the wrong laptop or you will regret later.

Laptop Expertise™

Make Your Laptop Runs Faster Than Ever!

Buying New Laptop? What to Consider?