Wall Street Journal


   April 27, 2000

[Mossberg's Mailbox]


Standard Laptop Specs Differ
>From Those of Desktop PCs

   By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

   There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing,
   unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has
   questions about them, and we aim to help. Here are a few questions
   about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my
   answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for
   readability.

   Mossberg's Mailbox This week my mailbox contained several questions
   about laptops. So it's an all-laptop column.
     _________________________________________________________________

   Q. A few weeks ago, you published a guide for buying a desktop
   computer. Are your recommended specs the same if I'm buying a laptop?
   Are there other factors to consider?

   A. Laptops are more expensive, and so are their internal components.
   Therefore, in a reasonably priced laptop, you can't expect to get to
   some of the specs I suggest for desktops. For instance, instead of
   shooting for 128 megabytes of memory, shoot for 64. Instead of aiming
   at a 10 gigabyte hard disk, aim for six gigabytes. Also, depending on
   the size of the laptop you prefer, you may be unable to get both an
   internal floppy drive and an internal CD-ROM drive, or either. And
   CD-RW drives, which allow you to record CDs, are much less common in
   laptops.

   There are four factors in laptop shopping that aren't usually
   important in desktop buying, and they are pretty subjective:
   size/weight, keyboard, battery life, and screen size and type. In
   general, heavier laptops, at seven pounds or more, with lots of bells
   and whistles, are desktop replacements, and often cost a small fortune
   -- $3000 or more. Less expensive, but still costly, are the really
   light three- to five-pound laptops optimized for mobility and costing
   around $2000 to $2500. In the middle are machines usually weighing six
   or seven pounds that cost under $2000. These are also desktop
   replacements with limited mobility, but they are less fully equipped
   than the costliest models.

   Before buying a laptop, make sure the keyboard and pointing device --
   such as a touch pad -- are comfortable for you. And try for a battery
   life of at least three hours, if you plan to use it on the road. For a
   discussion of laptop screen choices, see the next question.

   Q. I am planning to buy a new laptop computer. I am confused by all
   the type of screens available. What do all the abbreviations like VGA,
   SVGA, XGA, TFT, DSTN, HPA stand for?

   A. The first three abbreviations refer to resolution, or the amount of
   material you can cram onto the screen. Higher resolutions shrink the
   size of text and graphics so you can see more on any given physical
   screen size, while still keeping everything sharp. VGA, also referred
   to as 640 x 480, is an old standard, that allows the least amount of
   material on the screen. SVGA can vary, but usually refers to a
   resolution of 800 x 600. It's a typical resolution for modern laptops.
   The best practical resolution available on mainstream laptops now is
   XGA, or 1024 x 768. A high resolution can offset the disadvantage of a
   smaller screen. For instance, I'd rather have an 11.3 inch screen with
   XGA (1024 x 768) resolution than a 12 inch screen with SVGA (800 x
   600) resolution.

   The last three numbers refer to the technology used to create the
   flat-panel display in a laptop, and the choice of technology generally
   governs vividness and other issues. The best laptop displays use TFT,
   or Thin Film Transistor, technology. This is also sometimes called
   "Active Matrix." These screens are bold and vivid, even when viewed
   from a side angle. They are also the most expensive.

   The other two acronyms you cite, DSTN and HPA, are types of "passive
   matrix" screens. They are cheaper, but are more pallid, must usually
   be viewed straight on, and can sometimes experience "submarining,"
   where the cursor becomes invisible momentarily. Differences between
   DSTN and HPA are subjective, in my view.

   Various laptop models boast different combinations of resolution,
   physical screen size, and display technology. The only way to judge
   which screen is best for you is to actually view the alternatives.

   Q. I have a 19-year-old going off to college this fall, and we're
   undecided as to whether a laptop or desktop would be the best computer
   choice. I assume we can get more for our money in a desktop, which
   would also have the obvious advantages of larger screen size, no
   batteries, etc. On the other hand, a laptop would take a lot less
   space in a crowded dorm room, but would also be easier to steal.

   A. All I can say is that, we sent our college junior off to Clark
   University a few years back with a desktop PC, not a laptop -- despite
   the small, crowded rooms typical of all the freshman dorms I've ever
   seen. It turns out these kids are pretty ingenious about jamming stuff
   into tiny spaces. I've even seen two mini-towers stacked and crammed
   into a narrow wedge of space between pieces of furniture. The argument
   for a laptop is often that the students will want to tote them to
   class to take notes, but you'd better be sure that's likely, desirable
   and practical. One cheaper alternative might be a desktop for the
   room, and a Handspring Visor or a Palm for taking notes, which can
   later be transferred to the desktop at the touch of a button.

   Our choice of a desktop for our son was partly about
   price/performance, partly about avoiding theft, and partly about the
   ability to easily and cheaply add features later -- such as the CD-RW
   drive he recently bought and installed. This doesn't mean a desktop is
   right for everyone, but it seems to have worked in our case, and I
   expect his brother will take a desktop when he starts Vassar College
   in the fall. Now, all I need to do is figure out how to pay two
   tuitions next year, but that's another story.
     _________________________________________________________________


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