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For students beginning college or university in the fall, there is always the question of whether to buy a laptop or a desktop for school. The choice, without any hesitation, would be a laptop for me. As a student, you simply need the versatility.

You will find that class notes are easier to maintain if they go directly onto the laptop. These notes can be printed out later, if you prefer to use a hard copy to study for tests. Keep in mind that the laptop will be with you in the library, in labs, in seminars and so forth. Because it is such an essential piece of equipment, here are five suggestions about what to keep in mind when selecting that laptop:

• Since the machine is going to be use so extensively, select one with a comfortable keyboard. Make sure that your hand fits the keyboard and try the keys. Keyboards have a responsiveness. See if the ‘feel’ of the keys suits you. You don’t want to have keyboard issues. You want the keyboard easy to use and suited to how you type.
• Check the hinge that connects the laptop screen. You will be opening and closing the laptop numerous times. You want to have a solid hinge so that, over the months, the laptop screen stays in place.
• Select a laptop with high memory capacity. If possible, put in as much RAM as possible. RAM is not expensive now and it is the single best way to improve the functioning and speed of the laptop. If you happen to be working with large data bases, you will appreciate having the increased RAM.
• Try the laptop monitor under different lighting conditions. Does it have the same clarity? Classrooms have different lighting conditions. You want to have the same clarity on the laptop screen when you sit by a window as you would during a low light slide presentation.
• The final suggestion is to backup. This is essential. You do not want to lose school material at any time during the semester. One of the easiest ways to backup is to buy an external hard drive along with the laptop. You will find that your ‘academic life’ is on that laptop and having computer problems during the school year is a disaster. Having a backup of what is on the laptop will pay off eventually.

These would be my essentials. Other people’s priorities may vary. Some students are using a combination of desktop and small laptop like the Asus Eee. The drawback to that system is the keyboard issue. The Asus Eee might not be ideal to use through a day of several classes. You might be able to carry a keyboard to plug in and use it that way, but keep in mind the extra equipment that needs to be transported.

There is one last thing to check. If disaster does strike, how good (and how fast) is the repair service for that laptop company. You will want to have that machine fixed and back in your hands in as few days as possible. This is something you want to know and how never to have to verify. May the computer gremlins be kind…

Catherine Forsythe

Tags: backup, keyboard, laptop, RAM, screen

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