With so many notebooks on the market today, how can you decide which model is right for you? Start by determining how you’ll primarily use the machine. Will your priority be travel, gaming, business, entertainment, or some combination of those? The answer to that question will go some way toward determining which features you should look for and which you should avoid. Read on to learn more.
Q: I’m going to get rid of my desktop computer in favor of a notebook that can do everything my desktop could. What should I look for?
A: Notebooks that are specifically designated as “desktop replacement” models typically have large screens, beefy processors and graphics cards, and close to full-size keyboards. They’re also often quite heavy — too heavy to carry around comfortably for long but still portable enough to lug along if you don’t mind dealing with some significant extra weight.
However, you can have the best of both worlds — desktop power and true portability — if you think a bit unconventionally and set your sights on models designed specifically for businesses. Instead of a bulky notebook with a screen big enough to replace your desktop display — and this usually means models with screens of 15 or 16 inches, and sometimes even larger — look at business-class units that can be plugged into a docking station.
A docking station is essentially a small, plastic platform into which a business-class notebook snaps. The docking station itself contains additional ports, typically extra USB ports and connections for full-size, external desktop displays and other external devices. You can buy a very powerful yet portable business class notebook for not much more than a consumer class model. What you get is both dockability and true portability — the best of both worlds.
Business class notebooks include Dell’s Latitude line,…