|
Once you've looked at your needs and space requirements and
decided whether you want a laptop or a desktop, it's time
to select the basic hardware components for your system. You
learned about all the different system components in the first
step, so there's no need to repeat that here.
Check out the chart below and check off what you think is
most important for you. It's broken down by laptop and desktop,
so you can see some of the differences. Remember, the same
features are likely to cost a lot more on a laptop than on
a comparable desktop. Also, keep in mind that laptop CPU chips
tend to be a bit further back on the technology curve, so
you won't be able to get quite as powerful a machine for the
same money. Consider these options:
| Component |
If you're buying a laptop |
If you're buying a desktop |
| CPU |
500 MHz
600 MHz
700 MHz
|
700 MHz
800 MHz
1 GHz
|
| Memory |
64 MB
128 MB
|
64 MB
128 MB
|
| Hard Drive |
4 GB
6 GB
12 GB
18 GB
|
20 GB
30 GB
|
| Monitor |
15"
14"
|
17"
19"
21"
15" flat screen
|
| Video Card |
8 MB Video Memory |
16 MB video memory
32 MB video memory
64 MB video memory
|
| CD-ROM |
CD
DVD
CD-RW
|
CD
DVD
CD-RW
|
| Modem |
56K v.90 fax modem |
56K v.90 fax modem or ISDN |
|
|
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