Laptop Rankings Notebook Rankings - Build Own Laptop

Are you looking for a light weight and ultra-thin, high performance laptop? Then you ought to try the new DELL XPS 14z series laptops. Dell boasts on the super sleek design which is in line with the apple’s small screen MacBook pro.

Design:
The moment you look at the 14z notebooks, you will notice an impressive change in the design from older dell laptops. Although the screen size is just 14 inches, the trim around the screen borders and the HD feature makes you feel you have not compromised on the excellent visual treat for convenience.

Technical specification:
The 14z machines come with 2nd gen Intel core processors with i5 and i7 variants. It supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory for high performance computing. For all those gamers, there is good news and bad news. The NVIDIA GeForce 520M 1GB with optimus video card is supported as an upgrade from the Intel HD graphics 3000. Well this was the good and the bad news is, the 3D raw channel manipulation (CHOP’s) is not that good with the above card. The 8-cell battery prismatic battery life ensures long standby time of up to 4 hours in optimal conditions.

Cons:
· Although the notebook comes with better keyboard design, the overall frame is not very solid and gives you a plastic handling experience. The touch-pad that supports all multi-touch patterns but it is a bit oversensitive sometimes.

· The resolution of the screen (1366 x 768) could have been better as the competing models like mac book pro (1440 x 900) and sony vaio 13.3 inch laptops (1600 x 900) come with better pixel configurations.

· There are only two USB ports.

Comment:
The Dell xps 14z laptops has to offer more pleasure than problems.

Apple MacBooks are known for the eye-catching design and attractive features. Not to forget the awesome usability and the never compromised robustness. The new MacBook air also seems to be only proving the above statements stronger.

Design:
Can one imagine a laptop that could be less than an inch thinner? Well the designers at Apple have thought about and achieved it. The remarkably thin MacBook uses flash storage chips that attributes to a very sleek body, lesser weight and more space for other hardware like extra battery. Special thanks to the introduction of a full-size backlit keyboard that fulfils the comfortable typing experience. “When the MacBook is so thin and light, how about is strength?” – Do not give place to such thoughts as the MacBook is one of the strongest notebooks due to the aluminium finish. One would never get a quaky feeling especially near the pad and palm rest areas as in many other laptops.

Technical Specifications:
Definitely a high performing package comprising the Intel i5/i7 processors with 2GB RAM memory and the all-flash storage – the efficiency, reliability and speed are demonstrated in the iPhone and iPad. The 13-inch screened MacBook hosts a better battery and thus increased standby time of 5-7 hours. It would be unjust to not mention about the new I/O technology in MacBook air that is almost 20 times faster than USB 2.0. This technology is currently restricted within the Apple family of computers and is based on the data transfer technology from Intel.

Cons:
• Too Pricey. Even the 11” version costs around $1000.
• Battery cannot be replaced.
• The heat dissipation is not well managed.

Comment:
Get this laptop if you want feel some real good computing experience!

Lenovo has introduced a 13-inch business laptop along the lines of its ThinkPad series of laptops. As portability has become a primary factor of marketing, Lenovo has also contributed its share of a light weight and thin notebook to the community with the ThinkPad X1.

Design:
As a typical ThinkPad family member, the X1 machines have a solid and durable build. These notebooks also come with matte-rubber finish that is resistant from smudges and scratches without disappointing the ThinkPad fans. Interestingly, the full-size keyboard comes with drain holes and makes it totally spill-resistant but however, lighter than the lid as the screen uses strong gorilla glass.

Technical Specifications:
Clearly being a business laptop, the X1 comes with whole lot of mighty configuration options. They are packed with 2nd generation Intel i3, i5 and i7 processors at 2.10, 2.50 and 2.70 Ghz respectively and the worth mentioning the different sizes of solid state drive hard disks that are faster for normal processing. The x1 supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory as it is almost mandatory in any business laptop. Although these notebooks come with integrated batteries with a standby time of 5 hours, there is the provision to use the slice battery which could extend the life to additional 5 hours!

Cons:
• The integrated battery as in apple books cannot be replaced.
• A little overpriced.

Comment:
This is one of the best consumer friendly business laptop available in the market currently.

Are you looking for a compact and travel friendly laptop at a good price? Then HP pavilion might become your choice! The pavilion dm1-4010 series of laptops are more inclined towards excellent multimedia experience at home.

Design:
Unlike other HP pavilion laptops, the dm1-4010us comes with a richer design and stronger body. The under chassis plastics used in these series of laptops seem to be strong enough to not crack when pressurised. The plain matte finish on the laptop lid gives it a polished and professional look although it does not compromise on the peppy look too. The bottom of the laptop looks clean with no screws and the latch which is accessible when the battery is removed is used to open the back cover completely without any hassle. The keyboard with the large keys design definitely is a plus as it helps minimizing the usual typos with less click noise.

Technical Specification:
This pavilion newcomer is equipped with AMD dual core accelerated processor at 1.5 Ghz processor speed. The system memory is configured to be 4GB DDR3 RAM and a faster 320GB HP ProtectSmart hard drive which sounds good for a multimedia machine. When it comes to graphics, HP has turned to AMD radeon HD 6320 discrete graphics card and interestingly not NVIDIA. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports in addition to other regular HDMI, audio and mic ports. The battery life is much better to its market counter parts and thanks to 55Wh battery used.

Cons:
• Not much an upgrade from the earlier versions.
• Can you imagine there is no USB 3.0?
• Better performance laptops in market at this price.
• No Backlit keyboard

Comment:
Excellent deal if you are looking for portability, fun, reasonable price, extended battery life and not high performance.

ASUS N55 is one of the good looking, stylish multimedia laptops currently in the market. The Sonic master technology is fitted with the N55 which is an additional attractive feature. Let’s look at some of the best and can-be-improved aspects of this multimedia notebook.

Design:
The N55 is one of the sleekest and well-designed notebooks among other ASUS machines. The strong no-glare plastic (good that it’s not glossy) body endures rigidity and one almost finds no flex around the palm rest region. One strong justification for buying this N55 is the anti-glare full HD screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 which is the maximum on a 15 inch laptop. The visual experience is definitely one of the big plus for the N55 laptops with excellent rendering of contrast and other colour configurations. Although the big touchpad is easy to use for anyone, there is nothing to boast about the keyboard design and in fact it can be validated for some improvements.

Technical Specification:
N55 hosts a complete entertainment package with 2nd generation intel i3, i5 and i7 processors and upto 8GB DDR3 RAM. It does not compromise on the gaming experience as well and it proudly supports NVIDIA 555m 1GB and 2GB graphics cards. Although the laptop is said to be sleek, it cannot be stamped as “light-weight” as the approximate weight of the laptop touches 5.9 lbs. This notebook generously hosts 4 USB ports – two USB2.0 and two USB3.0 which is well appreciated.

Cons:
• Peculiar keyboard design – no spacing between the keys.
• Fingerprints settle on the body.
• Nosily touchpad clicks

Comment:
Excellent package for the price with solid build and some areas of improvement.

Are you tired of the retail laptops and their limitations? Tired of customer support calls and the long queues? Why don’t you start building your own laptop?

The first and most important step of building own laptop is to know how you want to use it. You select the parts and components based on what you need.

• A processor – Intel (forget about AMD!)
• RAM – for multimedia usage up to 4GB DDR3, for high performance 6GB or 8GB DDR3 is recommended.
• Hard Drive – You should check the barebone notebook for the supported hard drive type and preferably it is SATA
• Ethernet Card
• A DVD/Blu-ray writer.
• Graphics Card – If you are full time gamer else the build in Processor graphics would do.
Please note that the barebone note book you purchase should be compatible with the above parts.

The following are the steps to assemble the laptop:

• From the barebone notebook, remove the cooling system and install the processor.
• Find the graphics card socket and install the new card in the slot.
• Now put back the cooling system over the processor.
• Just adjacent to the processor slot, you should find a rail of opening where your RAM chip would fit in. Make sure the RAM sits evenly on the rails.
• Place the hard disk in the provided slot and make sure it is placed completely flat and belted over.
• Lastly, install the Ethernet card and the DVD/Blu-ray drive as they are self-explanatory.
Put the battery back on the panel and switch on the machine and you can install the operating system of your choice.