How to choose a laptop

How to choose a laptop? The best approach is to concentrate on your needs and not get bogged down by the details. Make a list of features that are critical to your everyday and future needs. When you buy a laptop computer, in addition to choosing specific hardware elements you should carefully weigh the following characteristics:

* weight: a laptop computer is made to be transported, so it is important to choose the lightest one possible. Nevertheless, watch out for laptops that are light and have many external peripherals (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, mouse, power supply, hubs, etc.)
* autonomy: Computer autonomy depends on how much energy a computer's components use as well as the battery's characteristics :

o NiCad (Nickel / Cadmium): a rechargeable battery that is now obsolete because it suffered from the memory effect, i.e. a progressive decrease in the maximum charge when it is recharged when it is not completely "dead".

o NiMH (Nickel / Hybrid Metal): a rechargeable battery that works better than nickel-cadmium batteries.

o Li-Ion (Lithium / Ion): a rechargeable battery used in most laptop computers. Li-Ion batteries perform well and are reasonably priced. Moreover, Li-Ion batteries do not suffer from the memory effect, which means that it is not necessary to run the battery dry before recharging it.

o Li-Polymer (Lithium / Polymer): a rechargeable battery that is equivalent to Li-Ion batteries in terms of performance but is much lighter because the battery electrolytes and microporous separator in Li-Ion batteries are replaced by a solid polymer that is much lighter. On the other hand, Li-Polymer batteries take longer to charge and their longevity is shorter.