Almost done! To wrap up our series on Choosing a notebook PC, here’s a quick look at a few more features you might want to consider: CD and DVD drives, PC Card slots, and other media/peripheral slots.
CD and DVD Drives
One big difference between notebooks is the included CD or DVD drives. Most notebooks have a built-in drive, but the smallest models may have a separate USB drive. Most manufacturers offer one or more of the following choices, with the price going up as you go down the list:
- CD-ROM drive (read-only)
- CD-R writer
- Combo Drive:Reads DVDs, reads and writes CDs
- Super Drive:Reads and writes both CDs and DVDs
If you need a DVD writer, there are two things to look out for. First, there are two different writable DVD standards, DVD-R and DVD+R. Some drives only support one or the other look for one that supports both if possible. Also, the newest drives are Double Layer,meaning they can write to full-size 8.5 GB DVDs. If it isn’t labelled Doubleor Dual,it is probably limited to the single-layer 4 GB variety.
It’s possible, but not simple, to upgrade the CD/DVD drive after purchase, so you’re better off choosing the one you need now. Keep in mind that even if you don’t plan on making your own music CDs or video DVDs, CD writers and DVD writers are still very handy for backing up data.
PC Card Slots
If you want to add a network adapter, broadband wireless card, high-end sound card, or other peripheral, you’ll want a notebook with an expansion slot. Most notebooks include a PC Card (the new name for PCMCIA) slot for this purpose. Look for a Type II slot for the best peripheral support most of today’s notebooks have this.
Some machines, such as Apple iBooks and some of the smallest PC notebooks, lack a PC card slot. Unless you have a specific peripheral you need to use, this isn’t a big disadvantage, since you can use USB or Firewire to attach just about everything.
ExpressCard/34 and 54
The newest notebooks include slots for the new ExpressCard standard, sometimes in place of a PC Card slot. ExpressCards come in two sizes: ExpressCard/54 is the same width as a normal PC Card slot, 54mm, although the cards are L-shaped. ExpressCard/34 is a narrower 34mm card that uses the same connector.
This new standard will probably replace PC Card slots Apple’s new MacBook Pro, for example, includes an ExpressCard/34 slot instead of a PC Card slot. For now, there aren’t many peripherals made for these slots, but there will undoubtedly be more in the future.
Memory Card Readers
Last but not least, some laptops include slots for small memory cards like those used with digital cameras, such as SD (Secure Digital) cards or Memory Sticks. If the notebook is made by Sony, it probably supports their Memory Stick format and nothing else. Other brands often include a 5-in-1″ card reader that supports multiple types of cards.
While this is mainly a novelty feature you can get a card reader for cheap it’s still nice to have a built-in slot if you do lots of work with a digital camera.
Conclusion
This concludes our 6-part series on choosing a notebook computer. I’ll post a wrap-up tomorrow that summarizes the whole thing.
Previously:
- Part 1: Size Matters
- Part 2: Screens
- Part 3: Processors
- Part 4: Disks, Video, and Memory
- Part 5: Connectivity
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