Desktop & Notebooks

Desktop & Notebooks

Buying a desktop or a notebook is not just about the system configuration. A slew of innovative features are coming that will offer value for money for a corporate user. By Varun Aggarwal

Corporate PCs have traditionally been deployed to support business applications—accounting and office suites, which require minimal hardware and are therefore economical. Today, computers are not just supporting business applications but they have also become an essential part of any business. Desktops and laptops are the devices with which employees spend most of their time. If you keep working on your age old PC which take ages to open a file, the efficiency goes for a toss and motivation also takes a hit.

Today’s computers are not only fast but they come bundled with features that can revolutionise your entire experience. You no longer use a desktop only to work, but also to listen to music, share pictures and videos, chat with friends, connect to the Internet. It is not just about need, it’s also about style and luxury and also security at the same time. Security is an important aspect of business desktops. Products from companies like HP and Lenovo offer a wide range of solutions built into your desktop. While security may cost that little bit more it is not something a company will regret investing in.

System administrators and IT managers should look at various security and manageability aspects before deciding over an investment into new desktop computers. Tools such as vPro which are built into Intel motherboards to improve manageability and security can help. Now IT managers can spend less time managing PCs and more time focusing on strategic initiatives that accelerate business success.

With Microsoft deemphasizing Windows XP, companies need to factor in Windows Vista while making their hardware purchases. Vista has higher hardware requirements and vendors are bringing out products with beefed-up configurations supporting the OS. This has also increased the demand for RAM. If you’re running Vista on the desktop, anything less than 1 GB RAM would be painful.

The multi-core revolution has changed the way we talk about the processor speed. While theoretically a two GHZ processor should be faster than 1.6 GHZ, the latter can outperform the former. Though you might not be able to notice much performance improvement in case you’re running only a single application at a time, multi-core processors can take multi-tasking to a new level without actually having multiple physical processors.

New age notebooks

Security and durability has become an important aspect of new age notebooks. With the increase in thefts, it becomes critical for business users to protect classified data residing on notebooks from getting into the wrong hands. Keeping such security needs in mind, notebooks vendors are coming up various security techniques to safeguard data. These include biometric tools, encrypted hard-disks and other hardware and software encryption tools. Such tools ensure that even if your notebook falls into wrong hands, it cannot be misused.

Most biometric enabled notebooks are bundled with a finger-print scanner. However, the new range of notebooks from Lenovo come bundled with a face recognition tool which also prevents the chances of fingerprint forgery.

Processor vendors like Intel and AMD are now getting more focused on mobile computing. Intel is about to launch its new generation processor which is code-named Santa Rosa in this month. There have been a number of improvements from the original Intel Centrino processor in the new processor. It would have features like 800 MHz front side bus and Intel Dynamic Acceleration (IDA), for better Windows Vista Aero support. Thus, one should not only look for basic features like the processor speed and RAM while buying a notebook. But, innovative tools like these can offer you more value for money in the long run.

NOTEBOOKS

Acer Aspire 5583WXMi VHP  This Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500 (1.66GHz, 2MB, 667MHz) notebook has an Intel 945GM Chipset. Wireless capability is provided by Intel’s 3945ABG 802.11 a/b/g Wireless LAN. Two 512 MB (1024 MB) DDR2 533MHz Memory modules are present. A 14.1” WXGA TFT LCD screen with a highest resolution of 1280 x 800 and integrated 3D graphics controller with GMA950 which has 128MB Shared Memory take care of display. For storage, it has a 120 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive (5400 RPM). A 8x DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive provides optical media support. It has a six Cell Lithium Ion Battery. An inbuilt 56K Fax Modem and 10/100 Ethernet account for connectivity Three USB 2.0 Ports are provided. It comes with an integrated 5-in-1 Card Reader and S-Video TV Out. This machine has integrated Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. The OS is Microsoft Vista Home Premium. It also has a 1.3 Mega pixel CMOS camera.  Price: Approximately Rs. 52,499 Contact: Rajesh Aiyar Telephone: 080 25219520 E-mail: rajesh_aiyar@acer.co.in Website: acer.co.in

HP Compaq nx7400 GC915PA#ACJ  This notebook comes with an Intel Core Duo 2300 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache) processor. It has a 15.4” Widescreen XGA display. This machine comes with 512 MB DDR 2 667MHz as main memory and an 80 GB SATA HDD running at 5400 rpm. Optical media is handled by a DVD +/- RW drive. Integrated Wireless 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth v2.0 along with Ethernet 10/100 networking take care of connectivity. It has a touchpad scroll zone and a spillproof keyboard. A six cell Li-Ion Battery is present The OS is Windows Vista Business. It comes with HP Backup & Recovery Manager. Price: Rs. 49,990 + taxes Contact: Anurag Arora  Telephone: 9873570517  E-mail: anurag.arora@hp.com  Website: hp.com/in

Dell Inspiron 6400  This 2.8 kgs laptop comes with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5300 (2MB Cache, 1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB) with integrated Intel Media Accelerator 950 graphics. It has a wide screen XGA TFT display of 15.4” with 1280x800 resolution. For faster operations, it is equipped with 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (1 x 512 MB) which is upgradable to 2 GB. This machine has an 80 GB SATA HDD running at 5400 rpm. It has a six cell (53 WHr) “Smart” Lithium Ion battery. It has four USB 2.0 compliant 4-pin connectors. It comes with an integrated v.92 56K capable modem and 10/100 Ethernet. For wireless networking it uses Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card Wireless. The OS is Windows Vista Home Basic. Price: Rs. 46,900 onwards. Contact: Dell India Telephone: 080 25068026 Website: ap.dell.com

Apple –MacBook Pro Powered by a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor with a 15.4” widescreen display with a maximum resolution of 1440x900, the notebook has 512 MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM pre installed. An 80 GB Serial ATA hard drive is installed as is a 4x SuperDrive for optical media. For graphics, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory is present. The notebook has one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports. Price: Rs. 115,800 Contact: Avinash Ramachandra Telephone: 080 25550575 E-mail: avinash.ramachandra@asia.apple.com Website: apple.co.in

Asus U5F An Intel Core Duo Processor with 2MB on- die L2 Cache at 667 MHz on a Intel 945GM chipset along with 512 MB or 1 GB of DDR2 RAM comprise the specs of this notebook which has a SATA 60/80/100/120 GB HDD. It has a 12.1” XGA ColorShine LCD display and embedded Intel 945GM internal graphics card. It comes with DVD combo optical drive. It has an integrated Azalia MDC Fax/ Modem and 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet. 802.11b/g, a/b/g standard is used for wireless networking. This laptop weighs 1.58 kg and comes preloaded with Windows XP Professional. Price: Rs. 74,990 onwards. Contact: Francis Kao Telephone: 022 40058888 E-mail: media_india@asus.com Website: in.asus.com/

Sony VAIO C series Sony VAIO C series has 13.3" widescreen display; Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the graphics power of its NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 card. The C25 series also incorporates an replicator with three USB 2.0 ports, Gigiabit Ethernet, DVI-D, VGA and DC-IN, making it easy to connect to audio visual equipment and other peripherals like a full-sized keyboard, display and speakers when back in the office or at home. Price: Rs. 59,990 for VGN-C22GH (B/W) Contact: Prasad Nair Telephone: 1800 111188 E-mail: sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com Website: sonyindia.co.in

HCL Infinity Powerlite 9200 MT This HCL notebook comes with a 15.4” display screen and a Pentium Dual Core 1.73 GHz processor. For main memory, it comes pre installed with 512 MB DDR2 RAM, a 40 GB SATA HDD and a DVD combo drive. The OS is Linux. Price: Rs. 28,200 onwards Contact: Harpreet Singh Brar Telephone: 0120 2555109 E-mail: webhost@hcl.in Website: hclinfosystems.in

Gigabyte LaptopN521UP Powered by an Intel Centrino processor with a 915 GM chipset. It has a 1.7 GHz Pentium M processor with a 2 MB cache and a 15” TFT LCD display. The battery of this machine lasts up to four hours. Price: Rs. 38,999 + Taxes Contact: Swapneel Rane Telephone: 9867661239 E-mail: swapneel.rane@gigabyte.in Website: gigabyte.in

Intex Performer 032DW Powered by an Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor T2050 (1.6 GHz, 667 MHz-FSB, 2 MB L-2 Cache) processor on an Intel 945 GM+ICh7-M Chipset, the machine has 512 MB of DDR-2 533 (expandable upto 2 GB) and a 60GB SATA hard drive. The notebooks has a 14” WXGA (1280*768) wide screen TFT display. A DVD dual drive, 10/100/ 1000 Ethernet, 56K Fax modem, card reader Intel wireless card, PCIE interface, and Bluetooth round off the configuration. This six cell Li-Ion battery laptop weighs about 2.5 kgs. Price: Rs. 40,500 Contact: Sanjay Kumar Telephone: 9312096084, 1800 116789 E-mail: sanjay@intextechnologies.com Website: intextechnologies.com

LG RD 400 This Intel Pentium Dual Core T2250 (1.73 GHz/533 MHz/ 2 MB L2 Cache) processor machine has a mobile Intel 943GML chipset. It comes with 512 MB DDR2 (667MHz FSB/ Dual Ch. / Up to 2 GB). It has a 80 GB SATA HDD, a DVD SuperMulti Writer (Dual Layer) and a 14.1” widescreen TFT (Fine Bright) display. Graphics are taken care of by the inbuilt Intel GMA950. For communication it has 802.11 b/g, a 56 kbps modem, 10/100 LAN and inbuilt Bluetooth. It comes with a 5-in-1 (XD/SD/ MMC/ MS/ MSPro) card slot and an inbuilt 1.3 megapixel Web camera. The OS is Windows Vista Home Basic. Price: Rs. 47,990 Contact: Syed Moonis Ali Alvi Telephone: 0120 2560900/940 E-mail: alvi@lgindia.com Website: lgindia.com

Lenovo 3000 N100 (0689AQ2) This laptop has an Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 processor running on an Intel 945 GM chipset. It has 1 GB of memory and a 120 GB HDD running at 5400 rpm. For connectivity, it uses 802.11 b/g, 10/100 Ethernet LAN and a 56 kbps dialup modem. as well as Bluetooth. The integrated Intel GMA 950 graphic card supports the 14.1” WXGA display. It comes with a DVD dual layer writer and a fingerprint reader. For I/O operations, 4 USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, S-Video, VGA, RJ-11, RJ-45 ports are provided. This laptop uses a six cell Lithium Ion battery and is preloaded with Windows Vista Business. Price: Rs. 61,500 plus taxes Contact: Rudra Prasad Telephone: 080 22108412, 1800 425 3353 E-mail: pc@in.lenovo.com Website: lenovo.com/in/en/

Wipro WLG7100   It uses an Intel Core Duo processor clocking at 1.6 GHz on an Intel 945 GM Chipset. This laptop comes with a 80 GB SATA hard disk and 512 MB of RAM running at 667 MHz. It has a 15.4” wide screen display. It uses Intel WLAN for Wi-Fi connectivity and supports integrated Bluetooth. A DVD SuperMulti drive and a nine in one card reader round off the configuration. It comes preloaded with Windows Vista Business. Price: Rs. 59,990 plus taxes Contact: Sankaralingam  Telephone: 1800 3453312  E-mail: sankaralingam.pitchaiya@wipro.com Website: wipro.in