Choosing a Notebook PC: CDs, DVDs and Other Slots

 

Following are few of the features you would require considering when you go shopping your personal notebook.

Optical Drivers – CD and DVD:

One of the features which make laptops diverse is inclusion of optical drivers. Most computers come with built in drivers but the smallest models of notebooks come with a separate USB drive. Manufacturers often offer following features, often one or more. Be sure price would go up as you would move down the list:

- CD-ROM (read only)

- CD-R writer

- Combo driver : reads both DVDs and CDs while write only CDs

- Super Drive: reads and writes both CDs and DVDs

If you need a driver to write DVD then you would require looking out for two things: one sort of drivers comes with writable DVD standards, DVD-R and DVD+R. some of them come with only one sort. One of the newest form is double layer which can write full size 8.5 GB DVDs. And if it is labeled as double or dual then it would write 4 GB of Data.

Once you have bought a notebook computer it would be very difficult to upgrade your optical drivers. So you better go selecting one which has already upgraded optical drivers.

PC card Slots:

If you are going to add in with your computer some network adapter, broadband wireless card, high sound card or some other peripheral then you would probably require an expansion slot. Most notebook computers do include a PC card slot to meet such requirements. What you need to do is looking for type II slot cards; these would meet your requirements best.

Some notebooks as Apple iBooks and some other smaller Notebook PCs lack these PC card slots.

Express Card / 34 and 54:

The advanced form of computers does come with a new Express Card standard, most of the time they replace PC Card slot. These cards do come in two sizes that is ExpressCard/54 and are generally L-shaped. ExpressCard/34 is a narrower card as compared to first sort of card.

Memory Card Readers:

Last but no way of small value, you have to look out for some of the memory card readers. These slots are like those available with digital cameras and are generally named as SD and Memory sticks. If you go for Sony notebook then you must know that you would probably have that memory stick supported. While other brands of computers do include 5 in 1 card reader supporting multi sort of cards.

Although you can get them cheap but it is better you have it built in with your computer.