Top 10 Laptops for 2010

The rise of smart phones and tablet computers shook the world during 2010, displacing notebook and laptop use considerably. Laptop manufacturers counter-attacked with a variety of improvements to retain consumer loyalty. Changes like improved audio, multi-touch touchpad, and other enhancements were included to hold over consumers until major game-changing upgrades like new CPU architectures become available in 2011.

For now, consumers will just have to settle for the top laptops from 2010 that are still available on shelves today:

10th Place

Lenovo IdeaPad Z560
705 GB 4 GB Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz

pros:
huge hard drive
excellent battery life
good expansion options

cons:
horrible mouse buttons
only 100 Mb Ethernet
only 802.11n Wi-Fi

9th Place

Dell Latitude 2110
160 GB 1GB Intel Atom 1.83 GHz

pros:
very rugged
hi-res screen available
multi-touch touchpad
many upgrades available

cons:
limited battery life

8th Place

Fujitsu LifeBook SH760
500 GB 4 GB Intel Core i7

pros:
good performance
good keyboard
has USB 3.0 port

cons:
annoying hard drive sensor
gimmicky scroll wheel
limited battery life

7th Place

Dell Inspiron M101z
320 GB 4 GB AMD Athlon Neo X2 1.29 GHz

pros:
good performance for the price
good keyboard
various case styles available
decent battery life

320 GB 4 GB AMD Athlon Neo X2 1.29 GHz

6th Place

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14
250 GB 2GB 2.26 GHz

pros:
sturdy physical design
dual-input system
has Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
great keyboard
many expansion options
not too much bloatware

cons:
annoying red light
annoying hot air exhaust vent

5th Place

640 GB 6GB Intel Core i7 1.6 GHz

Acer Aspire 8943G

pros:
great performance
large screen
media scroll button on trackpad
integrated Blu-ray
integrated TV tuner
potential for heavy home entertainment use

cons:
extremely heavy

4th Place

Asus K52F
500 GB 2 GB Intel Core i3 2.26 GHz

pros:
excellent build quality
excellent design
excellent screen quality
remarkable sound
multi-touch touchpad

cons:
too much bloatware
no bluetooth

3rd Place

Samsung N210
250 GB 1GB Intel Atom 1.66 GHz

pros:
good battery life
good keyboard

cons:
ho-hum performance

2nd Place

Toshiba Portege R700
320 GB 4 GB Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz

pros:
light and thin without compromising performance
high connectivity
good keyboard
good battery life for the performance

cons:
so-so quality in the software department


1st Place

Alienware M11x (Core i7)
500 GB 8GB Intel Core i7 2.26 GHz

pros:
impressive power for the price affordable
small size
great battery life
excellent sound
backlit keyboard

cons:
bad 100 Mb Ethernet port
SIM slot does nothing

Regardless of which laptop suits your fancy, be sure to check out cheap laptops Sydney before making a purchase. Bat Tech offers a wide variety of laptops for sale includes free delivery & setup, with competitive prices that are hard to match.

How to Speed up your Dell Laptop

Quick tips for speeding up your Dell laptop

Dell laptops are dependable and resilient. As with all machines, however, they can start to slow down if not properly maintained and cared for. Before sending your unit in for Dell laptop repairs, first trying following the tips below to get your Dell computer back up to speed.

Empty the recycle bin

The easiest thing you can do to speed up your computer is emptying the Recycle Bin. Many files are not completely deleted but remain in the Recycle Bin until it is emptied. Emptying the Recycle Bin frees up space on your hard disk and may speed up your computer if your hard disk is nearly full.

To speed up your computer by emptying the recycle bin go to Desktop > Recycle Bin > File > Empty Recycle Bin > Yes.

Disk Cleanup

Your Dell computer’s hard disk can quickly become cluttered with continued use. Temporary files, file caches, install files, and other unwanted files reduce your hard disk’s available space u unnecessarily. You can free up this space by running Disk Cleanup, a tool built-into Windows that helps you find and remove unneeded files.

You can start Disk Cleanup by navigating to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Then follow the prompts as provided by the application’s wizard.

(Note: This program provides the option of emptying the Recycle Bin, too, thereby saving you the time required to perform the previous step.)

Scan windows for errors

Over time, system files can become corrupted. This is especially the case when programs run afoul or your computer gets shut off improperly. As a hard disk ages, portions of the disk, known as “sectors,” can fail. This corrupts any data that may have been residing there before the failure. You can correct these errors and regain lost performance by keeping your hard disk and its resident files error-free.

To scan your hard disk for errors, use the Windows application called Scandisk. Go to Start > My Computer > Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then click Properties > Tools > “Error Checking” Check Now > select “Automatically fix file system errors”. > select attempt recovery of bad sectors> Start.

Defragment your hard drive

Running Scandisk is just the start. Your hard disk still may not perform optimally even after recovering all bad sectors. With normal use, files get deleted and written repeatedly. These actions cause files to become scattered everywhere, making it more difficult to retrieve files quickly. This is analogous to having paperwork scattered all over your desk; it takes more time to find what you want if they are strewn all over the place. It’s much easier to retrieve paper and file folder if they are neatly stored in alphabetically in a filing cabinet. A Windows tool called “Disk Defragmenter” does just that, organizing and neatly filing away files and folders on your hard disk for easier retrieval. Defragmenting the hard drive will increase your Dell laptop’s performance, allowing for faster file access.

To start the process, go to Start > My Computer > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter > select Drive > Defragment.

If you have tried all of the above steps and continue to have problems, your computer may require repairs. The next logical choice would be to visit Bat Tech Computer Repairs, where qualified technicians can diagnose and resolve any computer issues that may be troubling you. A visit to Bat Tech is well worth the trip, as it can easily save you the costs involved with buying a new computer.

Bat Tech specialises in dell repairs, diagnosing the cause of your slow laptop. Find more information on laptop repairs at Bat Tech Laptop Repairs.