Power Checklist: Troubleshooting Patch Cables
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1. Page 7 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist Spec sheet Double click button to update sheet Display Operating system CPU Productivity software Battery Integrated wireless Integrated mobile broadband Optical drive Video card SS Power adapter Page 8 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html2. With the introduction of Windows Vista s Aero interface and the need for many users to power digital photography video editing design or engineering applications a system s video card becomes a critical component Often IT departments and end users simply order laptops with base integrated video display adapters systems performance then suffers dramatically as such units are unable to properly power users applications and system memory is cannibalized in an attempt to accommodate the lack of onboard video RAM M Ifa system will only be used to create documents spreadsheets browse the Internet and send and receive email typically you can safely configure the laptop with the manufacturer s integrated onboard video card M Ifthe laptop will be used to edit and deliver client presentations occasionally run a design or digital photography or video editing program configure the laptop to include a dedicated graphics card possessing at least 128MB of RAM MI Systems that will be used to edit video create and edit architectural and engineering drawings and power other graphics intensive programs should be specified with dedicated video adapters boasting 256MB or more of onboard memory Enter Video Card requirements here Productivity software Organizations that purchase office productivity software licenses through a volume or open license or software assurance subscription can skip including office productivity software when orderin
3. Duo Processor running at 2 2GHz or faster speed MI If the system will be used to power intensive applications such as scientific tools engineering or design programs or for video editing consider purchasing an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor running at 2 6Ghz or faster with at least 4MB of L2 cache and a 800MHz front side bus Enter CPU selection here RAM Memory is often the most underrated component within a laptop computer RAM is also quite possibly the easiest and most cost effective method of boosting a laptop computer s performance Unfortunately most standard laptop configurations underestimate the proper amount of memory a system really requires M Carefully consider the number of RAM modules being installed Always specify the largest chips to ensure the system s RAM configuration can be maximized For example always opt for a single 1GB chip versus two 512MB chips Doing so ensures RAM chips won t go to waste down the road should upgrades be required M For Windows XP installations 512MB is the minimum configuration you should consider 1GB tends to provide better more consistent performance M For Windows Vista deployments 1GB is the absolute minimum configuration you should consider but even then 1GB is typically only sufficient to power the most simple document editing Internet and email tasks Most Windows Vista installations will perform best with 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM consider 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM for Vista laptops that
4. hs Rasaueei eit aah eae sheet Toe ctats Adan sie aaa ata Godel Sacral amen ca Aa lataemn late cach ames 3 EE incr a die ch ol ae NAE E if AN EN a 3 Fel EARNS Mecca ssid ie AG etna sea ct a eaters td eicaw ate ebad ute hela tatu aah iba dinioulantlondeinkieed ala sholdastuaskidaloedeuetees 4 VIGGO CAN prar 4 Poca V O E a 4 BAUN aduna er eory renee Teeertr eter eoet eerie eeon Nee eres n try eres on ree en eet Treen toe ear rr eeeT ren eT 5 ia 0 ea wees cl cee ees aaa aa 5 Taitete zetteta Mantel ef og Dodda MM eerreeer eee re errr etme a rere R 6 Optical CRI cncaro anaa balsas aiaa bR 6 Windows laptop specifications checklist Display Increasingly widescreen displays are the format of preference If the laptop will frequently be taken on the road a smaller size may be best to help facilitate travel Larger external monitors can always be added to a user s desktop to offset smaller screen sizes chosen to favor mobility However if the PC will typically be used as a desktop system and only occasionally be ported offsite larger widescreen models will likely prove most advantageous and thereby eliminate the need for a secondary desktop monitor M M M Mi Select large widescreen models 14 inch widescreen or bigger if the laptop will primarily be used as a desktop system Select a smaller model 14 inches or less if mobile users will frequently travel with the system If the laptop will not be used with an external
5. include entry level power adapters with laptops particularly when advertising laptops in sales circulars or as part of a promotional effort Such models can be ill suited for real world application however More powerful adapters help recharge the battery more quickly when the laptop is in use Further some adapters enable powering the laptop whether it s being used in an office on the road or in the air Mf cost is a consideration and the PC will only occasionally be used by a mobile end user select a 65 watt power supply but consider purchasing a 90 watt model instead M If the PC will be used offsite with some consistency choose a 90 watt power supply The 90 watt models are able to recharge a battery much more quickly than a 65 watt unit does particularly when the laptop is in use M If the laptop will frequently be used offsite by mobile employees including for air travel order an automobile aircraft AC adapter Such models enable powering the laptop and recharging the battery whether the user in a truck in the field traveling territories in a rental car or flying M Purchase additional adapters if the end user will frequently be traveling between two or more locations doing so eliminates the need for the end user to repeatedly unplug the power supply from an office or docking station instead enabling storage of a second power adapter in a travel bag or at a branch office or home Enter number and types of required AC Adapters here
6. monitor consider upgrading to a W XGA LCD panel Select W XGA resolution whenever a laptop will be used to display presentations complex documents or intricate graphics Select W XGA resolution whenever a laptop will be used to display presentations complex documents or intricate graphics Select a display that delivers screen brightness of 180 to 220 nits or more Enter Display selection here Operating system Frequently small businesses make the mistake of deploying Windows XP Home or Windows Vista Home operating systems Sometimes the error occurs because organizations are attempting to reduce costs other times consumer grade systems are purchased off the shelf from local electronics superstores With numerous confusing flavors of Windows Vista the likelihood of specifying the wrong operating system is even higher M For Windows XP installations if any of the following features are required Windows XP Professional is required e Domain membership e Group Policy usage e File level access controls e Remote Installation Service e Remote Desktop Connection session as host e Encrypting File System security e Offline Files and Folders Windows Vista Business is required if any of the following features are necessary e Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore e Remote Desktop Connection e 64 bit platform support e Scheduled backups in a business e Windows Aero desktop features in a business e Secondary display supp
7. network WLAN adapters will meet most users needs some laptop end users will require mobile broadband connectivity MI Include an integrated mobile broadband card on systems when clients request it or when you know clients travel frequently and can or do subscribe to a mobile cellular data plan MIT staff and consultants of course must match integrated mobile broadband adapters to the end user s cellular service provider Before specifying an integrated cellular data card confirm the end user s cellular provider M Verizon Wireless requires a compatible EV DO Rev A mobile broadband card Verizon Wireless advertises downstream speeds of 600Kbps to 1 4Mbps and upstream speeds of 500 800Kbps M Sprint requires a compatible EV DO Rev A mobile broadband card Sprint advertises downstream speeds of 600Kbps to 1 4Mbps and upstream speeds of 350 500Kbps M AT amp T mobile broadband service requires a compatible HSDPA 3 6 compatible broadband adapter AT amp T advertises downstream speeds of 400 700Kbps and upstream speeds of 250 300Kbps Enter Mobile Broadband requirements here Optical drive CD ROMs used to be the optical drive of choice in laptops In the case of ultra portable models connecting an optical drive often required tethering an external drive to the laptop With the advent of DVD drives users must now consider whether they require a CD or DVD drive as well as whether the PC will need to burn optical media and if so which med
8. 007 Professional Edition includes all those programs and adds Microsoft Access Enter Productivity Software requirements here Battery Battery options and life spans vary widely by manufacturer However machines typically can be configured with either six or nine cell Lithium ion batteries Mobile staff that will frequently use laptops offsite and require prolonged battery life should receive stronger batteries Other users may find the default battery specifications acceptable MI Standard six cell Lithium ion batteries can power a Latitude D830 for 5 8 hours not counting use of wireless networks or mobile broadband communications according to Dell Upgrading to nine cell power extends battery life to 8 7 hours Dell further claims If a laptop s user will require extended battery life opt for the nine cell model M Beware that more potent batteries sometime change a laptop s footprint in the case of Dell s nine cell battery the battery s form extends beyond the front of the laptop in the shape of a wrist wrest If the larger or heavier footprint causes mobility issues for a user consider purchasing a second six cell battery M Do not select four cell batteries as their charge s usual lifespan is often less than three or four hours M Try to avoid purchasing laptop models powered by older Nickel Metal Hydride NiMH or Nickel Cadmium Ni Cad batteries Enter Battery requirements here Integrated wireless Integrated w
9. g laptops Organizations without Page 4 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist volume licensing plans typically can maximize office productivity license investments by opting for OEM software licenses when a system is purchased M Determine whether the department client possesses an open or volume license or maintains a software assurance subscription If so confirm that office productivity software licenses will be available for the new laptop s being purchased M When nonprofit organizations purchase laptops buyers should first check with software publishers or authorized outlets such as Tech Soup to determine whether they qualify for ultra low cost nonprofit licensing Often discounted pricing available to nonprofits will make purchasing via a nonprofit program much less expensive than an OEM license M Organization s requiring Microsoft Office applications should ensure they select the appropriate suite e Microsoft Office 2007 Basic Edition includes Microsoft Word Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook e Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition includes the Microsoft Office 2007 Basic s applications and adds Microsoft Outlook Business Contact Manager Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Publisher to the suite of included tools e Microsoft Office 2
10. ia at which speeds M Ensure the laptop model being purchased includes an integrated optical drive that does not require tethering an external bay or drive assuming users will occasionally require an onboard optical drive for installing software or accessing data or files M If cost is a critical issue opt to configure the laptop with a DVD ROM drive Increasingly software is being distributed on DVDs Systems that possess only a CD ROM drive will often prove incompatible when needing to install new programs and applications M If cost is a critical issue and the user will occasionally need to burn 300 500MB of data to optical media choose a DVD ROM drive that supports burning CD Rs at speeds up to 24x or faster M Ifthe end user will occasionally need to burn 600 MB or more to optical disks select a DVD R drive that burns at 8x speeds or faster Page 6 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist M When specifying an optical drive possessing burning capacity ensure the manufacturer includes CD and or DVD burning software with the disk drive Otherwise CD DVD burning options could prove limited and third party codecs will need to be purchased installed and configured Enter Optical Drive requirements here Power adapter On occasion systems manufacturers will
11. ireless used to be a luxury now it should be a requirement on any laptop Thus ensure new laptop computers not only possess an integrated 802 11 adapter but an adapter that meets appropriate protocol standards as in 802 1 1a b g n M To best meet wireless network connection needs in the future consider ordering all new laptops with 802 1 1n compatible adapters Page 5 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist M Draft 802 11n cards also called Wireless N is a next generation wireless standard likely to replace 802 11 a b g Most all 802 11n adapters are also 802 11a b g backward compatible If there are any questions as toa specific 802 11n adapter s backward compatibility check first with the manufacturer before placing an order M If cost is a critical issue configure new laptop purchases to at least include an integrated 802 11g compatible wireless adapter Enter Integrated Wireless requirements here Integrated mobile broadband Integrated mobile broadband WWAN connectivity is rapidly replacing WLAN networking as the mobile network connection of choice within many organizations Once an extravagance integrated mobile broadband connectivity with speeds up to 1 4Mbps has become a necessity within many organizations While integrated wireless local area
12. must power intensive graphics or other applications Page 3 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist M Best match memory speeds to the system s front side bus specifications Performance may suffer if the system s memory is slower than the system s bus speed capacity yet many manufacturers list just such setups as standard configurations Enter RAM capacity speed and number of chips configuration information here Hard disk Hard disk storage costs continue to drop so there s little excuse for a user running out of disk space With 7200RPM disks priced just slightly above slower 5400RPM models there s little excuse for users having to suffer through longer seek write times either MI For mundane document spreadsheet email and Internet browsing tasks seek to include a 7200RPM hard disk with a minimum of 80GB of space M While a 5400RPM model will likely meet present needs a 7200RPM unit will help ensure reasonable performance two years down the line M Laptops that will be used for digital photography delivering high quality presentations and fulfilling other data intensive tasks should be specified with at least 160GB or more of disk space Enter Hard Disk requirements here Video card Little thought is typically given to a laptop s video card
13. ort in a business Page 2 Copyright 2008 CNET Networks Inc All rights reserved For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership please visit http techrepublic com com 2001 6240 0 html Windows laptop specifications checklist e Windows Fax and Scan e Tablet PC support in a business M Windows Vista Ultimate is necessary if all of the features of Windows Vista Business are required and any one of the following features are necessary e Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption e Media Center features in a business e DVD Maker Enter Operating System selection here CPU The CPU of course is the engine that powers the PC Too often organizations particularly smaller businesses fail to adequately forecast how much power a laptop will require halfway through its service life For that reason consider how the organization s and user s needs may grow over the system s lifespan Ensure a processor is selected that will sufficiently power all applications and software 18 24 months after the system is deployed MI If the system will be used only to complete mundane document and spreadsheet tasks browse the Internet and send receive email consider specifying an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core Processor running at 2GHz or faster speed M If the system will be used to complete document and spreadsheet tasks browse the Internet manage email deliver presentations and power more intensive proprietary applications select an Intel Core 2
14. rw y Version 1 0 TechRepublic Windows laptop specifications checklist By Erik Eckel Laptops are everywhere From boardrooms to coffee shops notebook computers have become more than luxuries For most organizations regardless of size laptops are now critical business tools Unfortunately many business owners consultants and IT departments are too quick to purchase preconfigured units from resellers office supply superstores or directly from manufacturers These systems especially those offered as part of sales promotions are frequently underpowered sometimes include inappropriate or unnecessary software and often don t have sufficient memory disk space or video cards matching the tasks the machine must regularly complete This checklist will help ensure that the Windows laptops you specify and purchase meet staff needs not only today but throughout the system s lifecycle It dedicates separate sections for addressing all the key components along with a spec sheet that summarizes your selections After you ve entered your selections you can click the button on the last page to generate the sheet Note We created this checklist as a Word template so that when you open it you can enter a fresh set of selections create your spec sheet and save your results as a new document DP aan ae foe eee ae Saran es eas cheat cea ale thst ec halen alte seein shia eee 2 Operating Syste M occa ai 2 CEU caia a Saaa
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