I. Scenario

At this point in my life school is the most important thing. So as I begin to decide on a computer and applications that would be best for my life I keep this in mind. I need a computer that allows me to write papers, make charts and graphs, power point presentations, and research on the web. I also travel from my home state to the state I attend school in so a laptop would be more efficient than a desktop. I believe a light weight smaller screen would suit my needs the best.
I am also big on music and pictures so I need to make sure my computer will be able to hold a lot of information while still running smoothly and not at a super slow pace. Downloading music takes up a lot of memory on a computer so it would be logical to purchase a computer with plenty of memory. Also due to traveling, a DVD player is a must. All the times my flights have been delayed I would love to have a laptop to pop in a DVD to pass the time.
Overall I need a basic computer that I can complete my school work on, as well as use for entertainment, a light weight small laptop that will make transportation simple, plenty of storage and memory space, and a DVD player would be a plus.

II. Major Software Packages

As mentioned previously, this computer will be mainly used for educational      purposes. Due to this there are certain software packages that are a must have for students. Microsoft Office is the most important software needed on my computer. This includes the programs Word, Excel, and Power Point, all these are used to create different documents that students are frequently asked to complete.
               Another important software package to invest in would be some kind of anti-virus package. With using the internet for research as well as downloading music, having a virus protection is a smart idea. This will keep my computer from getting infected with a virus and slowing down or corrupting my hard drive. In my opinion and with past experience Norton Anti-Virus seems to work fairly well and is reasonably priced.
               If I was more into photos and editing them I would purchase a photo shop or software similar to it, but most of the time I just upload the pictures as they are onto my computer. Because of this, I do not feel it is necessary to spend extra money on a program like this.

III. Table of Components

Laptop or Desktop?	Laptop
Company and Type	HP Pavilion dv2700t
Warrantee	3-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with Express Repair
Ports	Firewire, USB ports, Modem, and Wireless Card Ports
System Protection Software	Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 24 Month Subscription
Graphics Card	Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Operating System	Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Backup device	Roxio Backup MyPC
Monitor	14.1" WXGA high-definition widescreen with BrightView
RAM	3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard Drive	FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive from 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Processor	Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
Printer	HP Deskjet D2430
Optical Storage?	SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

IV. Hard Drive

I chose the standard SATA Hard Drive because HP says it is the most reliable right now. I was able to find a deal with the amount of gigabits the hard drive came with. They offer a free upgrade from 120 GB to 160 GB and the more gigabits the more information I will be able to save on my laptop. When choosing a hard drive keeping RAID in mind is a good idea. RAID is technology that uses two or more hard drives, for the purpose of greater overall performance. If I have the choice I would pick a RAID 1 hard drive. This means there are actually two drives and all information is saved exactly the same on each one. What this offers you is a back up if anything happens to either drive. The only bad part is that viruses, accidental deletion, or data corruption can still affect these drives and you will lose everything on them. (PC World, 2006)

V. Processor

After researching the different companies that manufacture processors, I came across two main competitors; AMD and Intel. I chose to go with the Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T5550 for a couple of reasons. My first reason is while looking at many different laptops they all had an Intel processor in common. Intel has always been slightly ahead of AMD when it came to manufacturing new and improved chips. Intel’s new core 2 duo is actually two processors working as one giving you a much faster working computer. Right now AMD has put out a better version of Intel’s processor, but because it is new it is more expensive, so purchasing the Intel’s which is basically the same quality is more cost effective, and the company more reputable. (InfoWorld, 2005)

VI. Printer

When choosing my printer that is to be used with my new laptop again size played a part in my decision. I picked a smaller light weight printer that wouldn’t take up much room on my desk in the dorm room. Also I decided to go with a basic ink jet printer because I am not printing off 100’s of pages daily. I only need it for papers mostly. I looked into purchasing a thermal ink printer, but quickly changed my mind. This form of ink is really heated wax sticks, which is supposed to produce great prints on any kind of paper. The only down side is that black ink is on the pricier side, and seeing as the majority of ink I will be using is black this option did not seem practical. The printer I chose has a 12.5pages per min. speed, 1200 x 1200 bpi, and says can print up to 1000 pages monthly. All the above reasons made me choose this HP compatible printer.

VII. Optical Storage

When deciding which type of optical storage would work best for my needs I decided to go with a basic DVD/RW drive. The one that came with this HP Pavilion however is a double layered support. This feature can only benefit me, it cannot be a downside. I however decided not to go with the new technology out there such as, HD and Blu-ray. Even though these two types of optical storage are becoming more popular and the more advanced technology, they are also more expensive. Because I am only planning on using this optical disk for occasional entertainment I decided the more cost efficient choice was the better one.

VIII. Work Cited

Sleers, Kirk. "Make Your HardDrives Faster and Safer with RAID." PC World June 2006: 140. Ebscohost. 1 Mar. 2008.

McAllister, Neil. "Intel x86 conquered the world." Info World 24 Oct. 2005: 24-31. Acedemic Search Premier. 1 Mar. 2008