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Just a few days ago I bought a new notebook computer to replace my trusty yet aging Compaq Presario CQ40-107AU. That notebook served me well for three years, and it'll still continue to serve my purposes here at home, no longer as my main portable unit.



So what did I replace it with? I replaced it, of all things, a Samsung. Yes, I admit, Samsung is not really a brand that comes to mind when talking about notebook computers. Until only a few years ago, they were all but unknown in the portable computing segment. Now, they seem set to be a force to be reckoned with in this product category, the same way they started out before virtually dominating sales of LCD TVs and mobile phones. And their tablets aren't that bad either, having owned a Galaxy Tab for several months now.



It's not that I set out from the start to get a Samsung notebook computer. I do my notebook shopping the same way I've always done...with a budget and set of specs in mind. Then I set out to find the most bang for my hard-earned buck. I've considered the usual suspects: Asus, Acer, Compaq, HP, etc. and even got close to choosing a particular MSI model with an Intel Core i5 processor and a Radeon GPU. Then I saw the Samsung. A Samsung NP 305V4A-S02PH.



The specs are pretty impressive for P32,900.00. At it's heart is an AMD A6-3410MX APU. It's not just a CPU, it's an APU. It combines 4 Phenom II-class processor cores with 1 MB of L2 cache each, a Radeon 6520G GPU, a UVD3 video processor, a DDR3 memory controller, and a PCIe 2.0 controller all on a single die. It runs at a speed of 1.6 GHz, but can push the speed up to 2.3 GHz on individual processor cores when some of them are inactive (Turbo Core technology, in AMD-speak). This chip alone gives you a quad-core processor, a 3D GPU, and a HD video processor.



The rest of the specs outside the APU are not too shabby either. An AMD A60M chipset, a Radeon HD6470M GPU with 512MB GDDR3 dedicated video memory (giving this notebook 2 GPUs) 4 GB of DDR3 memory running at 1333 MHz, a 640 GB SATA drive, a DVD Super-Multi Drive, gigabit LAN, 802.11 b/g/n, a 14" LED display, a 1.3 MP webcam, and card reader, among others. Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bit is also preinstalled, and a recovery disk is included with the package.



Basically, this notebook is not only state-of-the-art (the A6 3410MX APU was only introduced about two months ago), it's chock full of features and affordable to boot. And if Samsung makes notebook computers as well as they make LCD TVs, mobile phones and tablets, I'd say we have a keeper. Well at least for another few years.

For some reason, a lot of my colleagues at work and even some of my friends in their homes prefer to position their PCs on the floor, leaving only their monitors, keyboards and mice on their tables. Frankly, I don't think this is such a good idea. True, the jumble of cables coming from the rear of a PC isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing, but if one values reliability, durability and ease of use above aesthetics, it is always preferable to position a PC in an elevated position such as on a table, and not to leave it on the floor.



Reasons:

• Modern PCs have plenty of components which generate a lot of heat such as the CPU, the northbridge chip, power supply and video card among others. To keep these components cool, a PC typically has at least two fans, often more, and are configured to suck cool air from the front of the PC, through the chassis and out through the power supply and/or an exhaust fan at the rear. A PC on the floor tends to suck up the dirt, dust and grime on the floor (even animal hair if you have pets), clogging up heatsinks and coating electronic components, making them less effective in releasing heat to the air. This results in higher operating temperatures which could leading to premature component failure. It's even worse if you sweep in front of the PC, or if your floor is carpeted, as the PC acts like a vacuum cleaner sucking all the dust and dirt in front of it.
  
  
  
  Frequent exposure to dust can also cause the optical drive to malfunction as the laser read/write lens can get coated with dust;

• In office settings, cleaning crews typically scrub and mop floors during the weekends. It's not unusual for these crews to unwittingly splash water and detergent on PCs located on the floor. Most vulnerable to water splashes are the ports at the rear. Water can also get in through the various air inlets. Moisture can lead to corroded contacts and/or short circuits. The chassis could also rust;

• PCs on floors are vulnerable to various small animals/insects. Mice can chew on the various cables, or urinate on the rear ports. Cockroaches may crawl in the small holes of the chassis and lay their eggs or other secretions on the various components. These can be corrosive and eventually lead to component failure;

• PCs on floors tend to be more exposed to inadvertent kicks from people sitting in front of them. A kick while the hard drive is reading/writing could result in the read/write head smashing into the hard disk recording surface, possible leading to a hard disk crash, bad sectors and/or loss/corruption of data;

• From a usability point of view, it's not very practical to always bend down just to plug in a USB drive or insert a disc in the drive, when you can just reach over if the PC is on your desk;

• It also helps if the hard disk access lights are visible. That way you can determine at a glance if your PC has already frozen, or if it's just reading from the drive.

If you really prefer to set your PC on the floor, get one of those stands to elevate the chassis at least several inches from floor level. This would mitigate some of the hazards mentioned above. If your PC's chassis is one of the floor-standing types that are meant to be placed on the floor, keep the area around the PC free from dust or pests.



Lastly, if the jumble of wires from the back of your PC bothers you, invest in wireless keyboard mouse/combo. Nowadays they're dirt cheap. Pardon the pun.