What to Look for When Shopping for a Laptop

Vendor:

• Dell, HP/Compaq, Toshiba, Lenovo (IBM), Acer
  

Processor:

• The speed isn't as important now as it used to be. The most capable are:
• Intel Core 2 Duo (the Core Duo is older but still good).
• AMD Turion 64 X2.

RAM: (Memory)

• 1 GB at least (Windows Vista needs this much)
• 2GB is better. Get all the memory you can afford.

Hard Drive:

• 60 - 100 GB will be the best price/size ratio.
• 120 GB if it’s not much more.

Optical/CD/DVD Drive:

• DVD writer - reads and writes both CDs and DVDs (still a bit pricey on laptops). The terminology is confusing here, there are many formats (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW are the basics. There are also dual layer versions of each of these). The ideal drive reads and writes single and dual layer versions of all of the above.
• CD-RW/DVD - reads DVDs and reads/writes CDs (most common drive in budget models).

Networking:

• Ethernet (standard on most all laptops) - regular cable network.
• Wireless - look for built-in 802.11b/g (or a/b/g) - again pretty standard. You may see 802.11n on some newer machines - this works too.
• Modem - pretty standard.

Screen:

• 15.4 in. is the most common. Most new notebooks are widescreen.
• 14 - 17 inches are common.

Operating System:

• Most will come with Windows Vista. Avoid Vista Home Basic. Vista Business is very good all around.
• If you want Media Center features (movies, music, etc) get Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate.

Battery:

• This varies a lot. 1 hour is poor, 4 hours is good. 2 - 3 hours is typical.
• Some offer high capacity batteries ~6 hours.
• You can find car/airplane adapters if needed.

Miscellaneous:

• Make sure there is a PC Card slot if you'll need one (for Sprint card, etc.).
• Look for 3 or more USB ports. Some also have Media Card readers (for digital camera cards).
• Tablet PCs are available, the screen folds over the keyboard to be used like a pad of paper.