Picking the Right Laptop for You

By Joel Craig, NEWS 9 Contributor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Many people are abandoning their old desktop computers for laptops. But with so many choices picking the right one can be overwhelming.

Laptop computers have replaced desktops as the computer of choice for most of us. If you're looking to buy one the choices of brands and features can be overwhelming with prices ranging from around $300 on up. There are a few things that are fairly easy to compare and decide. What size screen do you want? Do you want a super thin laptop or a more standard size? What size hard drive? Maybe, go with the newest solid state type that has no moving parts.

How much memory - anything more than 3 gigs for XP and Vista 32 isn't going to markedly improve performance. Although for the new Windows 7 you'll most likely want at least 4 gigs, something that has a built-in CD/DVD drive.

But what about the computer's CPU - central processing unit? If you want one of the new net books most of them use the Atom processor which isn't a powerhouse but does what these small lightweight units were intended to do, surf the Internet, e-mail and office functions like word processing.

For more standard laptops at the low-end there are Celeron and Sempron processors. These are cost effective because the technology is several years old. Many homes should be fine with a Pentium 2 or Athlon 2, also older models. But if you want to do sophisticated work with videos or top-of-the-line gaming you're at the high end with processors like the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core or the Intel Core 2 Extreme.

There are more types of processors available and variations within a line of processors, it all depends on what you'll be doing - from writing letters and surfing the net to complex spreadsheets and multi-media PowerPoint presentations on to hardcore gaming.

Check out AMD's and Intel's Web sites for an explanation of their different processors look at internal memory as well as speed. You'll want something that will cover you for a few years but not overkill for computing power you'll never need. Also, if the computer comes with Vista Home Basic instead of Vista Home Premium it's telling you the video capability of the machine is probably limited.