i saw a lot of people asking for advice on choosing a notebook, here are 17 questions that you should ask yourself. If you want advice, answer these 17 questions and i will help you choose one that will fit you the most credit http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271 1) What is your budget? 2) What size notebook would you prefer? a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen 3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in. 4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? 5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? 6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? 7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? 8) How many hours of battery life do you need? 9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? 10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc. Screen Specifics 11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? 12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer? Standard a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen. b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA. c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen. Widescreen d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets. e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets. f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets. 13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? Build Quality and Design 14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? 15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? Notebook Components 16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB? 17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive?
here are few tips: get the highest resolution screen, you have much more "working space" You don't need to get the fastest processor. Instead invest on RAM and faster HD for performance Get a small harddrive. The access time increase as the HD capacity go higher. store all your data/file in a external HD (internal HD for OS and program only) get lowest RAM (try to get 1 stick instead of 2), it is always cheaper to buy RAM separately. If you use vista, you should get at least 2 GB of Ram If you don't play game/create 3D graphic you don't need a graphic card, onboard one is good enough