Laptop Buying Guide: Finding Your Perfect Machine

The time has come for you to buy a new laptop. It is an exciting experience, but it can also be an intimidating one. After all there are a dizzying array of options for you to choose from and a million questions to contend with. How big of a hard drive do I really need? Should I get an ultrathin model? Do I really need a DVD burner? Should I get a Windows or a Mac? What about graphics; do I really need a top of line card? Well, today we are going to get you some answers so that you can go into the store with a clear goal and the confidence to make the right decision for you.

The thing about buying a computer, or any piece of software is that there is no such thing as “one size fits all” advice. The things that are right for you will depend greatly on how you use the machine. To that end we are going to look at some of the basic types of users and look at what they need.

Congratulations: you are the most basic of users, and that means that you will be happy with a very basic machine. That means that you will be able to spend the least in order to get what you need.

Some recommended models for this type of user include:

Acer Blue Aspire One AOA150-1577 Mini Laptop PC Netbook with Intel Atom N270 Processor, 120GB Hard Drive and Windows XP

Acer Aspire One White 8.9" Mini-Notebook PC w/ Intel Atom N270 Processor & 160GB Hard Drive

If you use your computer to make a database or to deal with reports then you are probably going to have a bit more in the way of PC needs. Who might use a database? Well, human resources professionals and accounting professionals come to mind but anyone who works with a lot of spreadsheets could also be in the category. You are going to need a better machine.

Recommendations for this type of user include:

Compaq 17'' Presario CQ70-128NR Laptop PC w/ Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T3200

Dell 15.4" Studio 15 Green Laptop PC with AMD Turion 64 x2 Dual-Core Technology RM-70

Compaq 15.4" Presario CQ50-140US Laptop PC w/ Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3200 Processor

Toshiba 15"4 Satellite L305-S5904 PC Laptop with AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core Mobile Technology TL-60

Gateway 15.4" M-7315u Laptop PC w/ Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T3200

You use your computer to watch movies and play games. Whether that means a software based title or an MMORPG, you will have the same needs, a decent sized hard drive and a stellar graphics card.

Some recommended Models include:

Toshiba 17" Satellite P205-S7482 Laptop PC w/ Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5450

HP 17'' Pavilion dv7-1150us Laptop PC w/ Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor

HP 15.4'' Pavilion dv5-1120us Laptop PC w/ AMD Turion X2 RM-72 Processor

Toshiba 14.1" Satellite M305-S4835 Laptop PC w/ Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P7350

Dell 17" Studio 17 Black Laptop PC w/ Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor

What if you are in between, or you will be sharing the machine with a spouse or sibling (some families do this)? Well, then you need to buy a machine for the highest level of user. Remember that an email checker can do what they need to on a gaming machine, but it won't work the other way around. Granted, sharing a laptop is an unusual situation, but it does happen.