what basic features are important in buying a lap top - notebook ?

Answer 1

How to Buy a Notebook PC
Laptop Buyimg Guide Yahoo! Shopping

The most highly evolved species of computer, the notebook (aka laptop) computer allows you to work without being tethered to an office. Portability and good performance make notebook PCs an essential part of the daily lives of millions, from college students to business travelers. Even the least-expensive of today's laptops are better equipped than they have ever been, and may be all you need for everyday work.

The Big Picture

There are more notebook choices than ever. We'll guide you through the available options--including screen size, weight, battery life, and communications ports.

The Specs Explained

Do you need a superfast CPU? Or a huge hard drive? We'll guide you through the choices and tell you which features are most critical.

Notebook Shopping Tips

Looking for a powerful, versatile notebook at a reasonable price? Our advice will help you find the right laptop.

Introduction
The Big Picture
The Specs Explained
Notebook Shopping Tips

If you've ever shopped for a notebook, you know that the factors to consider go far beyond performance and connections. Notebook buyers also have to mull such variables as size, weight, screen dimensions, battery life, and keyboard quality--not to mention options such as built-in wireless.

Key Features
Processor: Intel's Pentium M processor has helped notebooks gain new ground in the power department. In our tests, notebooks using the Pentium M performed considerably faster than those using the Mobile Pentium 4. Pentium M processors also allow for long battery life. You can still opt for a Mobile Pentium 4 processor, such as one at 3.0 GHz, but most notebook vendors are moving to incorporate the Pentium M in all classes of notebooks.

Some notebooks, notably ultraportables, use AMD's Athlon XP-M processor or Intel's ULV (ultra-low voltage) Pentium-M CPU, which also allow for improved battery life and performance. At this point most notebook manufacturers are only offering these processors in ultraportables. A few notebooks use Intel P4 or AMD Athlon 64 desktop processors, which can give them a performance advantage as long as they're built to withstand--and you can tolerate--the extra heat they generate.

System memory: Unless you're buying on the cheap, a new notebook generally includes 256MB to 512MB of system memory. Don't settle for anything less than 256MB if you want to do more than word processing and e-mail, because Windows XP and newer applications need at least that much memory. Using any less may slow down your work. Buying up to 1GB of RAM at the same time you purchase your notebook will help extend its useful lifetime.

Graphics memory: You'll want 32MB or 64MB of dedicated video RAM, or VRAM, if you plan to use your laptop to drive external monitors for presentations. Make sure the memory is dedicated for graphic use, rather than pulled from main memory; this is sometimes referred to as a universal (UMA) or shared (SMA) memory architecture, or as dynamic video memory technology. Gamers should look for advanced 3D graphics chips, such as ATI's Mobility Radeon or NVidia's GeForce2Go, and 64MB to 128MB of dedicated graphics memory.

Screen: Notebook screens continue to get bigger. Even budget shoppers can afford the luxury of high-resolution color: Portables with 14.1-inch and 15-inch screens now cost as little as $1200. Some notebook manufacturers are even offering laptops with 16- and 17-inch screens. The downside: Frequent business fliers who prefer the more-compact notebook screen sizes of 12.1 and 13.3 inches may soon have only ultraportables to choose from.

Battery: Notebook battery life took a step forward with the introduction of the Pentium M. In our tests, battery life in units equipped with the new chip averaged roughly 3.5 hours on one battery. Some notebooks can run for up to 7 hours. Regardless of the CPU, opt for a lithium ion rechargeable battery, which lasts longer than a nickel-metal hydride one. Many vendors also offer supplemental batteries to boost battery life.

Keyboard and pointing device: Though you can get accustomed to almost any notebook keyboard, it's best to try before you buy. Thin-and-light notebooks usually have smaller-than-average keys spaced more closely than on a desktop-replacement model, and their layouts may differ from a standard keyboard's. You probably won't be given a choice between an eraserhead or trackpad pointing device; if you have a preference, look for manufacturers that use your preferred pointing device on the majority of their products.

Optical and other drives: Several manufacturers offer notebooks with rewritable DVD drives. The next-best thing is a combination DVD-ROM and CD-RW drive. Midrange machines usually feature one or the other, and only the least-expensive notebooks come standard with just a CD-RW drive.

Long predicted to go extinct, the floppy drive has outlasted its SuperDrive and Zip drive challengers and continues to appear in many full-size notebooks, though sometimes only as an option. You can buy a USB add-on floppy drive for less than $100 if you really need it.

Hard drive: You may not need the space, but notebook hard drives will continue to grow. Cheaper notebooks with 20GB hard drives are hard to find, but you can still save money by opting for a 40GB or 60GB model. A top-of-the-line 120GB drive will set you back a few hundred dollars if you purchase it when you order your laptop. You can easily remove most laptop hard drives if you decide you want to upgrade or just keep your data safe.

Weight and bay design: Notebooks range from 17-pound behemoth desktop replacements to 8- or 10-pound all-in-one models, with both the floppy drive and the optical drive built in, to 3-pound ultraportables that rely on external drives. The once-rare midsize, one-bay notebook has become more prevalent because of its appealing balance of features and weight.

Many full-size models offer the floppy drive as a modular device, so you can swap it out for a second optical drive, a second hard drive, a Zip drive, or a second battery.

When making a purchase, you should consider the weight not only of the notebook, but of the AC adapter, any external modules, and their cables. Ultraportable notebooks have lightweight adapters but can weigh almost as much as a full-size notebook if you have to carry their external optical and floppy drives.

When you return to your desk, you can snap most notebooks onto an extra-cost docking station or port replicator (prices range from $100 to $500). This saves you from repeatedly having to plug in and unplug an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other desktop peripherals.

Communications: Few notebooks come with a full set of legacy ports anymore. Serial ports are rare, and PS/2 ports (for a mouse or keyboard) and infrared ports are going the way of the dodo, as well. Most notebooks still have a parallel port and one PC Card slot, though; most also have at least two USB 2.0 ports, and many now offer four. A growing number include a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port, for an external drive, MP3 player, or a digital video camcorder.

Built-in ethernet now comes standard on all portables, with some high-end models including gigabit ethernet. Notebooks using the Intel Centrino processor include Intel's 802.11b/g networking built in; those using the Pentium M or AMD's processors have the option of 802.11b/g. Bluetooth is also catching on, but unless you have a specific need for it, don't splurge for built-in Bluetooth.

A smattering of notebooks now include one or more card slots for removable media such as CompactFlash, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, or Smart Media. More of today's PDAs, cameras, and other digital devices use CF cards than any other type of flash-memory media, so a laptop with a CF slot can be a nice plus (though PC Card slot adapters for CF cards are plentiful and relatively inexpensive). Industry watchers expect the smaller, less capacious SD cards--so far found mostly in Toshiba notebooks--eventually to match the CF's capacity and to replace it as the data exchange card of choice. But that hasn't happened yet.

Introduction
The Big Picture
The Specs Explained
Notebook Shopping Tips
Before shopping for a notebook, consider how you'll be using it. If your primary goal is to get some word processing or spreadsheet work done while staying on top of e-mail, a $1000 low-end Pentium-M model with a 12.1-inch screen and 20GB hard drive will be plenty fast and save you hundreds of dollars. Sexy lightweight notebooks and models with top-notch processing power and big screens cost much more.

However, keep in mind that most vendors let you custom build and price your own notebook by picking from a mind-boggling array of features, which gives you a lot of control over the final product. You may be able to afford a faster notebook by accepting a smaller, less expensive hard drive or a CD-RW drive instead of a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive.

Unlike PCs, you can later upgrade only some of these components, such as memory and the hard drive; others, such as the graphics board, are permanent once they're installed at the factory. That's slowly changing, as some manufacturers are incorporating upgradable graphics. However, take your time and pick only what you need. Below is a rough breakout of some configuration options.

Answer 2

RAM, processor speed, and hard disk size are very important. Don't underbuy.

What I try to do is focus on what I will use it for, then look for a laptop that has good software to do it.

Last, read all the reviews on the model you choose.

Answer 3

Hard disk space, processor speed, memory (ram), and battery life. are the most important factors, followed by size and weight.