Choosing the Right Laptop for your needs

You have a lot of choices to make when it comes to getting a laptop. What do you need to consider when deciding how powerful your laptop should be? You want to mull over three basic items when matching your laptop's hardware to the software that you need:

• The microprocessor
• Memory or RAM
• Hard drive storage

The microprocessor is the laptop's main chip. It's not "the brain" - your computer's software does that job, telling the microprocessor what to do. You want to ensure that you get a microprocessor that's plenty fast enough to deal with the applications that you may need not just today, but in the future. You may want to invest in a fast microprocessor now, which extends the useful life of your laptop by ensuring that you can run tomorrow's software before tomorrow comes. So find a laptop with the fastest microprocessor that you can afford and then buy the next most expensive microprocessor. You'll be thankful later.

The action happens in a computer's memory, where the work gets done. If the software states that it wants more than 256MB of memory, then get a laptop with however much RAM the software requires. The more RAM your computer has, the happier it appears to be and the more your software can effectively use the computer.

Hard drive storage is the electronic closet where you store your stuff. This stuff includes not only the computer's operating system, but all the software that you get and later install, plus all the data files and junk that you collect. Again, the software should tell you how much hard drive space it requires. Total the space that each application needs, then at least double that number to give yourself a general figure for how much hard drive storage you need.

Here are some additional tips on how to figure out the kind of laptop power you need:

• Laptop microprocessors cost more than their desktop counterparts. That's because manufacturers have to design the laptop microprocessors to use less power and generate less heat. Those designs take time, so their development cycle is longer, hence the added cost.
• When reading the hardware requirements on a software box, use the "recommended" values, not the minimum. For example, a program may request 256MB of RAM but really thirst for 384MB. If so, get 384MB - or more.
• RAM is where it's at! If you can't afford a faster microprocessor, you can afford to buy more RAM. Pack your laptop with as much RAM as you can afford.
• Buy the fattest hard drive you can afford. Especially if you plan on putting music on your laptop - you need at least an 80GB hard drive for that, maybe more.
• If possible, go for a laptop with at least 512MB of RAM in it. If you can afford 1024MB of RAM, get it. If you can afford 2048MB of RAM, get it. The more RAM, the better.
• Graphics image files (such as digital photographs), music or audio files, and video files consume huge amounts of hard drive space. If you plan on collecting any of these types of files on your laptop, get the biggest hard drive you can!
• By investing in the latest, fastest microprocessor, a lot of RAM, and a ton of hard drive space now, you extend the life of your laptop. That's a good thing. You want your laptop investment to last for years to come. So pay more now, and you can earn it back down the road when you're still using your laptop while others have to buy a new on.