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'Tis the Season...

The holiday season is here, and along with it comes shopping. What better gift to a loved one or yourself than a new laptop! Such a purchase requires thought and research, so we thought we’d help by listing the most valuable features to look for, along with our recommendations.

Before you step into a store, try to identify the must have features first. This way you can confidently talk to the sales staff without getting stuck with a product that doesn’t fulfill your needs. Keep in mind, most places are going to try to sell you the most expensive laptop with all the bells and whistles, but you may not ever use half those features. So only pay for what you need and intend to use.

Product Features

Brand
There are tons of different brands in the market, all of which are probably pretty comparable, but for a purchase like this you want to stick with the big players (i.e., Dell, HP/Compaq, Sony, Gateway, Lenovo, etc.). Brands that have been around for a long time and are popular within the marketplace have remained so for a reason. They offer credibility and trust to their consumers. Plus, if you ever run into any problems with your laptop, you want to know you’re dealing with a reputable company who can assist you.

Processor
The processor is basically the brain of your computer or laptop. You’ll hear it referred to as CPUs or Computer Performance Units, and of course the more you have, the better your laptop performs. The CPU is what performs the system’s calculating and processing. There are two main types of processors, Intel and AMD, and while they each have fans for different reasons, Intel seems to remains the more popular of the two. But keep an open mind because the average person wouldn’t notice any differences between them.

Memory
Most laptops now are coming equipped with Windows Vista, so if that’s the case be sure that you purchase at least two gigabytes (GB) of memory. Vista needs a minimum of 2 GB to run efficiently with their new features. In fact, if you can, we recommend 3 GB for optimal performance.

Hard Drive
The standard hard drive size for most new laptops can range anywhere from 100 – 250 GB. And even under 50 GB for smaller, light weight netbooks and mini laptops. A good hard drive size for an average person is about 120 GB this way you have ample room for storing documents, applications, photos, videos and music.

CD/DVD Burner
If you’re someone who works with a lot of documents or contracts and you need to send them to clients or co workers often, you could get a lot of use out of a CD/DVD burner. A burner is also helpful to back up your important files so you can keep them in a safe place. And of course, who doesn’t like to burn movies and CDs!

Bluetooth
Bluetooth has become widely popular in last few years and for this reason most newly manufactured laptops already have them built in. But if this is a feature you can’t live without, be sure that you verify your particular model includes Bluetooth capability. We recommend Bluetooth because you can use it to sync up your phone or PDA, as well as utilize wireless products like headphones or mice.

Operating System
As mentioned above, most laptops are now coming with Windows Vista installed. So make sure you choose either Vista Business or Ultimate. Both will give you all options you’re used to, but Ultimate is the fully loaded version. However, Linux is also starting to appear on more laptops. With its intuitive design and user friendly ability we may start to see its popularity grow. Finally, if you are an XP user and really don’t want to convert to Vista, there are plenty of online providers who will customize your laptop to include XP.

Recommendations

Lucky for us, since the market is filled with laptop manufacturers, we can get great products much cheaper than four or five years ago. Prices can range from under $1000 up to $4000, depending on which features drive your decision most. Below we’ve included some of our top picks.

Best Storage – The Sony VAIO VGN-Z590 has a storage capacity of 256 GB, for about $3300. For weighing only slightly more than the minis or netbooks, the Sony laptop packs four times the amount of storage you’d find in one of the mini laptops.

Fastest Processor – The Dell Studio 15 runs with an impressive 2.5 GHz, includes 2 GB of RAM, and 250 GB of storage space all for $1,229.

Most Light Weight – The minis and netbooks are obviously built with easy portability in mind. One of the lightest we found is the Lenovo Ideapad U110, weighing in at 2.4 lbs (2.9 lbs with battery attached). But its light weight durability does have its price, totaling $1699.

Best Price Overall – The Toshiba Satellite U405-S2856 runs for about $950 with a processor speed of 2.26 GHz, 3 GB of RAM, and weighs less than 5 pounds. Most laptops come with a processor speed of 2 GHz or less, so for this price it seems to be a great buy!

Read more about any of the products mentioned in this article along with other product reviews on www.PCmag.com.

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