How to choose your laptop

If you take your work with you when you travel, or if you need to show presentations away from the office, you'll naturally be thinking about a laptop, notebooks, portables, tablet PCs - all names for (more or less) the same thing. Modern laptops do practically everything that a desktop computer can do.

These are the checklists -
1. Crucially, they have enough memory and enough disk capacity to run the same operating systems and the same applications as a desktop PC. The same considerations about processor and memory apply as for PCs - the more the better. But if you do a lot of travelling, there's the additional issue of battery life to bear in mind.

2. The more powerful the processor and bigger the memory, the greater the drain on the battery. Even with a purpose-designed low-power processor in your laptop, you'll be lucky to get more than two hours' use before the battery needs recharging.

3. The third key component is the hard disk (or 'hard drive'). Since this is where all files and programs are stored, you should ensure that the disk will have enough capacity.

4. Disk capacities are measured in gigabytes (GB) and you should probably reject anything less than 20GB. Most new PCs come with 80GB of hard disk space, which should be enough for most uses - but you'll see models with many times this capacity. Even then, you might still run out of space if you start digitizing large amounts of music or video.

5. A monitor is the screen on which you see the information. The cheapest display is a 14in CRT (TV-type) screen, but it's too small for practical use. A 15in or 17in CRT is the minimum you should be looking at. The measurement signifies the diagonal length of the screen. Much better is a flat screen; it's considerably lighter, takes up less room and doesn't start humming three months before it packs up. Many PCs now come with a 15in LCD screen; a 17in screen is better, but it's expensive and can serious implications on the total price of your system.

6. CD/DVD Rom
All PCs are the same - a rectangular box with a main circuit board inside, a rack arrangement for slotting in components like hard disks and CD-ROM drives, slots for memory and smaller circuit boards, and so on.

7. The name on the front of the PC refers to the company that assembled the parts into a system. That company almost certainly did not manufacture the parts; they bought them from individual suppliers - just as a carmaker buys components from individual suppliers. Because all PC designs are standard, and because all the component suppliers follow those designs, all computers do tend to look much the same.
But since the PC maker's reputation is at stake (not to mention their legal liability), it makes sense for them to use the right components - the ones that work well together, that offer maximum reliability, that leave you satisfied and able to recommend the brand. For your own peace of mind, it might be worth paying extra for a bigger name.