How to Buy a Laptop

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Introduction

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

The big picture: There are more laptop choices than ever. We'll identify and discuss 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. more

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

PC World's top-rated laptops

 Top 10 All-Purpose Laptops

 Top 5 Laptops Under $1,000
 Top 10 Ultraportable Laptops
 All Laptops

The big picture

If you've ever shopped for a laptop, you know that the factors to consider go far beyond performance and
connections. Notebook buyers have to think about such additional variables as size, weight, screen dimensions,
battery life and keyboard quality -- plus options such as built-in wireless.

Key features

Processor: Intel's dual-core processors have helped laptops gain ground in the power department. In PC
World tests, laptops using these dual-core processors performed considerably faster than laptops using single-
core processors, particularly when multitasking. In newer notebooks you may see references to Core Duo, Core
2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme, which represent steps up in computing power for laptops.

Some notebooks use AMD's Athlon Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor, which also supports improved
performance. The Turion 64 X2 and the Core 2 Duo both provide 64-bit support, which will become
increasingly useful as more 64-bit applications reach the market.
Low-end laptops offer Intel's Celeron M processor, which is generally not as speedy as the Core 2 Duo
processors. And down below low-end are the new mobile processors that appear in netbooks (or mini-
notebooks) -- sub-$500 machines that run on low-power, low-cost 1.6-GHz Atom CPUs.

How to Buy a Laptop

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System memory: Unless you're buying on the cheap, a new laptop generally includes 2GB of system
memory. Many notebooks today are available with 3GB of RAM or more. Before electing to upgrade to more
RAM than that, be sure to check which version of Windows your new notebook uses. A 32-bit OS can't
efficiently use more than 3GB of RAM. A 64-bit version can go higher. Outfitting your laptop with more RAM at
the time you buy it is convenient and helps you extend its useful life.

Graphics memory: Portables can have either of two different types of video chip sets: dedicated video
(which means a separate pre-installed graphics card) or integrated graphics. Dedicated video chip sets come
from nVidia and ATI/AMD, whereas integrated graphics are typically from Intel. If you intend to use your
laptop for even casual gaming, make sure that it has memory dedicated to graphics use, rather than relying on
graphics that pull from main memory. Gamers need advanced 3-D graphics chips, along with 512MB of
dedicated graphics memory. High-end desktop-replacement notebooks have sophisticated desktop graphics
capabilities, as well; in the past, integrated graphics would work just fine for business purposes, but Windows
Vista demands a more powerful graphics subsystem.

Some laptops now offer Scalable Link Interface (SLI), which provides a means to run multiple graphics chips in
one machine. Hybrid SLI, a technology offered by nVidia, involves two GPUs operating within a single
notebook. The most basic version of Hybrid SLI already exists on Apple's new MacBook Pro laptop and on a
couple of notebooks from Sony's Vaio line. With these machines you toggle between a high-powered discrete
GPU for graphics-intensive work or play and an integrated GPU on the motherboard for low-demand graphics.
A second implementation of Hybrid SLI will allow an integrated GPU, like nVidia's GeForce 9400M GS, to work
in tandem with a discrete GPU for greater performance when needed -- and then downshift to a lower-power
mode when it isn't.

Screen: Some laptop screens continue to get bigger -- and most have gone wide, too, enabling you to view
spreadsheets or movies with ease. But other screens have gotten significantly smaller to accommodate all sorts
of road-ready computing. Price is no longer much of a deterrent for any of these choices. Even budget
shoppers can afford the luxury of high-resolution color: Portables with 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch wide screens
now cost well under $1,000. Most notebook manufacturers offer laptops with wide-screen panels, to permit
better side-by-side document viewing as well as to display films at their proper aspect ratio. These days,
netbooks come equipped with screens as large as 10.2 inches. Ultraportable notebooks max out at 13.3 inches.
And anything between 13.3 and 17 inches qualifies as an all-purpose machine -- a laptop that still fits in your
bag. The new middle ground for all-purpose screens is 16 inches because screen of this size can display a true
1080p (1920-by-1080-pixel resolution) picture.

Battery: Laptop battery life continues to improve. In PC World's tests, laptops using a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo
processor average roughly 3.5 hours on one battery charge. Keep in mind that manufacturers may improve
their times by taking steps such as turning off wireless receivers, which tend to consume a lot of power. Also,
check to see if the manufacturer's stated battery-life numbers are for its regular or extended-life battery -- the
latter kind of battery can last up to twice as long as a regular one. And remember that, in general, lighter
laptops tend to have longer battery lives than big desktop-replacement notebooks do.
Keyboard and pointing device: Though you can get accustomed to almost any laptop keyboard, it's best to
try before you buy. Thin-and-light notebooks usually have smaller-than-average keys spaced more closely than
the keys on a desktop-replacement model, and their layouts may differ from a standard keyboard's. If you
have largish hands, be aware that an ultraportable's keyboard may be difficult to use.

You probably won't be invited to choose between eraserhead and trackpad pointing devices; if you have a
preference, look for manufacturers that use the pointing device you prefer on most of their products. A better
option: Buy a USB mouse designed for laptops. It's a small investment, and your hands will thank you for it.

How to Buy a Laptop

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Optical and other drives: Most manufacturers offer laptops with rewritable DVD drives. But now that Blu-ray
Disc has triumphed over HD DVD in the high-definition format wars, more notebooks are being configured with
Blu-ray drives. If you need a floppy drive for some reason, you can buy a USB add-on drive for 20 bucks.

Hard drive: Even inexpensive netbooks now come with 60GB hard-disk drives (HDDs). Most all-purpose
machines offer hard drives in the range of 200GB to 320GB, and ultraportables now pack solid-state drives
(SDDs). Though SDDs are faster and lighter than HDDs, their capacities are considerably lower (maxing out at
around 128GB) at a significantly higher cost. In today's market, an SSD adds about $1,000 to a laptop's price
tag over the cost of a machine with similar specs equipped with a larger-capacity platter-based drive. So, you
need to balance speed and weight against price and storage capacity. Whichever choice you make, you'll find
that hard-drive space fills up quickly, so you might want to consider buying a portable external drive as well.

Weight and bay design: Laptops range from 15-pound desktop replacement monsters to ultraportable
lightweights that rely on external drives to come in at under 3 pounds. One-bay notebooks balance features
and weight. Some laptops continue to offer the optical drive as a modular device, so you can swap it out for a
second hard drive or a second battery.

When making a purchase, however, keep in mind that you should consider the weight not only of the laptop
but also of the AC adapter, the extra batteries, any external modules, and their cables. Ultraportable notebooks
have lightweight adapters, but they can weigh almost as much as a full-size notebook if you have to carry an
external optical drive, too.

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

Communications: Few laptops come with a full set of legacy ports anymore. Serial ports are as rare as
Bigfoot sightings at this point, as are PS/2 ports (for a mouse or keyboard). Most notebooks still have one PC
Card slot, though many now offer an ExpressCard slot as well. With new GPUs, many notebooks -- and even
some netbooks -- now offer HDMI outputs.

Most laptops have at least two USB 2.0 ports; many offer four, and some up to six. A majority of notebooks
include a four-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394) port for connecting an external drive or a digital-video camcorder.
Others now include eSATA ports for high-speed data transfers.
Built-in Ethernet now comes standard on all portables, with many models carrying gigabit Ethernet. Many
laptops also have built-in Bluetooth. Notebooks using the Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors -- or AMD's
Turion 64 X2 processor -- include Intel's wireless 802.11a/b/g chip set.

Some laptops come with built-in wireless broadband wide-area networking, enabling them to access, for
example, Verizon Wireless's EvDO Broadband Access service.

Most also include a multiformat flash card reader, which can read Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory
Stick, Memory Stick Duo and xD formats.

How to Buy a Laptop

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The specs explained

Before shopping for a laptop, 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 netbook (priced at less than $500) will
meet your needs. But a netbook does entail some sacrifices: a smaller processor, about 1GB of RAM, not much
in the way of hard drive space, no optical drive, and (at biggest) a 10.2-inch screen. On the surface not much
separates the netbooks from sexy lightweight notebooks, but the specs under the hood (and a big screen
inside it) can inflate an ultraportable's price to as much as $2,000 more than a typical netbook.

Remember that most vendors let you custom-build and -price your own laptop 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 DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, instead of a BD-ROM.

Unlike those on desktop PCs, only some of the components (such as memory and the hard drive) are
upgradable; others (such as the graphics board) are permanent once they're installed at the factory. That's
slowly changing, as some manufacturers begin to incorporate upgradable graphics. But take your time and pick
only what you need. Following is a rough breakout of some configuration options.

Important consideration: Installed memory. The more installed memory your laptop has, the more
applications you can run at once, and the better your machine will perform. Ease of access aside, upgrading
memory in a notebook is a bit trickier than with a desktop, so buy as much memory pre-installed as you can
afford. Laptops with 2GB of RAM are optimal. If you're running Windows Vista on a laptop, consider upgrading
to 3GB of RAM (or more if your notebook uses a 64-bit version of the OS).

Important consideration: Processor. The CPU determines how quickly a notebook runs applications and
performs on-screen tasks. Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors are good choices for speedy processing. Atom
processors appear only in budget-friendly netbooks, so plan according to your needs. (Check the latest prices
for recommended notebooks.)

Important consideration: Screen size. The specified size of a laptop's LCD screen represents a diagonal
measurement. The larger the screen, the higher the maximum resolution and the more information you can
view at once. At this point, most notebooks are wide-screen models; if you want a laptop with a standard-
aspect screen you'll have to search a bit, but they are still available. The aspect ratio seen on some newer 16-
inch laptop screens offers the ideal resolution for viewing high-definition movies on the go. (Compare laptops
with recommended screen sizes.)
Important consideration: Screen coating. A laptop's LCD panel is only as good as it looks when you look
into it. Can you see text and images clearly when you're viewing them in broad daylight? Many notebooks that
look sharp on store shelves (thanks to their extra-glossy coatings) may be tough to work with outdoors or in a
coffee shop. So keep in mind not only how you plan to use your notebook, but where you want to use it.

Somewhat important: Hard drive. The larger the hard drive, the more data you can keep on your laptop.
Most cheap netbooks offer 80GB drives at this point, so why not give yourself a little room to grow? If you plan
to work with databases, spreadsheets or digital photo or video files, opt for a large drive. Be sure to find out
the hard drive's speed, too. Older, slower drives run at 4200 rpm, and most current drives clock in at 5400
rpm; but a 7200-rpm model will offer better speed in data-read-intensive tasks.

Somewhat important: Expansion bays. The more expansion bays your laptop has, the more options you'll
have for switching in new optical drives or other storage drives. But switching drives takes time, and modular
components aren't as common as they used to be. As laptops gravitate toward flush form factors and unibody
designs, may find that your only practical option is to lug around external drives that plug in through USB
ports.

How to Buy a Laptop

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Somewhat important: Optical drives. Most manufacturers offer laptops with rewritable DVD drives, which
give you the most flexibility. Alternatively, you could purchase a notebook with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, to
save money.

Laptop shopping tips

Are you ready to buy a notebook? Here are our recommendations for specifications that will fit the needs of
the average user.

A 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo processor. For everyday work -- word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail -- you don't
need the latest, greatest (read: "most expensive") processor, but thankfully, with the Core Duo, you get strong
performance and great battery life. (Check latest prices.)

2GB or more of memory. Anything less will slow your work. The only new machines that still carry less than
2GB of RAM are netbooks. Upgrade to a 64-bit OS if you want to carry more than 3GB on your laptop.

Supplemental battery. If you want more time away from an outlet, buy a higher-capacity supplementary
battery when you purchase the laptop, or buy a notebook that has a modular bay capable of holding a
supplementary power pack. Secondary batteries usually cost between $99 and $200.

A 13.3-inch wide screen. A screen larger than 12.1 inches permits higher resolutions. Unless you're pinching
pennies -- or you crave a tiny laptop -- bigger is usually better, especially on your eyes. (Compare prices for
laptops with screens that are at least 14.1 inches in size.)

A 160GB hard drive. Even some netbooks that cost under $500 are bundling a 160GB hard drive (granted,
they spin slowly at 4200 rpm). So if you can get a large hard drive in your unit, do so. And as tempting as a
solid-state drive may sound, it's an expensive choice for relatively little storage capacity.
A touchpad pointing device. Pointing devices are a matter of taste. Most people, however, find a touchpad
easier to use than a pointing stick. For people who can't decide between a touchpad and an eraserhead
pointing device, some notebooks include both. If you buy one of these, make sure that it provides two sets of
mouse buttons -- one for the touchpad and the other for the eraserhead -- so you don't have to stretch to
reach.

Multiple USB ports. Many laptops now come with two or more USB 2.0 ports, useful for connecting more of
the latest peripherals.

All-in-one design. Unless you need a lightweight notebook, opt for one with an internal bay for the optical
drive. This design enables you to swap in other devices, such as an extra hard drive or a second battery.

How to Buy a Netbook

PC World Staff
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The netbook market is new and constantly in flux. We explain what models are available to you
today.
Introduction

The term netbook, coined by Intel, conveys little useful information about this category of machines. Sure,
they all have wireless networking, but so does every other laptop. What the term originally helped to identify
was a class of small, ultralightweight, cheap-as-dirt mobile PCs.

Netbooks are tiny – usually between half and two-thirds the size of a garden-variety laptop – and they typically
weigh around 2.5 pounds. With their cool, slim designs, they outclass some fancy ultraportables. And best of
all, these diminutive laptops start at around $200 (in some cases $100, when purchased as part of a mobile
broadband promotional deal).

But that doesn't mean a netbook is for everyone. These are basic computing devices that will meet only basic
computing needs. If you're looking to do a little bit of word processing, maybe edit a few simple spreadsheets
and want to surf the Web, a netbook will suffice. But if you're looking to edit high-resolution photos or work
with video, a netbook isn't for you: These systems have seriously limited processing power. You can listen to
some tunes, but don't expect first-rate sound. And you might be able to watch a few online videos, but you'll
be looking at a relatively tiny screen.

In determining what makes a netbook a netbook, and not an ultraportable laptop, we take several factors into
consideration. Chief among them: price, size and the CPU under its hood. But netbooks are constantly
evolving, and we're now on the cusp of next-generation models. Soon, we'll see Atom processors outfitted with
a discrete nVidia GPU (the Ion platform). And Intel isn't the only chip maker in the netbook space: AMD is half-
stepping into the territory with the Athlon Neo CPU. The distinguishing characteristics are in flux. With that in
mind, here's what you need to know when buying a netbook.

The big picture

The netbook market is new and constantly in flux. We'll explain the options available to you today. more

The specs explained

Just because netbooks are cheap, that doesn't mean you have to expect poor performance. We'll guide you
through the choices you need to make in order to get the most out of your mini machine. more

Netbook shopping tips

Sure, some netbooks are cheap. But some also cost almost as much as full-fledged laptops. Our advice will
help you find the right machine at the right price. more

More on netbooks

Here's a chart (with links to reviews), a slide show and a discussion of the differences between netbooks and
ultraportables.

 Top 10 Netbooks
 10 Must-Have Netbooks, From Super Expensive to Bargain Basement
 Netbook or Ultraportable: Which Is Best for the Job?

 How to Buy a Netbook

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 The big picture
 So many netbooks have reached market in the past year – and so many more are on the way – that
selecting the right model can be daunting. There is no such thing as perfection in a category that is
ultimately defined by compromises, but with a little grounding in the basic features of mini-notebooks,
you can make an informed buying decision.
 Key features
 Processor: With bargain-basement prices, svelte dimensions and full-blown operating systems,
models in the current crop of netbooks look great on paper. But the Intel Atom processor powering
these machines can't do anything much fancier than editing basic documents, sending e-mail and
browsing the Web. The standard configuration for the machines you'll find on store shelves includes a
1.6GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM using Intel's 945 chip set and running Windows XP – not exactly a
performance powerhouse, but it works.
 Making the most of your netbook is all about managing expectations. Don't plan on playing modern PC
games, editing huge pictures or creating 1080p videos on these machines – at least not yet. Later this
year, nVidia will release its Ion graphics platform, and AMD has already launched its Neo processor.
These two mobile chips promise to boost netbook performance significantly, and may very well
change the way we think about small, cheap computers.
 Display: When our reviewer first encountered the original Asus Eee PC's 7-inch LCD, he declared that
he had to increase the magnification in his eyeglasses' prescription – and spin the scroll wheel like a
manic gerbil – just to read an everyday Web page.
 Fortunately, times have changed. Even the smallest machines these days offer about 9 inches of
viewable display area, with at least 800 pixels across. That is adequate for Web browsing, though the
10-inch screen available on most netbooks these days makes a real difference in the experience. And
in the coming year, you'll start to see more and more devices that straddle the netbook-ultraportable
divide by offering 11- and 12-inch screens. However, screen coating is also a critical consideration.
The HP Mini 2140's glossy screen may look snazzy indoors, but in broad daylight – where many people
would at least occasionally use it – the reflection can be dazzling, if not blinding.
 Another characteristic to weigh is native resolution. The default setting for most netbooks is 1024 by
600 pixels. Though this slightly odd aspect ratio will work with most software, some programs require
 a different resolution to run properly. If you intend to run proprietary business apps that demand a
specific resolution, make sure that the netbook you buy can support it. (The upcoming 11- and 12-
inch models won't run into this problem.)
 Battery life: Though the Intel Atom CPU is by no means an energy hog, netbooks aren't known for
long battery life. That is partly because vendors typically try to keep costs down by providing a modest
three-cell battery. If you're lucky, a battery of that size will last 2.5 hours on one charge, judging from
PC World Test Center results. So if you want to stay productive on your netbook while traveling, you'll
probably need to buy an oversized, extended-life battery.
 The best-selling Acer Aspire One is a case in point. As configured, this neat little machine sells for
roughly $300; but if you want it to run longer (surviving a cross-country flight would be nice), prepare
to shell out an additional $100 for an optional six-cell battery that effectively doubles its duration. The
bigger battery adds a little more weight to the system, too: There's roughly a 0.3-pound difference
between three- and six-cell netbook batteries, but the longer life between recharges is worth the extra
investment.
 So far, Samsung has earned the laurels for producing netbooks that have the longest battery lives.
We've seen some that last around 8.5 hours in our lab tests.
 You get one other bonus when you buy a bigger battery, in some models at least: The double-stuffed
power source props up the netbook at a slight tilt, making ergonomic typing on the (usually) tiny
keyboard a little easier.
 Keyboard: Many netbooks come with serviceable, comfortable keyboards, despite their smaller size.
A netbook's keyboard is usually about 88 or 92 percent of a full-size QWERTY keyboard, but the layout
and arrangement of those keys counts almost as much as their size. To see whether the layout and
shape of a given keyboard will work for your fingers, you need to do some hands-on testing at a store.
Of course, bigger keys are better for beefy digits – and netbooks that have 10-inch screens tend to
offer the larger keyboards.
 Software: Windows XP is largely the operating system of choice. Some foolhardy manufacturers have
loaded netbooks with Windows Vista Basic while others offer up Linux flavors in their netbooks. Why
Linux? For starters, it runs a little leaner than XP, which makes it perfect for a netbook's anemic CPU.
Second, it trims a few more dollars off the price of these already-inexpensive portables.
 For the most part, Windows XP netbooks carry very little onboard software. A few machines we've
seen came pre-loaded with OpenOffice.org – the free Java-based office suite – but few vendors care
to match Samsung, whose netbooks have a fairly well-constructed software suite (one that's good by
notebook standards, let alone netbooks). Almost all of the other netbooks we've examined require you
to download, on your own, the software you want to use.
 Expecting Windows Vista to work with a netbook's puny processor is like expecting a baby with one
hand tied behind its back to push a Buick up a hill. Nevertheless, HP originally packaged its 2133
netbook with Vista Business Edition – and no one was terribly surprised when its unimposing Via C7-M
processor ran like an out-of-shape sprinter in a swimming pool full of Jell-O. Now Sony thinks it can
get its new Atom-processor-based Vaio P mini-notebook (which it insists on calling a "lifestyle
notebook" rather than a "netbook") to run Windows Vista Basic. This is probably still a bit of a
performance stretch, but initial tests show that Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 is a very plausible
netbook OS.
 We've also heard rumors that Google's Android OS will find its way into netbooks this year, but no
products are available as of this writing.
 Wireless connectivity: If names mean anything, it seems reasonable to expect a "netbook" to
deliver wireless broadband and constant connectivity. But that's not quite the way things are today.
Most netbooks do offer 802.11g wireless, which is more than adequate for basic needs around an
office, airport or hotel room. A couple of premium models offer 802.11n.
 We've also started seeing netbooks that offer integrated 3G wireless broadband. It sounds great, but
there is one big (and tightly knotted) string attached: A two-year contract cost around $2,000 over the
life of the deal and will wed you to a device that you might desperately want to replace long before
the contract expires.
 Our advice: If you crave wireless broadband performance, make sure that your netbook of choice
supports an external solution. That way, you can buy a wireless broadband card and plug it into
whatever machine you need. PC Express slots are still rare on netbooks, but USB ports aren't. So even
if you opt for a system that doesn't accommodate PC Express, you can add a USB 3G adapter, which
you can then use with any computer you own.
 Optical drives: Forget about them. A netbook, by definition, lacks any form of optical drive. You may
find drives on some devices that straddle the line between netbook and notebook, but you won't find
them on a true netbook.
 How to Buy a Netbook
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 The specs explained
 When buying a netbook, you don't have as many configuration options as you do with other laptops;
these machines are limited. But that doesn't mean that all netbooks are created equal.
 Before you go shopping for a netbook, the first thing you should consider is how you'll be using it. The
first generation of netbooks targeted nonbusiness consumers – especially students. After all, you can
stuff one of these affordable task-specific portables in a bag, and it can take a beating. But machines
of this class make sense for corporate users, too. Why lug a huge laptop through the halls of an office
complex when all you need is a good keyboard and a wireless connection?
 Such thinking has led vendors to divide netbooks into business and consumer subcategories.
Corporate netbooks pack more premium components than their consumer counterparts. Of course,
premium gear is expensive, and corporate netbooks command prices above $600.
 Here's a rough breakdown of some configuration options you'll want to consider when making your
purchase.
 Important consideration: Keyboard size and layout. Yes, a netbook will have a small keyboard,
but those keyboards are often quite comfortable. The layout and arrangement of the keys is almost as
important as their size. If possible, do some hands-on testing at the store to see whether the layout
and shape of a given keyboard will work for your fingers. You should also note the position of the
mouse, touchpad and any related buttons. Make sure they are convenient and comfortable.
 Important consideration: Screen size and coating. You'll find netbook screens that range in size
from 8 inches to 10 inches (and soon, as big as 12 inches) diagonally. Eight inches of real estate is
adequate, but a 10-inch screen will make a real difference in the user experience. You should also
consider the coating. A glossy screen may look snazzy indoors, but in broad daylight – where many
people would at least occasionally use it – the glare on it can be blinding.
 Important consideration: Screen resolution. Another characteristic to weigh is the screen's
native resolution. The default setting for most netbooks is 1024 by 600 pixels. Though this slightly odd
aspect ratio will work with most software, some programs require a different resolution to run
properly. If you intend to run proprietary business apps that demand a specific resolution, make sure
that the netbook you buy can support it.
 Somewhat important: Operating system. Windows XP is pretty much the standard, with some
flavors of Linux available for most netbooks. Linux runs extremely fast by netbook standards. And its
low overhead helps keep the retail price low on these little machines. But each netbook vendor
deploys Linux differently on the systems it sells; most vendors also include a customized menu
 interface to streamline the user experience, and these menus can be obtrusive, limiting productivity.
For your first netbook, unless you're already interested in Linux, you may want to go for a model with
Windows XP pre-installed. The cost difference is usually minimal, and XP is relatively speedy even on
netbooks. Don't, however, expect Windows Vista to run on a netbook's puny processor.
 Somewhat important: Software. For the most part, Windows XP netbooks carry little onboard
software. A few machines we've seen came pre-loaded with OpenOffice.org – the free Java-based
office suite – but most netbooks we've examined require you to download, on your own, the software
you want to use.
 Somewhat important: Hard drive. Let's be clear: You're not going to find a terabyte hard drive on
a netbook. But you can find models with reasonable amounts of storage space. We've tested models
with drives as small as 60GB, and some with drives as big as 320GB. Most netbooks offer drives in the
120GB to 160GB range, which should be adequate for your storage needs.
 Somewhat important: Processor. Netbooks are cheap for several reasons, and one of those
reasons is the paltry processors they pack (an Intel Atom CPU in the 1.6GHz range is typical). That
said, competition is on the way. AMD's Athlon Neo CPU is a step up (as seen in HP's Pavilion dv2) and
we're still waiting to hear word of netbooks sporting nVidia's Ion platform.
 Somewhat important: Installed memory. Another reason netbooks are cheap is because they
don't pack much RAM. Look for 1GB of RAM. Anything more is beyond the realm of the standard small
netbook.
 Somewhat important: Wireless connectivity. You might expect a machine called a netbook to
deliver wireless broadband and constant connectivity, but you'd be wrong. Most netbooks do offer
802.11g wireless, which is more than adequate for basic needs; you'll also find 802.11n wireless as an
option, though it's rare. If you crave wireless broadband performance, make sure that your netbook of
choice includes a PC Express card slot or a USB port so you can buy a wireless broadband card.
 How to Buy a Netbook
 (continued)
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 Netbook shopping tips
 If you're convinced a netbook will meet your needs and are ready to start shopping, here are a few
recommendations. Remember, netbook specifications don't vary as greatly as those of a regular
laptop. These specifications will meet the needs of the average netbook user.
 A 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor. This CPU isn't going to pack a ton of power, but it will suffice for
your basic computing needs. Most recent netbooks use Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, but you can
also find some models with the 1.66GHz Atom n280, which also has a faster front-side bus speed
(667MHz versus 533MHz in the N270). In our performance tests, though, the difference between
these two processors was negligible.
 A supplemental battery. Vendors usually try to keep costs down by providing a modest three-cell
battery, which will last about 2.5 hours, if you're lucky. If you want to stay productive on your netbook
while traveling, you'll probably need to buy an oversized, extended-life battery. You can find optional
six-cell batteries for about $100. Keep in mind that these batteries not only boost the price of a
netbook, they also increase its weight.
 A 10-inch screen. You'll find netbooks with screens smaller than 10 inches, and these models will
suit some people just fine. But if you can, opt for a larger model; that slight bit of extra room will
make a noticeable difference.
 A 120GB hard drive. Yes, you'll find netbooks with 60GB hard drives. But don't limit yourself to such
a small amount of storage when you can find models with 120GB – or larger – hard drives for the
same price.
 A well-laid-out keyboard. You know you'll be compromising on size when you purchase a netbook,
and that applies to the keyboard, too. But smaller doesn't have to mean unusable. Look for a model
with a keyboard that is well-designed and nicely laid out. Make sure the mouse buttons are sensibly
positioned, too.
 At least two USB ports. Many netbooks offer three, but some of the smaller models have only two.
You don't need to settle for less than that.