Buying a laptop can be a challenge especially when confronted by all types of computer jargon such as Gigabytes, Megabytes, Megapixels, Screen Resolution and all the abreviations which go with all the jargon!

The question is what do you need?

Many computer shops will try and sell you the biggest. highest spec laptop they have which for many will be total overkill and you can end up spending so much more than what you need to.

Our advice would be buy somewhere in the middle, ensure you have a enough spec to handle your basic requirement but give yourself enough spec to grow into.

Some typical questions are:

Portability - will you need to carry the laptop around?, if so consider the build quality, screen size and weight of the laptop.

Screen size - if the laptop is to be your main computer then give yourself enough screen size to be comfortable to use for extended period, a tiny 7 inch screen just wouldn't be practical. Also if you're into games or watching movies consider screen resolution and finish ( matte or gloss).

Storage - Hard Drive Space: Today the fashion is to get the largest hard drive possible, when most people will never even approach the limits of the hard drive. There's also a common misconception that a larger hard drive will make your laptop run faster, until your laptop is nearing it's limit the capacity of your hard drive will have no bearing on how fast it runs.

So how much storage do I need? If you just browse the internet and watch online content then even a 20GB hard drive could be enough for you, nevermind a 200GB hard drive! If you download a lot of music or movies or are a keen digital photographer or gamer then space is a factor for you and you should aim for no less than 80GB upwards.

Memory / RAM: This is another area commonly oversold. With Windows XP 256MB would be the minimum, 512MB is better and adequate for many people and 1GB will have most XP laptops flying. If you are likely to use graphics software or play graphic-intensive games then no less than 1GB in XP, but remember XP will only recognise 3.5GB so any more would be wasted. Windows Vista - no less than 1GB, it's the minimum for Vista to run smoothly add a bit more if you play graphic-intensive games etc.

Graphics Cards / Memory:
Coming Soon

Wireless Enabled: If you want to be able to connect to a wireless network you'll need a wireless adaptor, either built in or a plug in USB or PCMCIA adaptor. This is not the same as mobile broadband with one of the mobile phone providers, if that is the route you are going to go down then it does not matter if your laptop is wireless enabled or not because your internet provider will provide you with a USB modem which allows you to connect to the internet.

CD-ROM / DVD-ROM / DVD/CDRW /DVDRW:
Coming Soon

Brand? - Which brand laptop should I buy?
Coming Soon.