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Notebooks have caught on like wildfire with consumers thanks to plummeting prices and massive marketing campaigns. However, there are so many options that it’s easy to get confused.

Decide what you want your notebook for. If it’s for occasional use, running some office applications, accessing the Internet and email, then almost any low-cost notebook will do the job. If it’s for gaming or running video-editing software, you will be looking for a notebook with a large 15in/17in screen – possibly widescreen – a high-end Nvidia or ATI graphics chip, 1GB of memory and an 80GB (or bigger) hard disk.

In the low-cost arena, Intel has its Mobile Celeron chip and AMD has Sempron. In the midrange/high-end space, there are Intel’s Mobile Pentium 4 or Pentium 4 chips, while AMD offers Mobile Athlon 64 and Athlon 64. Expect to find these in desktop
replacement systems and those used by gamers.

For the best in performance with power-saving technology, go for Intel’s Pentium M or AMD’s Turion 64 processors.

Any notebook you get should have in-built Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity, a 30–40GB hard disk drive, 512MB of Ram, 14–15in screen, USB2 or Firewire ports, DVD/CD-RW combo drive and three to four hours’ battery life.

Recommended Notebooks:

Rock Xtreme 64
A quality desktop replacement with plenty of features and the processing power to match many desktops
Review >
Podcast  >

Acer Travelmate 8204WLMi
A notebook to rival even the fastest dual-core desktop PCs
Review >

MV Mobeus 1.4 Celeron
A highly portable, feature-packed notebook that’s also very affordable

Evesham Voyager C720
An ultra-fast gaming notebook featuring mobile 7800GTX graphics
Read review >

Gateway 8550GB
A large 17.1in screen combined with quality components make the 8550GB a fantastic deal
Review >

< Compare all laptops
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See also:

Buyers' Guide: Desktop PCs

There's a lot to consider when buying a desktop PC, but don't despair - PCW is here to guide you through the key decisions  15 Feb 2006

Buyers' Guide: TV Tuners

Adding a TV tuner to your PC opens up a range of possibilities. Most of the tuners are easy to use but some offer advanced features, so it's important to consider the options before buying  04 Jan 2006

Buyers Guide: Graphics Cards

Upgrading your graphics card can make the world of difference to your PC's performance. We look at some of the key things to consider before making a purchase  15 Feb 2006

Buyers Guide: Digital Cameras

Deciding which digital camera best suits your needs can be a nightmare. How many megapixels and what zoom should you go for? Fear not, PCW is here to help  15 Feb 2006

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