Laptops And Computers Brings You Our Buyers Guide To Laptops 

 You have decided to purchase a laptop (aka notebook) so you can be free to work anywhere in your home, office, or on the road.  The only problem is, even though you may be somewhat computer savvy, you don’t know which laptop is right for you, and there are so many different brands and models to choose from.  This Guide To Laptops has the information and links to help you purchase the laptop which is the right choice for you.

Mainstream, Ultraportable, And Gaming Users

The first thing to do is decide what you need the laptop for.  For a typical user of laptops the ideal choice falls between mainstream and ultraportables. With mainstream laptops there is a balance between portability and power.  In general more weight will be giving you more features and better performance and a larger screen in a mainstream laptop, in the range of 4 to 7 pounds.  Ultraportables are trim and light, generally weighing less than 4 pounds, and can easily be brought and used anywhere.  Gaming is a third type of user for notebook computers.  As the technology for video graphics has improved, along with trimmed down power consumption for 15 inch plus lcd screens, gamers can also take advantage of leaving the desktop behind.  Deciding which of these three types of users you are will greatly help you pick the right laptop for you.

Apple Notebooks

Laptop buyers must decide whether they want an Apple or a Microsoft Windows-based computer. Apple is still in the minority, it has less than 10% of the U.S. PC market share, but the brand has its enthusiasts with graphic artists, students and others who enjoy its unique software and design.

Selecting an Apple Laptop is relatively easy because there is only one manufacturer and only three main laptop models to choose from.   The MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are all Intel based machines.  The MacBook Air being the ultraportable at .76 inch thinness, 13 inch screen, and weighing only 3 pounds.  The Air is our Pick for Apple Notebooks. It is one of the finest ultraportables of any manufacturer.   NEW MacBook Air up to 1.8GHZ starts at $1744 + FREE Parallels 3.0, Printer, Antivirus and Backpack after rebate(s)!   The powerhouse is the Pro which has Leading-edge graphics now featuring up to 512MB of dedicated video memory, the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT in every MacBook Pro offers exceptional graphics processing power for creative and scientific applications.  The MacBook is the lower priced mainstream model with everything you need for basic mobile computing needs. 

Windows Laptops

Buying a Windows machine presents more choices because there are many popular brands competing for your attention.  Online shopping makes it easy for Windows Laptop buyers to compare features and prices and ship a laptop to your doorstep, warranty and all. Lenovo Notebooks are known for their high quality and is a great place to browse or buy amongst a selection of notebooks   Price along with the screen size and laptop weight are a quick and easy way to decide.  If you really can't decide, price can be a good deciding parameter. Although some brand-name computers cost more than those from lesser-known companies, in general the market is so competitive that a pricier computer will typically be better than a similar, lower-cost one.  Travelers who plan to use their laptops on the road should consider weight and battery life. The tiniest laptops weigh about 2 pounds, while bigger models can break backs at 15 pounds or more.  Video editors and gamers who don't want to go cross-eyed should buy a monitor that's at least 17 inches.  (Monitors are measured diagonally, from the upper left corner to the lower right.)

Budget Priced Laptops

Acer Aspire AS4520-5141 Notebook PC
The Acer Aspire AS4520-5141 Notebook PC is a fully equipped yet remarkably portable PC for users who work hard and play hard. Equiped with powerful AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile TK-571.9GHz processor, it also features NVIDIA® GeForce® 7000M graphics and a 14.1" widescreen display with Acer® CrystalBrite™ Technology.  This sleek Acer laptop computer is fully equiped yet priced right for budget conscious buyers. And it's a great choice for mobile professionals as well as home users who want good and entertainment options. Save big bucks and enjoy good performance with this stylish Acer Aspire AS4520-5141 Notebook PC. It's easily one of the most affordable laptop computers on the market today.

Acer Aspire Laptop

Mainstream Laptop Picks

Good mainstream laptop specs to go by include 2 GB ram memory (this is the main system memory your computer uses to think with), 200 GB hard drive (a computers data storage  capacity), 14.1 or 15.4 inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (2.0GHz), a webcam, a Blue Ray or HD optical disk drive (for DVD), and weighing in around 4 to 6 pounds.  The  HP Pavilion dv4t series is a great mainstream computer.with prices starting at $599.   I own this laptop and am very happy with it.  My HP laptop has the 14.1 inch screen, and the HD format DVD.  I  am also very pleased with HP support.  I bought an extended 2 year warranty, which I recommend, and have found their tech support excellent.  (I called for a question about using hibernation for conserving power which was answered promptly and professionally.)  I am a big fan of HP and find you get a big bang for your buck with their laptop computers and printers.  I own an HP Officejet 7210 All-In-One printer and am also very pleased with it.

Gaming Laptop Picks 

Alienware High-Performance Gaming PCs – Bringing Your Games to Life with the Highest-Quality Components.  Alienware is "the" name in gaming computers.   They come with the highest-end components, an imposing black slab appearance, and fantastic performance.  With prices starting at $1399 and quickly going up as they are fully tricked out including dual Nvidia GeForce 9800 GPUs and an Intel Core 2 Extreme  graphics card X9000 processor, an illuminated keyboard, and a Blu-ray drive. They are as powerful as a laptop gets exceeding all the benchmark tests. 

Ultraportable Laptop Picks

ThinkPad Notebooks X Series are lean, portable and very capable.  These ultrapoortables are the perfect choice for users on the go.  Prices starting at $1099,  portability is a premium for many well worth the expense.  The X200 series and X300 series from Lenovo ThinkPad, available in either 12.1 inch or 13.3 inch display and weights starting at around 3 pounds.  For a little extra weight they can be configured with 9 cell batteries for the longest day's charge available.  Lenovo is World class engineering at its finest.