In the last couple of years or so, the laptop market has seen a big change. From a premium product, they are speedily replacing desktops. This post gives you some guidelines for the same.

Processor :
The processor is central to any laptop and has a major bearing on the performance of your machine. If you are planning to go in for a medium range laptop, then get a Core Duo or Core2 Duo. I prefer you to go in for a Centrino which supports more than 533 Mhz FSB. But don’t go for anything lesser.This was the Intel story. About AMD- real big problems is that when they are switched on for long durations; so if you are a download buff or someone who will use your laptop for long durations, try to avoid AMD.

Hard Disk :
Choosing the right hard disk for your laptop is very crucial; as it cannot be changed at a later stage without spending a good deal of money. I pefer you, SATA is good instead of the old Baracuda. The SATA drive rotates at higher speeds than the Baracudda (7200rpm to 10800rpm in some!!!) This translates to faster data transfer (quite important if you routinely transfer huge amounts of data). The usual standard size offered nowadays is 80GB. But if you are someone who’s got loads of songs, videos, movies or other data, do try with 120 GB or higher.

RAM :
Many of us don’t know this, but actually it’s the RAM which loads each and every program from our Hard Disk, even our Operating System. All the Programs open at any given time do eat up RAM, so if you’ll be using lots of programs simultaneously (or heavy programs like designing software), get high RAM. Go for DDR2 instead of DDR. The standard offered these days is 512MB of RAM, but I suggest go for 1 GB or more than that for Vista. Also check if there are vacant slots available for an upgrade, if you decide to get one in future.

Only for Gamers :
If you can’t get your day over without playing some really good (and heavy) games, make sure you have a graphics card. Also, go for an original Vista based laptop as Directx 10 will be available only on Vista. Directx 10 is important to gamers because it handles complex and heavy multimedia tasks. Prefer Desktop if you want to feel the real pleasure of the game.

Writer :
My suggestion is to go in for a DVD writer (Dual Layer) as a DVD lets you pack much more data and with the prices going down everyday. Moser Baer estimates that the blank CD demand will peak in 2009-10 and then decline. It will be the DVD sales which will pick up then.

Audio :
Audio on today’s laptops is good and anything which comes with Altec Lansing or Creative audio is welcome. Some laptop offers you optical output which can boost your (5.1 or 7.1) Home theatre system.

Weight :
Weight is something most of us don’t pay attention to, but if you have to carry your laptop with you all day long, please make sure you have a light one. One way of doing this is to go in for a smaller screen size machine. This may seem like a stupid idea, but the weight reduction is worth it.

Connectivity :
Most of the Laptops today have (4 Nos) USB ports, FireWire, WiFi, Bluetooth, Card Reader, Webcam (1.3 or 2 MP), VGA, PCI (Express) slot.Some laptop comes Finger Print and other add-on features.

Choice to Choose :
The market today is full of brands – HP, Lenovo, Dell, HCL, Sony VAIO series are more prominent among them.HP, the current favourite (COMPAQ also comes from the same company), has a wide dealer network and the system performance is pretty much consistent. SONY had recently recalled some of it’s stock due to technical troubles. Dell offers you a great concept of customization, means you can actually choose everything you need. Toshiba laptops are believed to have better display than any others in the market but are also priced at a premium. Another brand which has recently entered the laptop market is HCL. Though these laptops don’t have as much brand recall as HP or Dell. But they are sturdy and have a fairly large distribution network. After sale service is important factor to be considered.