I decided to make a guide for all of you looking to buy a new notebook, its not done yet and I’ll try to update it as often as possible!

I higly suggest reading This thread if you have the time.

To shop for a notebook, you must first know what you’re looking for:
Notebook Screen Sizes:

7-10” notebooks, often called mobile internet devices, are typically low-cost lower-equipped machines intended to be used only for basic computing, such as word processing and browsing the internet. They are ideal for use as secondary machines or as primary machines for those who have very basic computing needs.

11-13.3” notebooks are usually stylish and intended for more power than the 7-10” machines but with a similar form factor and weight. In many cases due to the smaller size of these notebooks, you might end up paying slightly more for the same performance you could get in a larger notebook for less. However if you are looking for a notebook that is a bit more portable at the expense of some extras, most notably discreet graphics, then these can be a good purchase.

14-15.4” notebooks are the most common. These mainstream sizes incorporate the widest range of price and performance.

17-20” notebooks are generally engineered for multimedia and gaming. They are generally more expensive than those of more mainstream sizes and often have higher-powered components.

Notebook Processors (from worst to best):

Pentium 4 processors are the least efficient and require the most power to run.

Athlon 64 processors also take a lot of power to run and are more efficient than Pentium 4 processors. An Athlon 64 processor is comparable to a Pentium 4 processor at 1.25-1.5x higher frequency

Turion 64 processors take little power to run and are also comparable to a Pentium 4 processor at 1.25-1.5x higher frequency

Pentium M processors take little power to run and are more efficient. They are comparable to a Pentium 4 at 1.5-2x higher frequency

Turion 64 X2 processors are the first of the dual-core processors, which can do 2 tasks at the same time. They are comparable to a Pentium 4 processor at 1.5-2.2x higher frequency.

Core 2 Duo processors are more efficient dual-core processors. They are comparable to a Pentium 4 processor at 2.2-4x higher frequency

Notebook memory

DDR memory is manufactured in up to 1GB modules and up to 400 Mhz speed.

DDR2 memory is manufactured in up to 2GB modules and up to 800 Mhz speed.

DDR3 memory is not yet in notebooks but should be within the next year and could conceivably be made in up to 4GB modules and up to 1600 Mhz speed.

The type and speed of memory that can be used in your notebook is determined by the chipset on the motherboard. The manufacturer of your notebook should list the type of memory as well as the maximum speed and capacity memory that will work in your notebook.

Since memory is fairly inexpensive at the moment and since Windows Vista and OSX Leopard both require large amounts of RAM to work well, I generally recommend purchasing as much memory as possible for your notebook. For current notebooks, the maximum amount of memory is limited by the operating system. 32-bit operating systems can utilize a maximum of 3.25GB memory, while 64-bit operating systems can use more.

Video Cards (GPU)
Video cards are one of the most important part of the notebook, especially because they are so hard to upgrade. Because I want to make this guide as simple as possible, I'll just link you to this very good explanation on GPUs by DDDa: http://www.notebookforums.com/thread114968.html (go to part 3).

Now what I would like to cover here is the old "wich video card is the best?" discussion. The most simple way I can think of is list the current video cards and say if they are better (>) or equal (=) than the next.

Now when I say that one the GPU X = the GPU Y, I mean that the performance is very similar, no more or less than 10%, but its not EXACTLY the same.

To make it even easier for you, I separated them by colours:
BLUE - High end video card, will run any game in the market
BLACK - Mid range video card, will run most games on medium/low settings
RED - Low end video card, might not run the more graphic demanding games

Dual 7950GTX SLI > Dual 7900GTX SLI = 7950GTX > 7900GTX = Dual 7900 gs SLI > 7800GTX = 7900 gs > 7800 go = 6800 Ultra > X1700 = 7700

X1600 = 7600 > 6800 = X800 > X1400 = 7400 = X700 = 6600 > X600

X1300 = 7300 > X300

HDs
There are basically 3 types of notebook Hds in the market: 4200RPM, 5400RPM and 7200RPM. The 4200RPM one’s are being replaced with the faster 5400RPM ones. The new faster 7200RPM HDs usually reduce the battery time on the notebook, but it does increase performance. The 7200RPM HD are quite a bit more expensive than the 5400RPM, so if you don’t need the performance boost, go for the slower ones.

Ok, that’s all good, but what should I buy?
I’ll try to keep this as updated as possible, and here is a buying suggestion list. I tried to list the notebooks that offer the best for each user niche.

However I STRONGLY agree researching and looking for deals before buying your notebook, easpecially if it's your first!


These are the mainstream notebooks for regular everyday activities. They’re sized at about 14-15”, up to $1000, good for the everyday needs:

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Dell E1405
Screen: 14.1” WXGA (1200 x 800) or WXGA+ (1440 x 900)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: Integrated intel GMA 950
PROS: Performance, price, multimedia features
CONS: Build quality, screen complaints
Price: Around $800
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!

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NOTEBOOKS WITH DISCRETE GRAPHICS

Ok, this next selection has a few of the best computers for those who do everyday activities and want to play the latest games:

Dell E1505
Screen: 15.4” WXGA (1200 x 800) or WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: Integrated intel GMA 950 / ATI X1300 / ATI X1400 / nVidia go 7300 (The X1400 is the best)
PROS: Performance, price, multimedia features
CONS: Build quality, screen complaints
Price: Around $900
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!

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Asus F3
Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz
Video Card: Ati mobility X1700 256MB
PROS: Performance, price
CONS:
Price: Around $1400
Where to buy:
www.newegg.com
www.gentechpc.com
www.ibuypower.com
And many other asus resellers!

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Dell E1705
Screen: 17” WXGA+ (1440 x 900) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
CPU: Intel Core 2 duo
Video Card: Ati mobility X1400 256MB or nVidia 7900 gs 256MB
PROS: Performance, price, multimedia features
CONS: Build quality, aesthetics
Price: Around $1500
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!


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Now if you want top performance and money you have a bigger budget, the best choices right now for ultimate gamer are the Dell XPS1710 or the Sager 5760:

Sager 5760
Screen: 17” WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: nVidia 7900GTX 512MB or nVidia Quadro FX 2500M 512MB
PROS: Performance
CONS: Price, size
Price: Around $2500
Where to buy:
www.powernotebooks.com
www.discountlaptops.com
www.xoticpc.com
www.prostarnotebook.com
www.hypersonic-pc.com



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Dell XPS1710
Screen: 17" WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: nVidia 7900GTX 512MB or nVidia go 7900 gs 256MB
PROS: Performance
CONS: Price, size
Price: Around $3000
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!


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For those of you who want something portable (<15", <6lbs) the 17" behemoths are out of question, however not everyrthing is lost ! The best options right now are the Dell XPS 1210, Sony SZ110 and Asus W3j:

Dell XPS M1210
Screen: 12" WXGA (1200 x 800)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: nVidia go 7400 256MB
PROS: Performance, small size, price (with the right coupons)
CONS: Thickness
Price: Around $1300
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!


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Asus A8Js
Screen: 14.1" WXGA (1200 x 800)
CPU: Intel Core 2 duo
Video Card: nVidia go 7700 256MB
PROS: Performance, price
CONS: Battery life
Price: Around $1400
Where to buy:
www.gentechpc.com
www.allasus.com
www.proportable.com
www.geared2play.com
And many other asus resellers



Most of the notebooks above have powerful graphic cards for gaming and multimida. But if you do CAD work, 3D etc. you should always look for specific GPUs like the nVidia QUADRO line. you can get a lot more from the desktop cards, so here the suggestion is to only go for a notebook if you REALLY need it.

One of the best mobile graphic workstations around, if not the best is the Dell M90:

Dell Precision M90
Screen: 17” WXGA+ (1440 x 900) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
CPU: Intel Core duo or Core 2 duo
Video Card: nVidia Quadro FX 1500M 256MB or nVidia Quadro FX 2500M 512MB
PROS: Performance, build quality
CONS: Price, size
Price: Around $2500
Where to buy:
www.dell.com

Use coupons to bring the price down! You can find them rather easily on the internet, just google it!

Where do I go to find a good deal?

check out these websites to find the best deals around!

http://www.slickdeals.net/
http://www.salescircular.com/
http://www.fatwallet.com/
http://www.techbargains.com/
http://www.bensbargains.net/
http://www.gotapex.com/

good post

nothing on the Sagers for everyday use?

I have a 3790, and it's replacement the 3880 would be a great general purpose laptop. Also the 57xx series look reasonable as general purpose machines when configured with conservative specs.

otherwise, nice thread idea!

hey fillipo would a compaq V5204nr feel the void if im lookin for just internet surfing, able to use excel, word power point etcc etc , multitasking, watch a movie although its not that important and light gaming also not that important???? iv been trying to get an answer but no1 is helpin out so what you say?

It will be sufficient, but as I said on the original post I would go for semprons instead of celerons when shopping for cheap notebooks.

This compaq seems a much better value for the money:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/488...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

THanks filippo, also dude can you send the link that you posted up in other threads about the thinkpad that was going for about 899 i think, im leaning toards that

Its a Lenovo but its not a thinkpad. Still, it had some pretty good reviews.

There's the 15.4" version:

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetai...76835U/J86389/

And the 14.1" version:

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetai...68938U/J86385/

thanks filippo and you recommend this lenovo????

Yes, it offers a lot for the money, and that $100 rebate makes it an even better deal! However if you want to play games, or do more graphic demanding activities with your computer I suggest going for a discrete GPU, like the ones mentioned in the first post!

thanks filipo for ur inssight , also dude is it possible to surf the net during a flight?? do planes have networks that laptops can use to surf the net ??

also how is the battery on the lenovo? will it last about 4 to 5 hours maybe??

I dont think you can get 4-5hours, thats really hard to get in any notebook without a second battery.

It should get about 3hours normally. Tweaking it a bit could probably get you up to 3.5-4hours

cool thanks again you have been a great help filippo