Portable PC Recommendation
The system specification outlined here is intended to be a general purpose PC suitable for word processing, home office, Web browsing, programming, games, etc. A laptop following these minimum guidelines will cost around $1000-1500.
It's a good idea to get a laptop from a respected manufacturer as they tend to have much better customer support and reliability down the road. Some good names in laptops are (in no paticular order): Dell, Toshiba, IBM, Fujitsu, Gateway, NEC, Compaq, HP, and Sony.
All components have a short explanation available by clicking on them. This may be helpful in choosing a laptop that doesn't match these specifications.
| COMPONENT | SPECIFICATION |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | N/A |
| I/O | Serial port, parallel port, external monitor port, IR port, USB 2.0 port. Firewire (AKA IEEE-1394 or iLink) port. |
| CPU | Intel Pentium M 1.3 GHz or faster (including Centrino) |
| Memory | 512MB or more RAM |
| Case | Keyboard 2"+ from bottom of unit (built-in wrist rest) |
| Hard Drive | 40GB or larger |
| CD-ROM Drive | 4x or faster DVD ROM |
| Removable Media | CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive. Optional DVD-RW if you want to burn DVD discs |
| Screen | 13.3"+ 1024x768+ Resolution Active Matrix (TFT) 16-bit or higher color support |
| Video Card | 32MB RAM or more, External minimum video modes: 640x480x24bpp@72+Hz, 800x600x16bpp@72+Hz, 1024x768x8bpp@72+Hz |
| Keyboard | Full spacing (19mm) |
| Sound Card | Built-in |
| Speakers | Internal or compatible with sound card. If internal, should have a volume thumbwheel. |
| Pointing Device | Trackpad/Ball below space bar or mid keyboard stick with buttons below space bar |
| Operating System | XP Home or XP Professional |
| PC Card Slots | Type III or two type I/II CardBus (one type I/II is OK if Ethernet or Modem is built-in) |
| Ethernet Card* | Wi-Fi (802.11b or g) preferred. 10/100TX for wired networks. Built-in adapter will free up a PC Card slot. |
| Modem** | Brand name V.92 or built-in V.92. |
| Battery | Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer. Over 3 hour run time with normal use on one battery. |
| Warranty | 1 year or longer |
*If computer will use the Ethernet for
connecting.
**If computer will use phone lines for
connecting.
