The laptop shall be used mainly for internet and office. For this type of laptop the arithmetic performance is rather unimportant as like the graphics performance. It is important that you can handle the keyboard well - therefore it is recommended to try some typing before purchase.

Processor

The weakest mobile processors normally are sufficient for these applications. However, present processors of VIA and Transmeta are slower than equivalent AMD or Intel processors. Here patience is needed when starting the mobile computer. Here our recommendation is Intel Celeron M. It misses the current savings functions of the Pentium M (therefore less battery runtime), but the price/value - relationship is very good. Of course also AMD Sempron, AMD Turion, Intel Pentium M and Intel Core Duo are very suitable. See also our processor comparison for more information about the processor.

Graphics

Video cards with "shared memory" are quite sufficient for these applications and modern integrated graphic solution such as Intel GMA 950 or ATI Xpress 1100 should not cause a loss of speed when using dual channel memory. But also the worst video cards are sufficient for surfing.
See also our video card comparison for the classification of video cards.

Memory

The notebook should contain 512 MB RAM (especially with shared memory video cards, which occupy a lot of the memory). However, more than 1024 MB would be a waste and are not necessary. In addition is dual channel (2 equal memory chips are used simultaneously) of advantage with integrated graphics.

Display

The larger, the better. Take care, for many people a fine resolution is very arduous to read in the long term. Here 85 - 100 DPI (Dots per inch) are a good solution (e.g. 15"1024x768 pixels or 15.4" 1280x800 pixel). See also in our DPI list, how the different displays are resolved. The question whether widescreen or standard (4:3) is not so important. If you like to work with the laptop frequently and outside in the fresh air, pay attention to a mirror-free and/or antireflection coated display.

Features

Wireless LAN - a wireless network is a very useful feature for notebooks and should not be missing. As a standard 802.11bg is sufficient (although the "b" standard is fully sufficient or surfing).
At least two USB ports should be available.

Notebook-Examples

HP Pavilion zv6214: solidly built office-notebook with good workmanship
Toshiba Satellite L20-155: a notebook for beginners
MSI Megabook S425: small stylish companion
IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T60: expensive companion with high-quality

The mobile computer is to be used mainly for games and fastidious applications. The arithmetic performance is here nearly just as important as the crucial graphic performance. Also the display should be sufficiently fast and large.

Processor

Here one should select the higher performance models, since modern games require some processor performance, too. With a processor starting from 1.8 GHz modern games are to be enjoyed without image delay. The types Intel Pentium M, Intel Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, AMD Turion 64 (X2) in its stronger variants are recommended. At present 64 bit support still uses nothing and also dual core processors are rarely utilized fully in games. Nevertheless a multi-processor is a good investment into the future. At the moment Core 2 Duo is the strongest processor available on the market and therefore especially recommended.

See also our processor comparison for more information about the processor.

Graphics

The video card is practically the principal item of a modern game computer. Here a card of the performance class 1 or 2 is recommended (see our video card comparison). The performance of the different mobile video cards can be compared well in our benchmark list of mobile video cards. Graphic cards of the performance class 3 should be regarded as a minimum, otherwise you must accept drastic restrictions with the game settings (shared memory is taboo!).

Also video card memory should be present plentifully, whereby more than 256 MB still are not useful at present. Really faster are models with 256 MB instead of 128 MB also if only the textures (or antialiasing settings) are selected very high and there is a lack of memory. Otherwise models with less memory can be even faster (because here the memory often is faster clocked).

We can recommend video cards of the series NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900, 7800, 7600 and ATI Mobility Radeon X1800, X1600.

Memory

Modern games need already 1024 MB RAM. At present 2 GB RAM yet do not bring much with games. But 6 months ago, this could be said about 1 GB. Thus a good solution is to implement only 1 x of 1024 module to be able to upgrade easily.

Display

The larger, the better is here, too. Take care, for many people a fine resolution is very arduous to read in the long term. Here 85 - 100 DPI (dots per inch) are a good solution (e.g. 15" 1024x768 pixels or 15.4" 1280x800 pixel). See also in our DPI list, which displays are finely resolved. Widescreen or standard is hardly any more a question, since game-notebooks are manufactured hardly exclusively with 16:10 widescreen display. However sometimes, old games do not support the widescreen resolution and are stretched (or show black bars - which can be adjusted in the video card driver). Reflecting displays are gladly used here, since they offer a higher brightness and contrast. Nevertheless while continuous use the mirroring might be disturbing.

Features

Wireless LAN - wireless network is a very usefuk feature for notebooks and should not be missing. Especially during game-LAN-parties WLAN allows a fast connection with the network. Take care of arrow keys with a sufficient large size (for racing games). Good sound exits and loudspeakers are important for many gamers, because they improve the game atmosphere enourmously.

Example Notebooks

Dell XPS M1710: big and quite silent 17" laptop with 7900 and illumination
Toshiba Satellite P100-102: modern Core Duo 17" desktop replacement
HP Pavilion zv6214EA (zv6000 series)

In this device class mobility is the most important factor. Here you should pay attention to a small size, little weight and long battery runtime.
The processor and video card here are usually rather low dimensioned, since current saving is important.

Processor

Current saving models are important. For example there are the Intel LV (Low voltage) from ULV (Ultra Low voltage) models, which are clocked slower, but spend less energy. Here Celeron M would reduce the battery runtime (because of missing current saving mechanisms) and desktop-processors are a taboo. Intel Pentium M (LV, ULV), Intel Core Duo (LV), Intel Core Solo, AMD Turion MT are a good choice. See also our processor comparison for more information (like current consumption).

Graphics

Since especially long battery runtimes are wished ,integrated video cards dominate this market segment. Particularly the Intel solutions (in the Centrino package e.g..) are characterised by little current consumption combined with acceptable performance. We recommend the Intel GMA 900 or the successor 950.

See also our video card comparison for the classification of the video cards and other current saving integrated solutions.

Memory

It should be 512 MB and more depending upon the application. Please consider: The integrated Shared memory video solutions spend up to 128 MB of the memory! In addition dual channel (2 equal memory chips use parallelly) are of advantage with integrated graphic solutions.

Display

The smaller it is, the less current is consumed and the more compact are the devices. Take care of a to fine resolution, since otherwise with Windows XP texts and icons are untolerable small and in the long term arduously to be read. See also in our DPI list, how the displays are resolved. Reflecting displays have a strong disadvantage in the fresh air (comparable with television during strong sun exposure). In addition the brightness of the screen should amount to at least 150cd/m², in order to be able to read something during sun exposure (mirroring screens need much more!).

Features

Wireless LAN - Wireless Network is a very practical feature for sub-notebooks, since already this is available in many cafés and public buildings. A second battery could be very helpful for a mobile usage and an implemented DVD drive assembly turns the small notebooks into a mobile entertainment machine. Bluetooth and infrared are practical for coupling with mobile phones (mobile surfing).

Example Notebooks

MSI Megabook S262: small, light-weight, nice, strong and cheap!
Twinhead Stylebook F10D: mini-notebook with fine display
Toshiba Portege R200: very thin design notebook
Toshiba Libretto U100: 1 kg notebook in the format of a video cassette