• What is the best quality laptop?
• Where are the best laptop prices?
• Is it worth it to customize a laptop?
• What do laptop or notebook computer ratings really mean?

Things have changed a lot in the laptop world in the last several years. Prices have come down and the gap in performance between laptop computers and desktops has closed somewhat. You will still get a faster computer with better graphics for the same price if you buy a desktop, but it won't be as much better as it would have been several years ago, as long as you stick to the traditional full sized (14/15 inches, 5+lbs.) laptop. When you go to smaller, lighter designs, the price difference you pay comes back. Netbooks (mini-laptops) are an exception to this, there really isn't much comparable to them in desk tops, and they don't claim to compete on performance.

Ratings and reviews of laptop computers continue to be something you have to take with a grain of salt. Much of the time they are one individuals opinion and reflect that person's biases. For example, I have read reviews of the laptop I'm writing this on that have panned it for the very features I like about it, the keyboard and screen angle.

More concrete rating measures such as benchmarks also have a subjectivity problem. When does better performance on a benchmark become significant in real life use? That is in the eye of the beholder also.

The words laptop and notebook are interchangeable. They are both relatively small portable computers. If you are buying from Dell Computers- you're getting a laptop. If you're buying from HP (Hewlitt-Packard)- its a notebook.

There is no one computer that is right for everyone. The best laptop for college is not necessarily the best computer for someone who works at home. And a gamer might want something entirely different. There are as many "right" laptop computers as there are people buying them.

The problem is, the people selling them make more money if they sell you a $2000 computer, than if they sell you a $500 machine. They are unlikely to recommend that $500 laptop, even if it will do everything that you want it to.

If you're in a big box store and you're talking to somebody who knows computers it probably isn't even malice or greed. Its a geek who is choosing the computer they want for you, even if it's built to do a hundred things you'll never use it for.

We will work through the basics of laptops and let you choose the best laptop for you and not waste money on things you don't want and don't need.

The first decision though is laptop vs desktop