Buying a laptop can be tough task, especially in a retail store where the choices can be overwhelming and the sales staff is pushing you to make a commission. When you start off looking to buy a laptop, it's important to have a general idea of what you want because from there, you can narrow down your options considerably. This buying guide aims to help you in that choice and lead you on the way, helping you decipher the tech terms and what the best options are.

DESIGN

The first, and most important, thing to decide is what laptop design do you want. There are many different available, like a netbook, a lightweight (ultra portable), a mid-size, or a desktop replacement laptop.

Netbooks are smaller sized laptops that typically offer a 10-inch screen with a small keyboard and limited connectivity options. Usually there is not an optical disc drive and smaller sized hard drive and typically come with 1GB of RAM memory. Some netbooks come with either a solid state (SSD) drive instead of a conventional hard drive, which gives you a boost in battery life and less overall weight. A netbook is a perfect choice for anyone looking for a small sized computing device that lets you take it with you wherever you go with ease. A netbook is by no means a replacement for a regular laptop or desktop computer, but rather a mobile addition. Some netbooks even have cellular connectivity, so for a monthly fee with a cellular provider, you can have data access anywhere you have cellular reception. Prices for just the computer will range around $250-$400.

A lightweight, or ultra portable, is a larger form of a netbook, usually with a slightly larger keyboard and the addition of an optical disc drive. These notebooks also will have added, but still limited, connectivity ports, such as USB, Firewire, DVI/VGA/HDMI, and others. Like a netbook, a lightweight will have limited computing performance due to the smaller hardware components and their respective processing capabilities. Screen sizes typically range from 13" to 15". Prices will range around $400-$600.

A mid-size is the standard laptop size, usually offering anywhere from a 15" to 17" LCD screen. This computer will offer a good amount of RAM (usually 2GB) and around 200GB or so of hard drive space, which is plenty for the average user. The weight of this type of laptop will be a few pounds, but still relatively manageable for mobile use. Because of the added hardware "beef", performance will be comparative to the average desktop computer, which makes it a good choice for the college student of on-the-go business person. Prices will range around $600-$1100.

A desktop replacement is a larger and heavier laptop computer that is meant to be used in place of a desktop. They have screen sizes above 17" (with some into the mid-20-inches) and are considerably heavier and larger than any aforementioned laptop. This is definitely not what you want to get if you intend on carrying it around. However, if you are looking for a machine to use for any intense 3D gaming or processor intensive activities. These machines make good media centers too, as they usually have remotes and a built-in TV tuner card. Hardware specs will be above average, usually with 4GB of RAM and 500GB+ of hard drive space with very good graphics cards that have their own graphics memory, unlike the above laptop types. Prices usually are above $1100, sometimes into the high $1000s/low $2000s.

CONNECTIONS & FEATURES

The many different connections and features on laptops vary widely with the type of laptop you're looking at. However, they all do have some of the same connections, but just vary in the amount. These will include USB ports and the occasional FireWire.

Netbooks usually don't have a video out port, which means you cannot connect it to a projector or external display. The other types will, but again, the type will depend on the amount of available area for the ports themselves. Most will definitely come with the standard VGA port, with some having a DVI port. More expensive machines, mostly media centers, will have an HDMI port (or even the less common DisplayPort), which are both for the output of high-definition content.

Other inputs may include a media card reader (again on the mid-size and desktop replacements) and maybe an eSATA port for an external hard drive. Most laptops now have an integrated webcam and microphone for chatting online with friends and family.

A DVD burner should be standard on any laptop (except netbooks). If you can, look for one that burns dual-layer discs, which will be indicated by 'DL' at the end of the name, like "DVD+- R/RW DL". A dual-layer drive means it can write to dual-layer discs, which give you twice the capacity of a regular DVD.

The operating system that comes with your laptop is also important. A netbook will typically come with either Windows XP Home Edition or Windows 7 Starter Edition. Some "higher-end" netbooks do come with Windows 7 Home Premium, but that's rare. New lightweight and mid-size laptops typically come with Windows 7 Home Premium and some business-oriented laptops (example: Lenovo ThinkPads) come with Windows 7 Business Edition. Some higher-end laptops will come with Windows 7 Ultimate, but that is also rare, and usually unnecessary because the Home Premium version is just fine for the average user and costs much less too.

Apple MacBooks and MacBook Pro laptops will come with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is very important with a laptop because you need to make sure you have enough "juice" to get your through the day and your daily tasks. If you will be using your laptop for school, make sure you have a laptop with a lot of battery life (around 5-7 hours). Remember, the rated battery life is almost always slightly higher than the actual, real-life battery life. But also remember, the bigger the battery, the more weight and bulk added to the laptop, so there is a tradeoff.

WHERE TO BUY?

Buying a laptop at a retail store is a good way to go, but before you go to the store, it's a good idea to check out prices and models online first to get a sense of price and what you are looking for. Be mindful that most often prices online are cheaper than prices at the store, but watch out for shipping costs. Purchasing online through a manufacturer gives you the benefit of customization and more flexibility, which is crucial.

Use our TechMarketplace to shop and compare prices on laptops. Try using the filters at the top of the search results to narrow down your search by price, brand, and more.