Choosing the right laptop

This is a follow-up to the earlier post on selecting the right Intel chip with a broader scope - how do you select the right laptop?

To answer this, the first and foremost question is to understand what your needs are. Normally, you fall under one of these personas (sometimes a mix of two).

Regular 'Joe': You do the normal stuff such as all Internet activities, working with Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), watching movies, listening to music.

Artist: You work on the creative side - including graphic and video editing, design, etc.

Gamer: You are a heavy-duty gamer and play 3D games a lot.

Traveler: You are one of the above, but also travel a lot.

Mr. Cool: You want to be cool kid on the block, with fancy gadgets.

Once you've identified who you are, you can now find the right laptop. Here's the match.

Regular 'Joe': Get a Pentium Dual Core or low-end Core 2 Duo (T6400 or equivalent series) laptop, with 2GB - 4GB memory (if 4GB, you need Windows 64-bit edition. 32-bit supports only up to 3GB).

Additions would be a built-in web cam/microphone, 15.6" - 16" screen, 6-cell battery, 250GB - 320GB hard disk, DVD drive (with LightScribe, although not necessary).

This is typically priced at around $500.

Artist: Get either a Mac or a Pentium Core 2 Duo higher end (T9xxx or P series). Mac is normally the preferred option here, given its in-built support for creative applications. Moreover, most artists tend to use Macs and you would be in sync with them.

If going for a Windows system, get a laptop with good L2 Cache (2MB or more) and preferably a dedicated video memory (especially if doing a lot of video editing).

Macs normally cost around $1,200 - $2,000, while the Windows system costs around $800 - $1,000.

Gamer: Get a Pentium Core 2 Duo high-end, with a dedicated video card and at least 3GB RAM. Most low to middle end laptops have a shared video memory that does not suit well for gaming. Also look for the L2 cache capability. You want a laptop with a good L2 Cache (2MB or more) for good performance.

Gaming systems usually cost around $1,000 to $1,400.

Traveler: This is essentially an add-on profile. The key consideration is the weight of the laptop and the battery life. It's better to get a 14.1" or 15.4" screen with a 9-cell battery. 6-cell battery - the default for most laptops, lasts for around 2 to 2.5 hours, while the 9-cell can go up to 3-4 hours. Also 15.4" or less screens weigh at around 5lbs - 6lbs, while the 16" and above laptops weigh at around 6.5lb - 7.5lbs and can be a burden on your back. If you work mainly with Microsoft Office and Internet, you might also want to consider a Netbook.

15.4" and less systems cost anywhere between $400 and $600. Netbooks are roughly priced between $200 - $400.

Mr. Cool: You'd probably want either a Mac or a Netbook.

That said, all the logical reasoning above is typically trumped by your emotional reasoning, which a number of psychologists say, is what determines your final purchasing behavior. If you've made up your mind to get a Mac even if you are not an artist, no matter how much I convince you otherwise, you'll end up buying a Mac. In that case, ignore this post and go and buy a Mac.