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.
