These days you can find a good notebook on a low budget. You can find features such as dual core CPU’s and 15.4 inch screens.
Budget notebooks are targeted to price-conscious people who need a computer at an affordable price. We will look for notebooks that cost less than $999, but you can also get a notebook in the range of $799 and $899.
A budget notebook is appropriate for a person who has fundamental computing needs such as web-surfing, e-mail, productivity applications and basic multimedia. A business notebook can be used by a family, student and even a business person as long as their needs fall within the needs mentioned above.
• Dual-core CPU: if your satisfaction lies with the lower end of your range then opt for an Intel Celeron M, Pentium M, or AMD Turion 64 X2 as the processor. If you have more to spend, then go for a faster Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo CPU’s.
• 1 GB RAM: many versions come with a 1 GB of RAM. It is ample with windows XP and also with Vista Home Basic. 1 GB of RAM just barely goes with Vista Home Premium.
• 14.1 or 15.4 inch widescreen: a standard for budget models is the bright panel with a resolution of 1280x800.
• 60GB to 100GB hard drive: this is enough for data documents, and also for decent-sized music and photo collections.
• Optical burner: at the lower level of your range you will have to settle for a burner that can read DVD’s. an increase in budget can get you a full DVD burner.
• Plenty of RAM: if the budget allows go for a version with 2 GB of RAM – especially if the operating system is a Vista Home Premium. If the notebook has a 512 MB of RAM which are usually in $399 specials, make sure that the RAM can be upgraded.
• Solid Brands: with the price range that you have for budgeted notebooks, you will be tempted to by off-brand notebooks. They may be fine but there is a possibility that a spotty tech support is baking it up. However you can find some known names such as Dell, HP, Gateway et cetera for $499.
• 802.11n Wi-Fi: budget laptops do come with built in Wi-Fi, usually an 801.11b/g. but if you go for an 802.11n, it will future-proof your purchase. 802.11n is becoming a standard for the next generation consumer electronics.
