The Big Picture
If you've ever shopped for a notebook, you know that the factors to consider go far beyond performance and connections. Notebook buyers also have to mull such variables as size, weight, screen dimensions, battery life, and keyboard quality--not to mention options such as built-in wireless.

Key Features
Processor: Intel's Pentium M processor has helped notebooks gain new ground in the power department. In our tests, notebooks using the Pentium M performed considerably faster than those using the Mobile Pentium 4. Pentium M processors also allow for long battery life. You can still opt for a Mobile Pentium 4 processor, such as one at 3.0 GHz, but most notebook vendors are moving to incorporate the Pentium M in all classes of notebooks.

Some notebooks use AMD's Athlon Turion 64 processor or Intel's ULV (ultra-low voltage) Pentium M CPU, which also allow for improved battery life and performance. A few notebooks use Intel Pentium 4 or AMD's Athlon 64 desktop processors, which can give them a performance advantage as long as they're built to withstand--and you can tolerate--the extra heat they generate.

Low-end notebooks offer Intel's cheaper Celeron M processor, which is generally not as speedy as the Pentium M processor, and which does not include Intel's Centrino Mobile technology.

System memory: Unless you're buying on the cheap, a new notebook generally includes 512MB of system memory. Don't settle for anything less than 256MB if you want to do more than word processing and e-mail, because Windows XP and newer applications need at least that much memory.

Many notebooks are now available with 1GB of RAM. Buying up to 1GB of RAM at the same time you purchase your notebook will help extend its useful lifetime.

Graphics memory: You'll want 64MB or 128MB of dedicated video RAM, or VRAM, if you plan to use your laptop to drive external monitors for presentations. Make sure the memory is dedicated for graphic use, rather than pulled from main memory; this is sometimes referred to as a universal (UMA) or shared (SMA) memory architecture, or as dynamic video memory technology. Gamers should look for advanced 3D graphics chips, such as nVidia's GeForce Go 6800 Ultra, and 256MB of dedicated graphics memory.

Screen: Notebook screens continue to get bigger--and most have gone wide, enabling you to view spreadsheets or movies with ease. Even budget shoppers can afford the luxury of high-resolution color: Portables with 14.1-inch and 15.4-inch wide-screens now cost as little as $1200. Most notebook manufacturers also offer laptops with 17-inch wide-screens. Frequent business fliers can choose among the many laptops that have the more-compact screen sizes of 12.1 and 13.3 inches--some of which are wide-screen, as well.

Notebooks with standard aspect 14.1- and 15-inch screens can still be found, but they're not as plentiful as wide-screen models.

Battery: Notebook battery life took a step forward with the introduction of the Pentium M. In our tests, battery life in units equipped with that processor have averaged roughly 3.5 hours on one battery. Some notebooks can run for up to 7 hours. Many vendors also offer supplemental batteries to boost battery life.

Keyboard and pointing device: Though you can get accustomed to almost any notebook keyboard, it's best to try before you buy. Thin-and-light notebooks usually have smaller-than-average keys spaced more closely than on a desktop-replacement model, and their layouts may differ from a standard keyboard's. You probably won't be given a choice between an eraserhead or trackpad pointing device; if you have a preference, look for manufacturers that use your preferred pointing device on the majority of their products.

Optical and other drives: Most manufacturers offer notebooks with rewritable DVD drives, some of which are also dual-layer. It's still possible to get a notebook with a combination DVD-ROM and CD-RW drive. Few machines feature one or the other. If you really need a floppy drive, you can buy a USB add-on drive for less than $100.

Long predicted to go extinct, the floppy drive has outlasted its SuperDrive and Zip drive challengers and continues to appear in many full-size notebooks, though sometimes only as an option. You can buy a USB add-on floppy drive for less than $100 if you really need it.

Hard drive: You may not need the space, but notebook hard drives will continue to grow. Cheaper notebooks with 40GB hard drives are hard to find, but you can still save money by opting for a 60GB model. A top-of-the-line 120GB drive will set you back a few hundred dollars if you purchase it when you order your laptop. You can easily remove most laptop hard drives if you decide you want to upgrade or just keep your data safe.

Weight and bay design: Notebooks range from 17-pound behemoth desktop replacements to 8- or 10-pound all-in-one models, with the optical drive built in, to 3-pound ultraportables that rely on external drives. One-bay notebooks have become more prevalent because of their appealing balance of features and weight.

Many laptops offer the optical drive as a modular device, so you can swap it out for a second hard drive or a second battery.

When making a purchase, you should consider the weight not only of the notebook, but of the AC adapter, any external modules, and their cables. Ultraportable notebooks have lightweight adapters but can weigh almost as much as a full-size notebook if you have to carry their external optical and floppy drives.

When you return to your desk, you can snap most notebooks onto an extra-cost docking station or port replicator (prices range from $100 to $500). This saves you from repeatedly having to plug in and unplug an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other desktop peripherals.

Communications: Few notebooks come with a full set of legacy ports anymore. Serial ports are rare, and PS/2 ports (for a mouse or keyboard) and infrared ports are going the way of the dodo, as well. Most notebooks still have a parallel port and one PC Card slot, though many now also offer an ExpressCard slot. Quite a few full-size models now include a DVI port for connecting to an external digital display.

Most notebooks have at least two USB 2.0 ports; many now offer four, and some even offer up to six. A majority of notebooks include a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port for connecting an external drive, an MP3 player, or a digital-video camcorder.

Built-in ethernet now comes standard on all portables, with many models including gigabit ethernet. Notebooks using the Intel Centrino processor include Intel's 802.11b/g networking built in; those using AMD's processors have the option of 802.11b/g. Bluetooth is also catching on, but unless you have a specific need for it, don't splurge for built-in Bluetooth.

A smattering of notebooks now include built in wireless broadband wide-area networking, enabling them to access Verizon Wireless's EV-DO Broadband Access service, for example.