No longer the expensive business-traveler stepchild to the desktop PC, the laptop is more affordable and comes in more varieties than ever before. There’s a laptop for every possible lifestyle – practical daily drivers, lightweight travelers and entertainment powerhouses. The key to buying the machine you need is knowing what’s what under the hood.What do you get for your money? BUDGET $600-$900 Processing: Single-core CPU (Intel Celeron M, Intel Core Solo, AMD Sempron, AMD Turion 64) and a graphics processor that shares system memory Operating system: Windows Vista Home Basic Screen: 12 to 15 in. Connectivity: USB, VGA video, Ethernet, 802.11g wireless Good for: Web surfing, basic word processing and e-mail programs MIDPRICED $1000-$2000 Processing: Dual-core CPU (Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2) and a graphics processor with 128MB to 256MB of on-board memory Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium Screen: 15 to 17 in. Connectivity: USB, DVI or S-Video, FireWire, Ethernet, 802.11g and Bluetooth wireless Good for: All basic and small-business applications, plus video playback EXPENSIVE $2100 and up Processing: Dual-core CPU (Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2) and a graphics processor with at least 256MB of memory Operating system: Windows Vista Ultimate Screen: 17 to 20 in. (Some ultralight laptops, however, have sub-10-in. screens.) Connectivity: USB, DVI or HDMI video, Ethernet, 802.11g, Bluetooth and cellular wireless Good for: Gaming, video editing – and pretty much anything else
