RE: http://www.military.com/entertainment/games/game-news/laptop-buyers-guide

I ve seen all kinds of personal laptops onboard - in addition to my two from Averatec and the 80+ Toughbooks of various models that I maintain as part of my job. Sooner or later, they all seem to come to me, and just talking with the guys about what they paid, what they wanted and what they got has caused me to realize a few things:

1. If you've got 2 grand or more burning a hole in your pocket and you want to play a lot of high end games, you really can't go terribly wrong and I don't care about you for the purpose of this article. The trick is finding a good deal for $1000.00 or less.
2. The Vista complaints keep rolling in. Mostly, I just hear "Can I load XP on my laptop that came with Vista?" At the same time I hear "Is there a version of that for Mac?" Vista is becoming *almost* everything I hate about Mac OS(software), while Mac computers(hardware) are becoming more like real computers, but aren't there yet...
3. Computers, in the form of laptops, have gone the way of the automobile: Once you could buy performance parts and trick out something unique and powerful, but now most cars and laptops are just overpriced Bic lighters that you use until you buy a whole other new item.
4. At the end of the day, laptops are "Consumer Electronics". Now, consumer electronics are the worst investment ever in terms of depreciation. You're better off buying guns or a Harley-Davidson if you really want something to keep.

In light of all of this, I recommend finding something that will do what you want, using what was mentioned in the article, but give a serious look at refurbished laptops from places like TigerDirect. Many of them will come with a decent OS like XP Media Center or XP Pro. Before too long, that's the only way you'll be able to get a laptop without (paying for) Vista loaded on it. Another source might be ebay.

Now, it's a pipe dream, but ever since the half-OS XP Home started being the standard preload, I've been beating the drum for a consumer revolt. I'd rather buy a laptop with a blank drive or an open-source OS for $200.00 less, thank you very much. At the very least, the consumer should have more choices than just Mac OS or some version of Vista, with one being no OS. I get along with Vista just fine, but most of my users don't like it. Then again, I also use W2K, XP Media Center, XP Pro, HP-UX, and Gentoo Linux fairly regularly. Looking at Ubuntu next...

Wow! I can't even begin to tell you how inaccurate that article is. All I have to say is this. None of my customers have EVER complained about Windows Vista.

“Size: If you are a constant traveler, think about the subnotebook models, which generally weigh 3 pounds or less. There are two types of these. The classic subnotebook has a small screen, 12 inches or less, and a cramped keyboard. This year, a new type emerged, with a full keyboard and a normal 13.3-inch screen packed into a thin, light body. There are two of these: the MacBook Air from Apple and the Lenovo ThinkPad X300. All subnotebooks are relatively costly, typically ranging from $1,500 to over $3,000.”

Or you could stop being a tool, and recommend the ASUS EEPC which retails for less than $400.00.

“Windows vs. Mac: This is the eternal question. In my view, Apple's Leopard operating system is faster, better and far less prone to malicious software than Microsoft's Vista operating system. And the Mac laptops also come with better built-in software. The $1,099 MacBook is a solid, fairly priced machine, and the $1,999 MacBook Pro is even better. Both also can run Windows.”

Again, stop being such a tool. Vista is very speedy, especially with a decent GPU. Granted a laptop with a good GPU is a bit more expensive, but it's still going to save you money over apples overpriced hardware/garbage.

And about that malicious software statement. The last time apple had a major vulnerability it took them in excess of a month to fix it. That is totally unacceptable in the windows world.

“Operating system: If you are buying a Windows laptop, be aware that Vista is slower than Windows XP, in my experience, and still has compatibility issues with add-on hardware and software. If you'd prefer to stick with XP, you will find that many fewer models are available with it. And Microsoft has decreed that after June 30, mainstream, name-brand laptops will no longer come pre-equipped with XP. “

Wow... Just wow... I've been seeing a lot of ignorant statements traversing the net like this. Listen, Vista driver support has improved leaps and bounds in the past few years. The margins have closed and they perform nearly identical since SP1 in 3dmark 06 (a popular gaming benchmark).

“Video: I recommend getting an LED-powered screen, which is brighter and saves power. Also, if you are choosing Vista, or if you do a lot of converting video for use on portable devices, consider getting a laptop with a separate video card inside that has its own memory. “

Finally... I agree

“Memory: If you're buying an Apple laptop, two gigabytes of memory is plenty. If you're using Vista Home Premium, I'd consider three gigabytes for best performance.”

No you won't need more than 2 gigs... just a decent GPU (unless it's shared memory, but I wouldn’t consider that a decent GPU)!

“Processor: Any dual-core processor will be fine. Don't pay a penny extra for faster processor speed.”

Are you serious? just take my word for it, this guy has no idea what he's talking about and you should get a core2duo running @ 2.2 Ghz or higher, and stay as far away from the Pentium duel cores they're lv 2 cache has been cut to 1 mb.

“Storage: In a mainstream laptop that will be your main computer, look for a 160-gigabyte hard disk or larger. A new kind of storage, called SSD, or solid state disk, is now available. But it is still way too costly for most users, and at the moment is available only in smaller capacities.”

Just make sure it runs @ 7,200 rpm.I know it'll take a bit more power, but it's worth it.

“Don't let yourself be swayed by sales pitches, or by fanaticism for or against Windows or the Mac. Think hard about how you use your computer and what your budget will allow, and stick to those priorities.”

I totally agree, but biased articles like yours filled with misinformation are hurting peoples pocket book. You should be ashamed of yourself. Service member like myself and you may have convinced some poor person to buy an $1,800.oo paperweight because none of their programs will run on it, only to find out they only needed to spend $700.00.

Please do not buy HP pavillion with pre loaded Vista or your worst nightmare will come true. You will spend 100+ hours with India tech support, but they nicer than American company jerks that just hang up on you. You will spend lots of time without it and HP does not have an ounce of customer service nor a backbone.
Still months later, a replaced motherboard in a year, and no sleep in sight.

People who dog the Mac have never used it apparently. My MacBook Pro is no paperweight and compared to my XP machine, well, there is just no comparison. Also you can partition your hard drive to run Windows programs that you can't live without, so it's the solution to every computer issue I had. I love my Mac! I will give you that it was very expensive tho. You do get what you pay for, in my opinion.