Russ McBee

I've been toying with the idea of buying a laptop. I don't need one for any specific or imminent purpose, but I think it might come in handy. My criteria are pretty simple: I want performance, portability, and quality for the least cost. I'd likely use it for Web surfing, email, blogging, maybe some light photo editing (but nothing heavy), and probably nothing much more robust than that. That could change, of course.

I'd appreciate any feedback or advice y'all would be willing to share.

First, portability: I'm not willing to consider a laptop with a screen larger than 13 inches. I'd also like for it to weigh less than five pounds. If I buy one, it will have to fit inside a typical wheeled carry-on bag with room left over for other carry-on items. A large laptop makes that impossible. I also don't see any significant likelihood of using it for gaming or watching movies on DVD, since I don't do those things on my desktop PC either. That also makes a large screen unnecessary.

Next, performance. These are the minimum specs I'd consider:

2 GB RAM (if it's running 64-bit Vista, I'd up that to 4 GB)
2 GHz CPU, preferably 64-bit
5400 RPM SATA hard drive (speed is more important than capacity, since this is not a desktop replacement)
802.11 a/b/g WiFi
Windows Vista 32-bit

These are optional, but desirable:

802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi
Fingerprint reader
Sprint mobile broadband card (we have EV-DO in Knoxville, and it rocks)
Windows Vista 64-bit

I'd rather not spend more than $2,500 unless there's a compelling reason to do so.

Even though I don't intend for this laptop to be a major workhorse, I'm specifying Vista and preferably 64-bit because I intend to keep it for a while. I'd rather be forward-compatible with whatever's coming down the road.

I've been looking online at laptops with screens 13" or smaller. Of the limited choices that seem to be out there, I've configured several with roughly equivalent hardware and compared them. I realize I can get better deals by shopping around, and I'm certainly not averse to buying a refurbished machine. The prices from the manufacturer are really just for comparison purposes, but this is what I've found so far:

Dell XPS M1330 ($2,708 priced at Dell.com) -- This looks like a nice machine, but it seems a bit pricey. This is configured with 4 GB RAM, Vista Ultimate 64-bit, and a 160 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM).

HP Pavilion TX1000z ($2,092 priced at HP.com) -- This one is a touchscreen, which is a feature I might or might not use. It has basically the same hardware as the Dell, with the exception of the CPU. The Dell is an Intel Core 2 Duo, and the HP is an AMD Turion 64-bit X2 Dual Core.

HP Pavilion TX1220US ($1,325 priced at Amazon.com) -- This one's kind of interesting. It has a 200 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM, and the AMD Turion 64-bit X2 Dual Core. Like the Pavilion above, this is a touchscreen. Unlike the Pavilion above, it's also a Tablet PC. I've played with Tablet PCs before, and I really like that functionality (especially with Microsoft OneNote). The price seems excellent.

TargaComputers.com Falcon-50 ($1,483) -- No-name brand, but most of the hardware under the hood is the same as the name brands. This one is another Intel Core 2 Duo. It's also canary yellow, which is pretty cool.

Sony VAIO SZ440 ($2,195 priced at Sony.com) and Sony VAIO SZ680 ($3,010 priced at Sony.com) -- The second (and more expensive) VAIO has a marginally faster CPU than the first one, 4 GB of RAM instead of 2 GB, and a 120 GB hard drive instead of 100 GB. I don't see those differences justifying the nearly $900 price difference.

The Targa and the two HPs above have 12" screens; the others have 13" screens.

Any feedback on those specific brands or recommendations on other brands or configurations would be appreciated. The only two brands that are off the table for me are Apple and Lenovo. Otherwise, anything goes.