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Laptops come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, each with its own set of pros and cons. While the smallest laptops are the most portable (and often the coolest-looking), they also have smaller keyboards and displays, fewer features, and slower performance than their bulkier brethren. Conversely, more full-featured laptops are generally more difficult to carry and take up more space on your desk and in your bag.

Until they make the perfect laptop, you'll have to sacrifice something, so think about what's most important to you--computing power, a complete set of features, long battery life, good looks, a small form factor, or a low price. Take a look below to learn more about what each type of laptop has to offer.

Sizes: Ultraportable | Thin-and-light | Midsize | Desktop replacement | Tablet PC

Netbook

Whether you call them Netbooks, minilaptops, or subnotebooks, these small, low-cost, low-power systems are the hottest thing to hit laptops since the touch pad. They are smaller, less powerful versions of ultraportable laptops--and can be had at a fraction of the cost. Where an ultraportable typically features an 11- or a 12-inch display and can easily top the $2,000 mark, a Netbook serves up a 9- or a 10-inch display for $500 or less. With low-power processors, tiny screens, and finger-cramping keyboards, Netbooks aren't good for much more than surfing the Web, checking e-mail, working on office documents, and maybe a little light multimedia playback--but that's 90 percent of what most users do with their laptop anyway.

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• Weight: 3 pounds or less
• Size: Less than 1 inch thick
• Display: 7-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch
• Processor: Single-core, low-voltage Intel Atom CPU or Via processor
• Features: Runs Linux or Windows XP; 60GB to 160GB hard drive or smaller capacity solid-state drive;
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
• Other things to note: Small keyboard and touch pad; may lack an internal optical drive
• Price range: $299 to $599

Ultraportable

While Netbooks are better suited as a second system, an ultraportable offers more room and features--albeit for a considerably higher price--that it can operate as your primary, day-to-day computer. Their compact form factor is crucial for people who need to have their PC with them all the time, especially frequent business travelers. What you gain in portability, however, you usually give up in terms of weaker performance, smaller keyboards and displays, and fewer features. And what's more, ultraportable laptops almost always carry a premium price tag. Still, a compact, lightweight profile can make all the difference if you spend a lot of time on the road.

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• Weight: 4 pounds or less
• Size: Less than 1 inch thick
• Display: Smaller than 14 inches (diagonal)
• Processor: Slower, low-voltage mobile processors; some dual-core CPUs
• Features: Fewer ports and connections; 60GB to 120GB hard drive
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
• Other things to note: Small keyboard and touch pad; may lack an internal optical drive
• Price range: Start at $1,100; fully loaded $2,000 and up

Thin-and-light

A thin-and-light offers the optimal combination of portability, performance, features, and cost. Power-tuned mobile processors deliver enough power to keep you working smoothly, and unlike ultraportables, most thin-and-lights have a more reasonably sized keyboard and display, a larger hard drive, and a built-in optical drive. Yes, they're more expensive than slightly larger, heavier midsize laptops, but if you need maximum productivity in a portable package, this is the best choice.

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• Weight: 4 pounds or less
• Size: Less than 1 inch thick
• Display: Smaller than 14 inches (diagonal)
• Processor: Slower, low-voltage mobile processors; some dual-core CPUs
• Features: Fewer ports and connections; 60GB to 120GB hard drive
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
• Other things to note: Small keyboard and touch pad; may lack an internal optical drive
• Price range: Start at $1,100; fully loaded $2,000 and up

Midsize (aka mainstream)

Not all midsize laptops are inexpensive, but most inexpensive laptops are midsize. Why? Whereas a desktop replacement is designed to deliver high performance and a thin-and-light is optimized for portability, the typical midsize laptop isn't specialized. Rather, a midsize laptop gives you everything you need for basic computing (word processing, storing digital photos), home entertainment (burning CDs, watching DVDs), and online communication (e-mail and Web surfing). Slightly smaller than desktop replacements and with limited battery life, midsize laptops aren't particularly well suited for regular travel.

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• Weight: 6 to 8 pounds
• Size: More than 1 inch thick
• Display: 14 to 15.4 inches (diagonal), possibly wide screen
• Processor: Slow/budget AMD Sempron or Intel Celeron, midrange AMD Turion 64 or Intel Core Duo, or fast Turion 64 X2 or Core 2 Duo processors
• Features: Most ports and connections; 60GB to 100GB hard drive; DVD burner; memory card reader; decent software package
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi
• Other things to note: May be less attractively designed; may suffer from mediocre performance and battery life
• Price range: Start at $500; fully loaded $900 and up

Desktop replacement

The largest and heaviest type of laptop, desktop replacements are designed to deliver the power and features you'd get from a desktop PC. Too bulky for anything but room-to-room travel within a house or an office, desktop replacements typically offer the best performance, the largest screens and keyboards, and the most complete set of features available on a laptop. Popular among home and business users, these systems can deliver enough computing muscle for serious gaming, multimedia authoring, and even high-level digital audio and video work.

» See the latest desktop replacement laptop reviews

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• Weight: 7.5 pounds or more
• Size: More than 1 inch thick
• Display: 17 to 20 inches (diagonal)
• Processor: Fast dual-core processors
• Features: Wide array of ports and connections; 80GB to 240GB hard drive space; double-layer DVD burner
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional)
• Other things to note: Large keyboard, separate number pad, large touch pad; batteries not designed for lengthy mobile use
• Price range: Start at $1,000; fully loaded $1,500 and up

Tablet PC

Usually comparable in size and weight to ultraportable or thin-and-light laptops, tablets let you take handwritten notes and navigate menus, documents, and Web pages using a stylus directly on the screen. The most common type is the convertible tablet, which looks much like traditional a laptop but has a display that swivels 180 degrees and folds flat over the keyboard. (Some manufacturers are incorporating this type of tablet functionality into larger midsize and thin-and-light laptops.)

Slate tablets, on the other hand, lack keyboards--they're all screen. The smallest tablets, ultramobile PCs, bridge the gap between PDA and ultraportable, with 7-inch touch-screen displays and enhanced media player features. Once only the tool of specialized industries, tablets are gaining a wider audience, thanks to their portability, flexibility, and wow factor.

» See the latest tablet PC reviews

» See our top-rated tablet PCs

• Weight: Usually 4 pounds or less, with some slates weighing as little as 2 pounds; UMPCs weigh less than 2 pounds; some larger laptops incorporate tablet functionality
• Size: Less than 1 inch thick
• Display: 12 inches (diagonal) or smaller digitized display
• Processor: Moderate mobile processors
• Features: Fewer ports and connections; 30GB to 60GB hard drive
• Networking: LAN, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), WWAN (optional)
• Other things to note: Microsoft Windows Vista OS; handwriting recognition software
• Price range: Start at $1,000; superior models go for closer to $2,000

Notebook specs vary widely depending on what you need to get out of your portable computer. Manufacturers make trade-offs--slower processors allow for smaller batteries, for instance--so it's important to know what you'll have to sacrifice to get the notebook of your dreams. Many vendors offer configuration choices when you buy your notebook. We've broken out the most important specs so that you understand your choices.

Processor

Sometimes referred to as the CPU, or central processing unit, the processor is the brains of the computer. It's the most important chip in a notebook, and it has power-management features that extend battery life. Notebooks use a variety of processor types depending on their focus. The chart below shows all of the laptop processors currently available from AMD and Intel; in practice, most manufacturers offer laptop configurations using only a handful of the most recent chips.

Note that this chart shows only the relative performance and battery life of each processor within the product lines of AMD and Intel. The rankings are not based on independent test results, and the actual performance and battery life of a laptop will depend on many factors, including the display, the size of the battery, and the optimizations made by the manufacturer. The only way to accurately gauge performance and battery life is through hands-on reviews based on objective labs tests.

Memory

Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory, usually referred to as main memory or RAM (random-access memory). Computers store currently running applications and data in this area. To find out how much memory you'll need, take into account your operating system and the applications that you plan to use. A general rule of thumb: You'll want at least 1GB (though 2GB is preferable) for Windows Vista or Mac OS X and 512MB for all other Windows and Mac operating systems.

If you're planning to hang on to your notebook for a long time, look for a laptop with easy-to-access memory slots, as memory is typically one of the first specs you'll want to upgrade.

Display size

Unlike traditional desktop CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors, notebooks ship with thin, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). Notebook LCDs range in size from 10.6 inches (diagonal) to 20 inches; display size is a key factor in the laptop's overall weight. For comfortable viewing at the preferred Windows resolution of 1,024x768, most people like 14.1-inch or larger LCDs.

Notebook LCDs once varied widely in brightness, color, and sharpness, but today, you'll find much better quality across the board. Unfortunately, when it comes to LCDs, the specs reveal little about actual picture quality, so if you're picky about screens, compare some at your local dealer. The latest in notebook display technology incorporates LED backlights; currently found on only a few models, backlit LED displays can be brighter, thinner, less power-hungry and more expensive than traditional LCDs.

First, decide how big of a hard drive you need; this will depend on how much data you store. After that, determine what you'll use your notebook for. Will you be tackling the most basic computing tasks, or do you plan to make your own DVD movies?

Hard drive

A notebook hard drive removed from the system.

This magnetic disk provides you with space to save programs and files indefinitely--or at least for the life of the drive. Notebook hard drives can provide up to 120GB of storage--some notebooks incorporate two 120GB drives for extra storage space--but these giant drives cost hundreds of dollars more than the default 60GB to 80GB notebook drives. The 60GB to 80GB drive should be sufficient, unless you store lots of music and movies or tons of pictures. Be warned that capacity alone does not make a good hard drive. The hard disk's rotational speed also makes a big difference; a 7,200rpm notebook disk delivers significantly faster performance than a 5,400rpm model. The faster the disk spins, the better your notebook will perform overall, though a faster disk will also shorten your laptop's battery life.

CD and DVD drives

Unless you're going budget, don't settle for anything less than a CD-RW drive.

Nearly all notebooks, even budget systems, include a CD-RW/DVD drive (either built in to the laptop or external and connected via USB) for burning discs and watching movies on the road. DVD burners, which let you store large amounts of information on one disc, are also commonplace; double-layer DVD burners can pack even more data on a single disc. But unless you need to store huge files, such as movies, you may not need these more expensive DVD-RW drives.

Swappable vs. fixed

Here is a media module slipping into a swappable drive. Fixed drives won't let you remove the module.

The least expensive notebooks come with fixed (built-in) drives. In other words, if you buy your notebook with a fixed DVD-ROM, you're stuck with that drive. A swappable drive bay, on the other hand, gives you optimum flexibility. For instance, you can pull out the DVD-ROM drive and swap in a combo DVD/CD-RW drive or even a second battery. We recommend going with a swappable bay if you can afford it. Keep in mind, however, that the smallest and lightest ultraportable notebooks may include neither fixed nor swappable optical drives, relying instead on external drives that connect via USB.

External drives

This is an external drive tethered to a Sony notebook.

External drives--storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable--come in many shapes and sizes. Most of these drives connect to your notebook via a USB or FireWire cable. Drive choices include DVD/CD-RW, DVD-RW, hard drive, and others. There are also smaller external drives, called thumbdrives, that plug directly into your USB connector sans cable. These little drives are brilliant for transferring small amounts of data between notebooks or between notebooks and PCs, and they're much more convenient than burning data onto CD. Many notebook users don't need external drives, but there are scenarios that require them. For instance, if you buy a tiny ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, determine whether you'll need an external one to load software or read data discs.

To send and receive e-mail, browse the Web, and share files or printers, your notebook must be able to connect to a network or the Internet. This is usually done via a modem, an Ethernet hookup, or a wireless connection (either WLAN or WWAN). But your notebook has additional connectivity needs, too. Notebooks include a variety of ports, or connectors that physically link to and communicate with different kinds of equipment, including digital cameras and external monitors.

If you can't find the port you want, you can usually buy a port replicator or a docking station that adds connectors. These notebook-expansion options tend to be pricey, however, so you're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything that you'll need out of the box. Find out about each type of connection below.

PC Cards and ExpressCards

The PC Card, a credit card-shaped device that plugs into a slot on your notebook, can provide a number of connection types--modems, USB connections (say, for your digital camcorder), and wireless WAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC Cards are handy because they're easy to upgrade and because you can buy third-party PC Card solutions after you purchase your notebooks. However, most notebooks come with only one or two Type II PC Card slots, forcing you to limit the number of PC Cards you can add.

The Proxim Orinoco World PC Card (left) and the Linksys WPC300N dual-band wireless adapter (right) are two examples of PC Card wireless adapters with antennas that extend beyond the edge of the notebook.

ExpressCards are the next generation of the PC Card. Smaller than existing PC Cards, ExpressCards promise data-transfer rates that are twice as fast, which means the cards can be used for high-bandwidth interfaces, such as Gigabit Ethernet ports and HDTV tuners. The standard is still relatively new, so there aren't many ExpressCard modules on the market today; however, most current laptops include an ExpressCard slot for future use. If you know you'll want to add some of these high-bandwidth functions to your laptop after you buy it, consider a system that supports the new standard.

Networking options

Though the standard is being phased out, most notebooks still come with a 56Kbps-modem (RJ-11) connection, and virtually all include Ethernet (RJ-45) or even faster Gigabit Ethernet connections. Almost all notebooks also include built-in antennas for wireless networking (802.11, or Wi-Fi) so that you can access wireless hot spots. If you choose a notebook with networking built in, consult our wireless network buying guide to learn the difference between the networking standards that are currently on the market, including 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and draft 802.11n.

If your travels regularly take you beyond the reach of Wi-Fi hot spots, you may want to consider spending a little extra for a notebook with a built-in WWAN card. These systems let you tap in to a cellular provider's data network. They can be incredibly useful when connectivity is spotty, but the technology has its downsides: data plans still tend to be pricey; throughput speeds, while improving, are still slower than most high-speed Internet; and your built-in cellular card can work with only one cellular provider.

Depending on the model you choose, you may also have the option (often for an additional cost) of ordering a Bluetooth adapter in your laptop. This will let you connect your laptop to other Bluetooth-enabled devices (such as a printer, a cell phone, or a PDA) that are in close range.

f your notebook doesn't include any of the above network adapters, it's fairly easy to find PC Cards that get the job done.

Other ports and connectors

Most notebooks have a VGA port for an external monitor, Ethernet and modem jacks, headphone and microphone jacks, and two to three (or more) USB ports for connecting an external keyboard and mouse, drives, digital cameras, and MP3 players. For home use, you may want any variety of A/V connections, such as S-Video, DVI, or S/PDIF output, and a FireWire port for capturing and editing digital video or hooking up an external storage drive.

If you haven't accessorized your notebook, you haven't lived. Here are some of the best ways to do it.

Docking station or port replicator

Lenovo's port replicator works for many different ThinkPad notebooks.

A docking station contains a mixture of ports, slots, drive bays, and security features, and it usually attaches to the notebook from underneath. Docking stations come in a variety of shapes, ranging from the same size as your notebook, which is often referred to as a media slice, to much bigger--some stick out five inches past the back of your notebook. As the name implies, a docking station is where you park your notebook when you get back to the office, giving you easy access to your network, along with a bigger monitor, a regular keyboard, additional storage devices, and the convenience of leaving cables plugged in when you walk away from your desk.

A port replicator, on the other hand, is a smaller, stripped-down version of a docking station that mainly features--as you might guess--ports, such as USB or S-Video. A port replicator can range from the size of a box of toothpaste to just shy of docking-station stature. When you're on the road, a port replicator is a convenient way to increase your connectivity.

Laptop bag

A solid notebook carrying case is worth the extra money.

You're about to drop a couple grand or more on a laptop, and the last thing you want to do is spend even more money on a carrying case. So, you save a few bucks by going with the manufacturer's basic case. But basic bags often lack a padded shoulder strap or internal pockets. You'll be kicking yourself soon when your nine-pound load is cutting a groove into your shoulder and all of your accessories come tumbling out of your bag in a tangled mess. Dig into your wallet for a sturdy, comfortable carrying case, and your shoulder will thank you. Look for padded shoulder straps, reinforced corners, and specialized compartments designed to hold the AC adapter, the extra batteries, and so on.

Extra battery

It sometimes helps to have an extra battery.

If you do even a modest amount of traveling, we recommend getting the largest battery available for your model--or, if you're wary of the extra bulk that a larger battery entails, get a second battery. They range from $50 to $300, and they are well worth the money if you plan to regularly spend more than two to three hours away from a wall outlet. Next time you're trapped on the tarmac working away on your laptop and your primary battery is about to die, you'll be glad to have that second cell. If you rarely travel with your notebook, however, and your laptop is pretty much always plugged in, don't bother with a second battery.

External drives

This is an external drive hooked via a cable to a Sony notebook.

External drives--storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable--can be a pain to carry around and hook up, plus they can be pricey. You're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything you need out of the box. Nevertheless, external drives are sometimes required. If, for instance, you buy an ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, you might want an external drive for loading software or reading data discs. Types of external drives include DVD/CD-RW, DVD-rewritable, hard drives, and more. No matter what notebook you buy, we strongly urge you to invest in a thumbdrive that plugs directly into your USB connector sans cable. Priced as low as $15 for 1GB of storage, these little drives are brilliant for transferring small amounts of data between notebooks or between notebooks and PCs, and they're much more convenient than burning data onto CD.

Mouse and keyboard

Wireless keyboard and mouse for home use.

Working for hours with just a pointing stick or a touch pad can take a toll on your hand, wrist, and forearm. To save yourself some wear and tear, invest in a small travel mouse. These can cost as little as $20, they usually hook up via USB, and they're very easy to tote. The same advice applies to typing for hours on your notebook's keyboard. If you plant your notebook on your desk when you work, hook up a USB keyboard and relieve your wrists. If you prefer working without wires, get a wireless mouse and keyboard.