Notebooks: What to look for
CPU speed: Mobile Pentium 4 CPUs run up to 2.2GHz. The fastest mobile AMD Athlon XP processor available now is the 2000+ (which runs at somewhat less than 2GHz, but which AMD claims is the equivalent of a Pentium 4 running at 2GHz).
• Displays: 14.1in seems to be the standard size display for these road warrior notebooks. Check that the display is well protected and not flimsy. A native resolution of 1024 x 768 is fairly standard as well.
• Weight and portability: Desktop replacement notebooks are quite heavy but are packed with features like CD/ DVD-ROM drives.
• Connectors: Check to see what connectors the notebook has. What connectors are important to you? Do you need lots of USB ports for peripherals, a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port, or an S-Video output?
• Networking: a 10/100 Ethernet jack is standard, but many notebooks also come with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless networking. Make sure these are available if you think you'll need them.
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