I would suggest Intel Centrino for processor. It's awesome. The battery lasts for upto 8 hours. Other processors give a max of 3-4 hrs. IBM thinkpad T40-41 or sony VAIO (I don't know the makes) are the best but might be costly. Dell is cheaper so you might wanna check it out. Here're some specs to look for. At least 512 Megs Ram At least 333 MHz Ram (PC 2700) Faster FSB (Front side bus) will be better At least ATA 100 Hard Drive. ATA 133 will be better but a cache in hard drive will be just as good. Hard drive should be at least 7200 RPM. (Speed) Look for a DVD burner and CD\RW Look for a DDR (Double Data Rate) 64 Megs Video Card if you don't intend to play games. If you play games then you need more Video card memory but for most applications 64 is more than enough. Look for free softwares that come with the system. Microsoft Office is a must unless somebody can hook you up with that. You will probably save some money. Warranty Virus Protection is also important unless somebody will hook you up with that also. You might wanna check out Pricewatch website if you're looking for deals. Correct me or add something to my notes if you think I've missed something. Good luck.