Computer Required?

my partner and I have been surviving on my 6 year old gateway laptop.  my baby.  but i've realized that my baby needs to be pushed out of the nest.  trying to decide on a new computer- the choices are mind boggling?  does anyone out there know the basics of computing?  i'm good at computers- mostly- but not at the hardware choosing bit of it all.  my company gives a discount for Dell computers- need...

1- Laptop
2- Wireless enabled
3- Don't really are about weight so much.
4- How much memory do i NEED?  256Mb or 512mb.  Is there a performance difference in memory and shared memory?
5- What type of processor should i be looking at? My choices are Intel Celeron 360/350, Intel Pentium M725/M740
6- How much hard drive do I need?  40GB or 80GB??

can I buy their bottom of the range laptop and be happy?  (the reason i'm stressing a bit is that i need to buy now, so that i can personally pick it up and carry it home when i go to the US for xmas). 

some of the systems i've looked at are here:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/inspn?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=6004&eep_orig_cs=6004&~ck=mn&link_number=61004896

http://ecomm.dell.com/dellstore/basket.aspx?c=us&cs=6005&l=en&s=eep&itemtype=CFG&~tab=1

Mostly Dell Inspiron B120's...

Thanks in advance.

You should ask my hubby the laptop King..he researched for over 6 months before buying his now.......

He has a sony viao.........widescreen.....

his sign in name on here is Chuck-B

i have a sony viao for work, very nice... but they're hella expensive here in the UK.  let me see how much they are in the USA. 

i usually pick electronic equipment by its looks- not what's inside.  not a great way to choose i know.

i've been looking for a laptop for 4 months, heeing and hawing.  need a push.

What do you mainly use a computer for? just internet use or a lot gaming?

mostly internet, some work processing and excelling.  i have an Ipaq I'd like to sync to Outlook.  I think I'm a bit spoiled as my work computer is very fast and sleek (sony viao).  i have little patience and am looking for a computer that's zippy on the internet.  i would be willing to compromise on this zippiness if the price was right.  any advice?  i'm tempted by the dells, but mostly b/c i get 12% off and free shipping.   i don't usually like going into computer stores and asking their advice, they often don't know what they're talking about and i end up feeling like i've been ripped off.   

David bought his in the USA...but now he says they work out about the same.....the model he bought there.

Hi MeShell,
I'm an IT consultant and specialise in Home & small office applications for technology & software. Feel free to message me and I will do my best to put forward suggestions based on your requirements. I would've answered a bit more here except my sis just flew in from san fran as a surprise this morning!!  I'm online for a few mins only!!

Also, I can give recomendations on buying in the US as I got the laptop for my sis when she went out there!

Cheers for now!

Dennis! West London UK!!

Stay away from Celeron processors. Cheaper but you get what you pay for. With changes in technology coming so fast, you should go for the larger hard drive and faster processor. Also, because you like to use Outlook, make sure you get the most memory for your $$ as it is a memory hog. I think that you may be disappointed in the Dell B-series of laptops...they tend to be somewhat sluggish, depending on what programs you're running. (Been researching laptops for a few months and polling laptops owners I know for info. I'm on a borrowed Dell Inspiron right now...so far very impressive...for a laptop.)

So based on your rec I would get:

1- Laptop
2- Wireless enabled
3- Don't really are about weight so much.
4- How much memory do i NEED?  512mb. 
5- What type of processor should i be looking at?  Intel Pentium M725/M740
6- How much hard drive do I need?   80GB

Is there a website out there for inputting these characterics and getting some recs?

With Windows XP you should have at least 512mgs of RAM, but it will run with 256.
Be aware of the Video RAM. Shared will say something like 128 mgs video ram, with 64 megs shared. That means it uses system ram to augment the 64 megs of ram actually on the card.
You will get what you pay for. Go cheap and you'll feel it in time. I'd suggest a moderate price range that's not the tip top of the line in terms of technology, but not at the bottom either.
I like Athlon better then Pentium, but pentium better then Celeron.
If you have a CDRW drive (or a DVDRW, which would be even better) the 40 gigs will be enough space for programs, but the more space the better is the rule.

the dells i'm looking at are laptops, internal wireless, 1GB memory, Pentium processor, 60GB hard drive, basic microsoft office suite.  they're coming to like $1000 (£564).  Is this what you mean by mid-range?  Or is this still cheap (sounds expensive for me).  i've searched for an online tool which will help you choose, to no avail. 

That's definately low end mid range for a laptop.  They can go as high as £2000 with all the bells and whistles easily.
Have you tried using Froogle? It's the Google shopping search tool. If you're not pre-sold on a Dell you might find other brands there as well. Toshiba and IBM both make good laptops, as does Sony. Keep in mind that the cheaper the price, the cheaper  the internal parts. A cheap laptop might have the same specifications as a higher priced brand, but the insides won't be the same. As I said, you get what you pay for.

One other thing to consider it getting one in the states. It will cost you less there for the purchase, but the drawback is that you will have to send it all the way back if it needs a replacement part.

just a quick update- after wranging for a few days i settled on the dell inspiron 6000.  i got 33% off b/c work so it was only $800 delivered to my parent's door.  so far i'm very happy with it- it's def a non portable laptop but perfect for what i need/want it for.  thanks for all your friendly suggestions.