You probably know someone who always has to have the latest gadget.  They have the newest mobile phone (you know, the one that can check email, access the internet, and can probably even make a good cup of coffee), the fastest, newest computer, and a television as big as your car.  But is it always wise to run out and spend all that money on a brand new laptop?  Maybe not.

The main reason to spend money on a fancy new laptop is when you need a top of the range computer that can run just about any program.  If you’re not running something like AutoCAD 3D, a drafting program that uses huge amounts of memory, then you may not need the fastest, most powerful computer around.  If you’re planning to do a lot of high-graphic gaming, video editing, photo editing, or run any program that takes up a lot of processing time and memory, then a top of the range laptop is certainly something to consider.

However, if you just need a computer that can access the internet, send and receive email, and do basic word processing, then an expensive computer is not really worth it.  Sure, your computer will be fast, but you will be paying for things you don’t really need.  Top of the range laptops generally include things like DVD burners, multimedia programs, and a ton of other extras that the basic user simply won’t use.

If you’re looking for a laptop that does the basics, go with a slightly older model.  It will get the job done, and it won’t cost you nearly as much.  In fact, many of these “older” models were once top of the range, and they’ll handle just about everything the average user ever needs them to.  Many will even run graphics-intensive games and have enough memory to let you do photo and video editing as long as you don’t get overzealous and try to edit an hour-long film.  Before you buy the newest laptop, take a look at what you really need the computer to do.  You may find that you can save a lot and still get a great laptop.

When looking for a laptop, you’ll see a ton of numbers and letters that might make no sense to you.  If you aren’t a computer expert or don’t want to do a lot of research, you might not know exactly what you need.  Here are the basic things that just about every laptop needs to have.

The first thing is a solid processor.  If you’re planning on playing games or using large software programs, you’ll want a faster processor (2 gigahertz or more).  However, if you’re just looking for a laptop to use for editing documents and surfing the internet, you can get away with a slower one—anything around 1.5 gigahertz is probably good enough.  Of course, the faster your processor, the faster your computer will be.

When it comes to RAM, or memory, you need at least one gigabyte.  That’s the absolute minimum required to run Windows Vista, which is what most PC laptops are running these days.  Again, gamers and those who use programs like PhotoShop or AutoCAD will want at least two GBs of RAM if not more.  However, Windows can’t make use of more than 4 GBs of RAM, so don’t go too overboard.

While it’s not an absolute necessity, having a wireless card on your laptop makes life much easier.  Being able to connect to the internet anywhere in your home (assuming you have a router to broadcast your wireless signal) gives you much more freedom.  You can surf the internet in bed, at the kitchen table, or in the living room while watching TV, and you don’t have to worry about plugging in cables.  Most laptops have a wireless card built in, so you don’t even have to deal with inserting the card into your laptop.

Finally, you want to have at least two USB slots on your laptop if not more.  Nearly every device uses USB cables now, and you need to have several on your laptop if you plan on using a mouse instead of the touch pad, connecting to a printer, storing files on a thumb drive, or typing on a full-sized keyboard.  If you don’t have a laptop with more than a few USB slots, you’ll need to invest in a USB hub.  These hubs basically turn one USB slot into four or more, allowing you to connect more devices to your laptop.

There are many more things that you’ll need to decide on.  Do you want a CD burner, a DVD burner, or a Blu-ray drive?  Do you need a laptop specifically designed for multimedia?  However, the four items listed above are things that will be useful to anyone who owns a laptop, and they are the four basic things you should look for when purchasing one.