HP Notebook

The nc 6220 and nc 6230 HP notebooks are designed for business use. That said, HP may be trying to lure some consumers to these units. Both computers offer extensive customization options, and you can dial HP customer service at any time to discuss the pros and cons of various add-ons and options.

The nc 6220 laptop features Intel's Sonoma Centrino platform and an integrated graphical chipset. In order to run graphics, you have to take 128 MB from the RAM, so you may want to tack on an additional 256 MB of RAM if you plan on gaming or running hard-core business graphics applications. The nc 6230 system also features excellent graphical support from the ATI Mobility Radeon X. 300 chip.

Both of these HP notebooks feature processing speeds between 1.6 gigahertz and 2.13 gigahertz. You can also downgrade to the Celeron, a 1.5 gigahertz processor. Amazingly, you can get as much as 2.0 GB of RAM in DDR2 memory, but you won't need this much space unless you're gaming or networking with multiple overseas clients simultaneously. The 1400 X 1050 pixel, 14.1 inch display should be more than enough to satisfy graphics fans.

These HP notebooks don't come with CD ROM drives. Instead, you get a faster DVD/CD-RW drive. You can choose 40 GB to 80 GB for your hard drive space and still spin your drive at 5,400 RPM--a big improvement over the slower 4,200 RPM drives. With the 60 GB version, you may want to upgrade to 7,200 RPM; although some users contend that this super-speed causes too much laptop heating.