Apple 15.4" Macbook Pro Notebook.

Multitask and Not Bog Down

The more memory a PC has, the faster your programs run and the more windows you can work in simultaneously. Equipped with memory between 1GB and 3GB, this laptop should be able to handle just about any task you can throw at it without bogging down too much. For instance, if you're a multitasker and you'd like to burn a music CD in one window while watching your favorite DVD movie (for the umpteenth time) in another--while flipping between your inbox and your browser to work on your blog during the movie's boring parts--this laptop can manage it all without a hiccup.

Suited for Commuting and Other Short Trips

Because of its midsize screen and other middle-of-the-road characteristics, this notebook qualifies as an all-purpose portable. Though it might not have the biggest hard drive or all the latest card slots, its features--and accordingly, its price--are a good fit for most people who need to get work done in mainstream applications. On this laptop, you'll be able to compute comfortably in word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, and browser applications, and enjoy music or a DVD movie with headphones. This laptop, lighter and easier to carry than a desktop replacement, is also a better choice for commuting and other short trips.

Dedicated Graphics Card Improves Video and Gaming

A laptop equipped with a dedicated graphics card does a better job of playing videos--and video games--than a portable lacking a discrete board does. That's because video cards come with their own memory to make images look good on the screen; you get 128MB of video memory on a lower-cost card, and 256MB, 512MB, or 1GB on better ones. Without a dedicated card, your laptop has to borrow video memory from the main store of memory that the system uses to run other programs. As a result, everything slows down, but 3D games in particular will stutter, look bad, or not run at all. A good-quality graphics card in your laptop ensures that you'll be able to play any type of video, without adversely affecting other programs.

Supports DVD Burning

This laptop is equipped with a DVD burner, a slightly older type of optical drive. If you don't need the ultrahigh recording capacity of a new Blu-ray optical drive, and you don't care about watching high-definition movies on your laptop, a DVD burner should suit you fine. It can read and burn data, music, or video discs up to 8.5GB in capacity. A DVD burner is, of course, backward-compatible with CDs, but it cannot play the newer Blu-ray media because the two types of optical-disc technology use different lasers. In a couple of years, Blu-ray will completely replace the DVD disc format.