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Computers

I personally would recommend the following order for laptop selection:

1. Ergonomics - size, weight, pointing device, keyboard (always buy a mouse too!)
2. Screen - bigger the better, active
3. Peripherals - options, ports/docks, TV-out, Disk drives, MODEM!, etc.
4. RAM, CPU, MIPs, etc. - I usually recommend "1 down from the top" with all the RAM you can afford. Personally, I like the "optimized" chip idea vs. just the fastest speed.
5. Battery life, etc.
6. Service, Software, Support

For all the above and for ANY type of hardware purchase, I recommend working backwards from your own business model:

If you are the type to do laptop presentations in the customers' home, that is quite a different use than just lugging the machine back and forth from home to office once a day.

Instead of the hardware dictating, use the computer as a tool to do your style of work. You don't need a blazing PIII to do just MLS lookups, but I would buy a top-end machine if I was into digicams, DTP, and/or 3D video games.

As far as Hard Drives, I would NOT buy something much bigger than standard unless you have an obvious need for it. Drives are evolving sooo fast (what isn't) that by the time you "run out" there will be a new one available twice as big, twice as fast, for half as much.

I run a bunch of computers on my home LAN and most of them are Cyrix and AMD 200-300mhz machines that I've built. Most of them run faster than my customers' Compaq and Gateway PII & IIIs - only because they're setup and optimized better. My point here is to say that if you just look at the credentials of the components, you can often "miss" on the entire machine. Don't get carried away with "stats," it's the system and what it does for your business that is most important.

Ergonomics are important! Will you use one of the best laptops out there if the keyboard just doesn't "fit" your fingers? I've heard from many female Realtors who are not using their laptops as often mainly because they are too heavy to carry without shoulder pain at the end of the day (don't forget the purse and briefcase too!) In this case, someone recommended the fastest-meanest machine in the valley, but the agent just needed a David instead of a Goliath....