What is the difference between a notebook and a laptop?
There is no difference. These terms are interchangeable and they refer to the same thing - a computer system that is portable. Laptop is the accepted term in South Africa and is used more often than notebook.*

ref*: "Laptop" forms 86.5% of searches. "Notebook" only  13.5% of searches.* Server search.

Which processor / CPU?
Purchase the best processor you can afford. Dual core and quad core processors outperform single core processors on multi-threading programs. For gaming, speed is still a deciding factor and single core processors that run at higher speeds will outperform Dual and Quad cores, although some games already take full advantage of multi-core processors.

How much memory / RAM do I need?
The more memory your machine has, the better it will perform. 32 bit hardware has a limitation when it comes to memory. The maximum amount of usable memory is approximately 3 Gigabytes. The 32 bit version of all Microsoft Windows caps the memory at 3.12GBytes irrespective of how much more is added.

There is no workaround as this is a hardware limitation. To use more memory, a 64 bit processor and operating system is required.

MS Windows Vista requires a minimum of 2GBytes to run smoothly.

Which operating system do I select?

Linux is an open source operating system, making it the cheapest operating system. Linux is not recommended for beginners.

Windows Vista was introduced in 2007 and is the most current operating system from Microsoft and includes 4 versions. Microsoft Windows Vista may or may not include a trial version of Microsoft Office professional (Office ready). The trial period is 60 days only, after which a key needs to be purchased to activate the version you require.

Vista for home users:
Vista Home Basic Operating system for home users.
Vista Home Premium - includes Windows media Center

Vista for business users:
Vista Business - excludes media center but includes network connectivity and remote desktop
Vista Ultimate - includes all Home and Business features, as well as drive encryption and exclusive downloads from Microsoft as they are released.

Windows XP Home / Media center
This operating system has been discontinued in 2007 and has been replaced by the Home versions of Vista. This operating system was introduced for the home and small business users. You were not able to connect an XP Home machine to a domain network, server features were disabled and several number of security features such as compulsory password login were disabled or optional.

Windows XP media center is XP Home with additional media functions, including the ability to control video and audio using a remote control. This has been replaced by Vista Home Previum.

Windows XP Professional
This operating system has been discontinued in 2007 and was introduced for the corporate user who need to connect to networks (domains). XP Pro includes enhanced security and encryption. This has been replaced by Vista Business and Vista Ultimate.