For basic small business use (accounting, e-mail, etc.)... What should we look for in a low-budget laptop?

For basic small business use (accounting, e-mail, etc.)... What should we look for in a low-budget laptop?
How much memory? Processor speed? Hard Drive size? Other? (Need swappable cd/floppy drives, sound card, high-speed internet (is wireless a lot more?)


Answers:

Chosen Answer
funwith_hp:  what kind of business is it? a core duo 2.0 with 512mb or 1gb is good. all the new laptop comes with wireless connection. u will need only wireless router. 80-100 GB should be fine. u can also get a external hard drive. feel free to email me if u have more questions.
2006-12-08 12:46:18
Henry A:  Memory - 512MB min. - the more the better - I suggest at least 1GB.... Processor - Pentium M. Hard Drive - new ones come with a pretty good size - 40GB or more. Some laptops have CD's built in. Floppy's are on their way out - USB drives are replaceing them. Most LT's have a sound card. High-speed internet is from an Internet Service Provider, not built into a laptop. Cat 5 Nic built in is good, 802.11A/B/G for wireless. Most LT's have wireless built in too. You can always get an external (USB) CD or Floppy if needed.
2006-12-08 12:47:10
Russell M:  if your only using it for basic everyday email, Internet, accounting order processing you really don't need much 1 - 2 ghz processor (CELERON isn't recommended but would work) 512MB of ram or more, 40gig HD and up. i doubt you will find a swappable CD/floppy, your best bet is just a CD-RW Drive and an external Floppy Drive, sound card doesn't matter, if your wanting wireless Internet so you can be on almost anywhere you go. the most expensive i have seen is 80 dollars a month 2 year contract. Plus cost of hardware which ranges from 50 on up depending on availability.
2006-12-08 12:51:17