Write an article based on this "Decide what the laptop's main purpose will be. Choose a processor that meets your computer's needs. Choose your notebook shell. Purchase memory. Pick out a hard drive. Decide if you need a dedicated graphics card (optional). Find an optical drive (optional). Choose a battery."
A laptop for word processing and email-checking will have much different specifications than a laptop for playing the latest games. Battery life is also an important consideration; if you plan to roam around unplugged, you'll want a laptop that doesn't draw much power. The shell that you purchase will be dependent on the processor that you want to install, so pick your processor first. Compare processor models to determine which processor offers the best speed versus cooling and power consumption. Most major online retailers will let you compare processors side-by-side. Make sure that you are purchasing a mobile processor, and not a desktop processor. There are two major processor manufacturers: Intel and AMD. There are plenty of arguments for and against each brand, but generally AMD will be less expensive. Do as much research as possible on the processor models you are interested in to be certain it is worth the money. The notebook shell will determine which parts you can use for the rest your laptop. The shell will come with the motherboard attached already, which will dictate what memory you can use. Take screen size and keyboard layout into account as well. Since the shell is not particularly customizable, you will be stuck with the screen and keyboard you choose. A larger laptop will be more difficult to carry around, and will most likely be significantly heavier. Finding shells for sale can be difficult. Enter "barebones notebook" or "whitebook shell" into your favorite search engine to track down retailers that stock shells. Some laptop manufacturers or suppliers will allow you to choose just the shell. MSI and Eluktronics are some of the few companies that still offer barebone laptops. Your laptop will need memory to run, and the format of the memory is different than desktop. Look for SO-DIMM memory that will work with the motherboard in your shell. Faster memory will give better performance, but may lead to shorter battery life. Try to get 8 or 16 GB of memory for optimal everyday performance. Laptops typically use 2.5" drives, as opposed to the 3.5" drives found in desktops. You can choose between a standard 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM drive, or pick a solid state drive with no moving parts. The solid state drive (SSD) will typically be faster and has no moving parts, but they can be more difficult to use over long periods. Solid state drives also come in an NVMe version. NVMe can be more than 7x faster than SATA, and is in a smaller, M.2 form factor. If you want a laptop to roam around, a solid state drive (SSD) would be best, as it will not be physically damaged by impacts as much as a hard disk drive. Get a hard drive with enough space for you to do what you want with the laptop. Most shells don't have space for more than one drive, so it can be difficult to upgrade later. Make sure that there is enough room on the hard drive after the operating system installation (usually between 15-20 GB). Nowadays, most people choose from a 500GB-1.5TB range for laptops. Not all shells will fit a dedicated mobile graphics card. Instead, the graphics will be handled by the CPU's integrated graphics unit. If you can install a dedicated card, decide if you need one. They are most important for gamers and graphic designers. This is becoming more of an optional step as computers advance, since you can install operating systems from USB drives and download most software. If you buy a new laptop today, most do not have an optical drive, as disc memory is now replaced with memory cards and removable drives. Some shells come with drives included. Not all notebook drives fit all shells, so make sure that the drive fits the shell you picked. Choosing whether or not to buy one is easy. Consider whether you use disc memory often. Remember, you can use a USB external optical drive instead of a built-in optical drive. You will need to find one that has the correct shape and uses the same connector (laptop batteries have multiple pins. The battery contains ICs and the IC notifies the computer on temperature, and notify the computer if the battery is not working and should not be charged, and the battery percentage). If you plan to move it around often, use a long life battery. You will need to try comparing many batteries to find one to buy. Buy one with good reviews. Read reviews on customer's experience with using those batteries.