The ubiquitous iPod is popular among all walks of life, and digital audio players of some form or another line the pockets of the majority of computer users. If you own an MP3 player, than you will definitely want at least 80GB of HDD space, as this will allow you some breathing room to organize your music library, while still allowing space for games, movies, and other applications.

Unless you intend to do higher-level networking, or unless your school or workplace requires domain-based authentication to access the school network (check with your IT department), Windows XP Home Edition should more than meet your needs for an Operating System. Obviously, those users looking at business applications will want to consider Windows XP Professional more strongly, but, again, check with your IT department to see what is required for access to your inter-office network.

Since data loss and viruses are becoming increasingly significant problems, you will want to keep a good backup of your important files, whether music, assignments, photos, or other important documents. A DVD +/- R/RW drive, while not essential for backups, is becoming a better and better option, as up to 8.5 GB of data can fit onto a single (Dual-Layer) DVD. If you prefer not to purchase a DVD burning drive, external hard drives are also an excellent backup medium.

Do you need a Creative Audigy 2 ZS sound card adapter for your notebook? Creative is one of the oldest and most respected names in computer audio, but is their reputation for quality worth adding on that extra cash to your laptop? The Creative sound card provides hardware-decoded S/PDIF output, as well as more recording inputs. If you are interested in recording audio or hooking up external speakers to your notebook, the Creative is a much better option than the built-in sound card.

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