In this guide, Bill Jobe explain the best means to finding a cheap notebook computer for your needs. The first step is to consider your budget. It is very easy to be nickle and dimed when purchasing a computer (for instance, you might be able to get a 10% faster clock speed processor for $50 more) and end up paying more then you wanted to. So have an idea of what range you can afford to spend before even thinking about computers.
Notebooks (also known as laptops) are more expensive:
low end: $500, medium end: $500-$900, high end: $900-$1500 or more
To play mondern games, you'll need to purchase a high end computer, but for normal office work or home use (e-mail, Internet, word processing, etc) a medium-end would be fine. I don't recommend purchasing a low-end computer, but these will be fine for home use. You may notice slow-downs in low-end computers when having several applications at the same time, and when installing more resource-intensive programs in a few years.
Once you have decided on a budget, you should view a deals forum online, such as fatwallet.com or slickdeals.com, Search for computer or notebook or laptop.When finding a deal online, you need to have a way to evaluate the computer you're getting
Processor - You probably do not want to buy a computer with a "celeron" processor, unless you are on a low budget
RAM - Low end computers generally come with 512mb RAM
Hard drive- Any capacity >80gb will probably be enough for storing your pictures, music, and movies.
Video card- This is only important for games or 3d graphics/animations editing