I have a friend that prefer 14" over 15" notebooks; he says 14" is enough and more portable and 15" are bulky. I am about to buy me a notebook. What are your recommendation concerning screen size?

My parents have a 14", I bought a 15". My opinion is there's not that much difference when I put them side by side. If I were to do it again, I'd buy a 14" to save $$. But, your friend is wrong about "bulky". They're the same size, the screen is just larger inside the enclosure. When all else fails beat the $%!* out of it!!!

First thing I always ask, do you really need a laptop? You can buy a much nicer desktop for less money. Assuming you absolutely require a portable, look at 14" and 15" store models. I don't think there's much difference in "bulkiness" - all modern laptops are very lightweight. But you'll have to decide between larger screen vs. lower price. Personally, I'd want the larger screen if my budget allowed. Happy shopping, Bob

Many times when I see similar 14 vs 15 inch notebooks from the same manufacturer there is little to no discernable size difference on the outside of the case. In the case of a 15 inch, many times there is just less "trim" around the edges of the LCD screen. Also, remember we are talking diagonal measurement here. I do not remember how to "do the math" but I would guess that worst case there would be a 5/8 inch increase in the length and the width of the actual viewable area of the screen.

I would pick the one with the highest resolution.

hwood - can't remember how to do the math? The measurement of a screen is diagonal. Its aspect ratio is 4 x 3. Anyone who remembers Pythagoras from school knows about the 3 - 4 - 5 triangle, so if the diagonal is 1 inch longer, then the short edge is 3/5ths of an inch longer and the long edge is 4/5ths of an inch longer. Personally I find weight much more of an issue than size. Bass players do it standing up