If you decide to go this route, your strategy will not change much. You will still be buying a new machine on a custom basis according to specifications you supply. The difference is that you will be dealing with a company that knows boats – and spending a lot more. However, unless you have some special circumstances, there is no need to incur such expense. An equally good strategy is to buy a solid, everyday laptop and take good care of it.

There is, of course, the question of which brand to buy. Here you will get much advice, because everyone seems to have something they favor and something they disdain. The reality is that brand names matter far less when it comes to computers than they do in the rest of the boating world. If you have a favorite brand that has served you well, then stick with it. If you had a bad experience that caused you to shy away from a particular brand, then respect that too.

If you don't have either of these experiences to draw upon, then let your research be your guide. If you find the right combination of features for the right price, then don't spend time worrying whether it is or is not a Dell. If it's a common brand – Dell, Gateway, IBM, Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, HP and a few others – you should be fine.

THE RIGHT STUFF

The reality is that the utility of your computer will rise and fall on the components within it, particularly the CPU or central processing unit, which allows the computer to run its applications, and the amount of RAM or random access memory, which allows it to store programs and images for ready use. Other components that play a role include hard drive(s) that store information; a graphics card that processes images quickly; USB and other ports that allow connection to outside devices; and the screen everything displays upon.

Modern navigation software is graphics heavy, drawing upon raster and vector charts, topographic maps, satellite images, photos, and bathymetrics. What you are looking for is a machine that can process all this at speeds that will accommodate smooth usage, without having to wait for files to open and features to work.

What follows are some guidelines for various components. They are not hard and fast rules. Rather, they are parameters that should help you shop. Note that these suggestions apply only to PCs; different parameters apply to the Mac.

While technology is constantly changing, a well-appointed machine costing $1,200 to $1,500 will have a 2.0 gigahertz, dual-core processor by Intel or AMD. A dual core processor is actually two processor units working in parallel and it has become the standard in CPU technology. You can buy faster processors, but a dual core in the neighborhood of two gigahertz should serve you well without breaking the bank.

Another concern is the operating system. While this is technically software, it is traditionally purchased with the computer and pre-loaded at the factory for a new machine. Unless you are using a Mac, you will be running Microsoft's Windows (many technical pros prefer Linux, but there are no mainstream navigation programs currently offered for Linux). The latest version of Windows, which was released in 2007, is called Vista and this is what you will find on almost all new store-bought PCs.

For a navigation computer, this can be a problem. Because Vista is relatively new, not all navigation programs are compatible. They will be eventually. This is Microsoft's new platform and almost all programs will eventually support it. However, you can expect quirks for the next year or so as software manufacturers make the change. The best strategy is to order your machine with Windows XP Pro. All mainstream navigation programs run on XP and you can later upgrade to Vista yourself, with an easy, single-disk installation.

You will want to spend the extra money it takes to get 2 gigabytes of RAM, which is enough memory to insure that programs operate smoothly.

GRAPHICS AND SCREEN

A video card can be one of the most confusing components of a computer, but choosing the right one can have a dramatic impact on performance, particularly when working with graphically intensive applications like navigation software. Many times your choice of brand and power will be limited by your computer's manufacturer, which will traditionally offer "good", "better", and "best" options. Video cards on the lower end of the scale usually include an integrated graphics processor that shares your system's memory. If you can, go with a video card with dedicated memory, and the more memory the better. The high-end cards cost more and consume more power, but offer much higher performance.

In terms of screen real estate, bigger is better. Buy a computer with the largest screen you can find because it will be more than occupied by charts and other applications. On most medium-priced laptops, you can expect a 15-inch screen and you should consider this the minimum. Many laptops now sport 17-inch screens, and a few even go up to 20-plus inches, if you're willing to pay for them.