I'm sure there are a bunch of guides on the web. The most popular specs are:
- CPU (latest gen?), clock speed and performance - Screen resolution and type (IPS displays are generally noticeably better) - SSD? Bonus for that because it's much faster, only drawback is lower storage capacity vs. traditional hard drives - Touchscreen (handy for Windows 8) - Dedicated graphics? Important to 3D gamers particularly and sometimes HD video producers
-------------------- Lisa Gade Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview