Core i-3, better than Core 2 Duo
Core i-5, better than Core i-3 in interactive social networking & creating home videos
Core i-7, better than Core i-5 in designing your own website
You don't care about the video card w/c fits your budget just fine. If a laptop has a dedicated video card, the price goes up (this is indicated by A LOGO STICKER for NVIDIA or ATI MOBILITY RADEON on the computer surface is just below the keyboard. But if you can find a good deal with at least 256MB dedicated video card, it will be better for watching your DVDs.
You have to make sure that the laptop has AT LEAST 2GB DDR2 RAM modules in it so that it will always ran smoothly and not freeze up on you (HIGHER IS BETTER; DDR3 & DDR5 are faster & newer types of memory modules that came out).
But what makes a computer really run fast? It is it's processor! So if you really want your processor to have computing prowess & you're able to run different applications simultaneously, make sure it's AS EFFICIENT AS an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (Centrino 2 is a Core 2 Duo featuring power saving capabilities; Quad Core is for gaming fanatics). A Core 2 Duo is like having 2 motors running the computer each independent of the other w/c means for a Quad Core, it's like 4 motors are running the machine (that means it will run faster & more efficient even if its frequency is lower to that of a Core 2 Duo). Intel: Core 2 Duo, Centrino 2, Quad Core, Core i-3, Core i-5 & Core i-7 are all very much faster & better than an Intel: DUAL CORE, PENTIUM, CELERON, ATOM & their more affordable AMD counterparts.
In your case, get one with a Core 2 Duo and not a Pentium, Celeron or Atom if you can. Just make sure you have AT LEAST 2GHz of speed on your processor so that will be able to appreciate your laptop's fast response and performance.
The HDD (Hard Disc Drive) should be at least 320GB.
For the battery life to last longer, you need more cells into it. So if you can get a Dell from www.Dell.com with the HIGHER CAPACITY 6 CELL BATTERY, do so. The ordinary one doesn't last long.
8 cells, 9 cells & 12 cell batteries means they can last longer.
The average laptop LCD screen size is 15.4", and since you want something smaller than that w/ these 3 features I just shed some light on, expect the price to go higher (ex. for 13.3" & 14.1" LCD screens).
For other ladies, looking for portable 14" laptops, try the Core i-5 Toshiba Satellite M645-S4050 or Satellite E205-S1980 from BestBuy, both comes with 512MB Class 3 NVIDIA GeForce 310M dedicated graphics card for a little bit of gaming like the SIMS 3.
FOR the best PRICEs, go to Fry's Electronics, MicroCenter, CostCo & BestBuy's web sites for updates & COMPARISON. There are a lot of options & different combinations if you want to customize your own laptop, just STICK TO THE ESSENTIALS first.
The MSI GT680R 15.6" Gaming Notebook I got w/ the Intel® Core™ i-7 for playing my DesignCAD software and playing Diablo III, retails for $1,499.99 (+ tax & other sur-charges). I chose to pay more to have the newest technology so that I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT GETTING OUTDATED WITHIN THE NEXT 11 YRS.
One aspect to consider that produces heat is battery charging. Basically, as you charge up a battery, it heats up because current runs through it. Add that to the humidity and temperature of the location, it may feel even hotter than usual. FYI: I always tell my customers, a laptop's battery is similar to a cell phone's. You charge it when it's depleted & you unplug the adapter when it is already fully charge (this will prevent the battery from getting overcharged & extend the life of the battery). So for less hassle, I always advice my customers to just remove the battery if they plan to use the computer for long hours straight (more than 1 hour) and just run it on AC power alone so as not to overcharge it & shorten the battery life. That is if there is an available outlet for you to plug in your charger at Starbucks, if not, then you really need the battery.