Find The Right Laptops

Nokia Booklet 3G (black)

Nokia's entry in the crowded Netbook field shows that the company's hardware know-how translates to computer design, but a poor choice of CPU should give you pause.

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 120 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix

Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU

The Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU is a good, if basic, laptop with a strong price-to-performance ratio.

Specs: Intel Pentium (2.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Toshiba Satellite T135-S1309

For a budget Windows 7 thin-and-light that won't need to recharge often, you could do a lot worse than the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1309.

Specs: Intel Pentium (1.3 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

Toshiba Satellite T135-S1300

Toshiba's slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but the Satellite T135-S1300 isn't as multimedia-savvy as it seems to be at first glance.

Specs: Intel Pentium (1300 MHz), 3072 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT

Dell Inspiron 15

As a highly configurable budget-range black box, Dell's Inspiron 1545 laptop line can be a good value--as long as you don't pile on the upgrades.

Asus UX50V-RX05

With its low-end single-core processor, dedicated GeForce graphics, and 16:9 display, the unquestionably sleek, entertainment-minded Asus UX50V-RX05 is a good fit for a specific user profile: the movie lover/sometime gamer.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Solo (1.4 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, RoHS

MSI X340 (black)

MSI's superslim X340 offers the slick look of a MacBook Air or Dell Adamo, but cast in plastic for about half the price.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Solo (1.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 2.9 lbs, 13.4 in TFT active matrix

MSI X340 (silver)

MSI's superslim X340 offers the slick look of a MacBook Air or Dell Adamo, but cast in plastic for about half the price.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Solo (1.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 2.9 lbs, 13.4 in TFT active matrix

HP Pavilion dv7-1245dx

HP's attractive, multimedia-friendly Pavilion dv7-1245dx is an inexpensive choice for a desktop replacement, as long as you don't need too much horsepower under the hood.

Specs: AMD Turion X2 mobile processor (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 7.7 lbs, 17 in TFT active matrix

Gateway M-7818u

The reasonably priced, attractively designed Gateway M-7818u is a solid all-around 15.4-inch laptop for students and home users.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 6.4 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix

Sony Vaio NS140E/W

Thanks to its low-cost, solid construction, roomy and comfortable keyboard, and current Intel platform, the Sony Vaio VGN-NS140E is a 15-inch mainstream laptop worthy of your consideration.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 6.6 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS, EPEAT Silver

HP Pavilion dv6915nr

The well-designed HP Pavilion dv6915nr incorporates most of the features you'll need for school, but other 15.4-inch laptops offer better performance for the same price.

Specs: AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology (2 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 200 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 6 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix, EPEAT Silver, EPEAT silver

Dell Studio 15

Dell's first release from its new Studio line, the Studio 15, sits between the Inspiron and XPS lines and offers a good mix of features for the price, but we'd be tempted to save up a few extra dollars for a thinner, lighter XPS.

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core (2.1 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, 6 lbs, 15.6 TFT active matrix

HP 2133 Mini-Note PC (Via C7-M 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD, Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10)

Despite an underpowered CPU, the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC offers the best balance of small size, comfort, and functionality we've seen in a mininotebook, making it fast a favorite for on-the-go use.

Specs: VIA C7-M (1.2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, 2.8 lbs, 8.9 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver

Samsung Q1 Ultra (Vista Home Premium)

Despite making improvements to its UMPC, Samsung still has work to do. The underpowered Q1 Ultra is best used for on-the-go Web surfing, but there are better and cheaper devices for that specific task, including that new device from Apple you may have read about recently.

Specs: Intel A110 (800 MHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 60 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 1.5 lbs, 7 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver

Toshiba Satellite A205-S4639

The stylish Satellite A205 from Toshiba adds desirable extras such as draft 802.11n wireless connectivity and a DVD drive that burns artwork on your discs.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.73 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, 6.4 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 2959 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 12.1" TFT

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 3.5 lbs, 12.1 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS

Gateway EC 1437u - P SU4100 1.3 GHz - 11.6" TFT

Specs: Intel Pentium (1.3 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 3.1 lbs, 11.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Gateway NV 5425u - P T4300 2.1 GHz - 15.6" TFT

Specs: Intel Pentium (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 6 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix

Acer Aspire Timeline 1810TZ-4013 - P SU4100 1.3 GHz - 11.6" TFT

Specs: Intel Pentium (1.3 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 3.1 lbs, 11.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star