Laptops

Apple MacBook Air

MSRP $1,799.00 Released January, 2008

Pros

Extremely thin
Large touchpad with advanced gesture support
LED backlit display

Cons

Fairly expensive premium for being thin
Only 1 USB port
No ethernet port

ProSCORE
27 reviews

53

Apple Macbook

MSRP $1,299.00 Released October, 2008

Pros

full aluminum body, LED backlighting, NVIDIA graphics
runs OSX and Windows and Linux and...
half a pound lighter than any previous MacBook

Cons

costs more than the previous MacBooks
student discount has been reduced from $100 to $50
no HDMI or Blu-ray options

ProSCORE
21 reviews

64

Apple Macbook Pro

MSRP $1,999.00 Released October, 2008

Pros

Multi-touch glass trackpad
Thinner than previous gen @ 0.95"
LED Backlit screen.

Cons

Slightly heavier than predecessor
Major selling points for NVidia dual GPUs are disabled currently: no Hybrid SLI or on-the-fly switching of the two GPUs
Expensive

ProSCORE
14 reviews

82

Apple Macbook 5th Gen

MSRP $1,300.00 Released --

Pros

intel chip allows you to run windows
runs Mac OS X
SLot for optical drive .. no tray .... Less dirt to go thru ...

Cons

integrated video card not good for gaming
Only 2 USB ports
Doesn't allow smaller sized optical drives to be inserted... Only standard sized CDs and DVDs

ProSCORE
26 reviews

60

Dell Latitude Z

MSRP $1,999.99 Released October, 2009

Pros

solid state storage drive options
extremely thin and light for a 16" laptop - 0.55" thick, 4.5 pounds
fairly powerful compared to most ultra-portables - dual core processor, DDR3 memory

Cons

high price
display upgrade is linked to CPU
Dell build quality is lacking compared to top tier laptop manufacturers such as Apple and Lenovo

ProSCORE
4 reviews

50

Dell Precision M4400

MSRP $1,749.00 Released October, 2008

Pros

high powered Core 2 Duo processor
NVIDIA Quadro FX 770M with 512mb of dedicated memory will speed up 2D and 3D rendering, gaming and media decoding
good amount of storage and memory

Cons

expensive - not much of a deal
It is expensive
heavy - not great for transportability or mobile computing

ProSCORE
7 reviews

63

Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo

MSRP $1,999.00 Released June, 2007

Pros

Dual-boot Windows XP/Vista because Intel CPU
Great looking laptop. Very sleek and stylish (par for the course from Apple)
Great performance with Intel Core 2 Duo

Cons

Fairly poor batterly life (~3 hrs of wireless productivity)
ExpressCard34 slot instead of PC Card slot
has the uncommon Mini DisplayPort instead of HDMI or DVI

ProSCORE
13 reviews

82

Dell Adamo

MSRP $1,999.00 Released March, 2009

Pros

extremely thin (0.65-inch vs the 0.76-inch Macbook Air)
128GB SSD storage
background-lid keyboard

Cons

Intel graphics
extremely expensive
regular laptop battery life (2.5 hours)

ProSCORE
9 reviews

29

Lenovo IdeaPad Y550

MSRP $549.00 Released March, 2009

Pros

powerful internals - Intel Core 2 Duo processors, DDR3 memory
slick aesthetic
multi-touch trackpad

Cons

relatively small keyboard
pales in comparison to the world renowned ThinkPad series
mediocre battery life - (poor is too harsh)

ProSCORE
5 reviews

78

Sony VAIO CW

MSRP $799.99 Released October, 2009

Pros

affordable price for a Sony
includes Windows 7
HDMI output

Cons

not the greatest value - relatively high price for standard previous-generation components
thick and heavy
uses older DDR2 memory

ProSCORE
4 reviews

78

HP Envy 15 BEATS Edition Series

MSRP $2,299.99 Released January, 2009

Pros

powerful high end internal components - Core i7 processor, DDR3 memory, ATI Radeon 4830 w/ 1GB of dedicated memory
LED backlit full 1080p capable display
slick all-black enclosure

Cons

high price
Beats audio - stupid marketing, Monster cable, cheap celebrity endorsements
includes DJ software - silly for those who just want a nice laptop

ProSCORE
5 reviews

68

Asus K50IJ

MSRP $650.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

affordable price
LED backlit display
capable of displaying high definition 720p media

Cons

heavy and large size - poor for use on the go
Intel GMA graphics is no good for anything but standard media, desktop applications
Battery life is ridiculously short no matter which setting you use. Sound does not go loud enough.

ProSCORE
8 reviews

75

Asus K50AB

MSRP -- Releases January, 2010

Pros

powerful mobile graphics - capable of playing the latest games, media
high definition 720p capable display
ample RAM and drive capacities

Cons

highly suspect battery life claim
a bit plain looking
the 6 hour battery claim is plane fraudulent - it gets around 2.5 hours in practice

ProSCORE
5 reviews

69

HP Pavilion dv8

MSRP $1,999.99 Released October, 2009

Pros

comes with Windows 7
large 18.4" display with full 1080p capable resolution
HDMI output

Cons

poor build quality, plastic enclosure
potential durability issues based on previous generations
high price - starts at $2000

ProSCORE
4 reviews

80

Sony VAIO X

MSRP $1,299.00 Released October, 2009

Pros

ultra-light and compact - 1/2" thick, 1.5 pounds
great battery life - designed with all day computing in mind
ideal for the road warrior - small, light, awesome battery life (claimed) and built in WWAN

Cons

extremely expensive
powered by an Intel Atom processor - even less powerful than similarly priced Core 2 Solo / ULV ultra-portables
glorified netbook

ProSCORE
7 reviews

54

Acer Aspire 3810 Timeline

MSRP $800.00 Released June, 2009

Pros

good balance between expensive ultra-portable and netbook
ultra-thin design
8-hour battery life (claimed)

Cons

poor speakers
Intel GMA graphics
display quality is lacking - viewing angles, contrast, blacks, etc...

ProSCORE
5 reviews

76

Dell Inspiron 1525

MSRP $999.99 Released May, 2008

Pros

HDMI output
1440x900 resolution on a 15.4" screen
highly customizable

Cons

fairly expensive considering what you get
Intel GMA X3100 - worst of the worst
1280x800 resolution on a 15.4" screen

ProSCORE
9 reviews

68

Apple Macbook Pro 4th Gen

MSRP $2,799.00 Released February, 2008

Pros

LED option available on top of the line 17" version
Macbook Air inspired multi-touch trackpad
Faster Penryn Core 2 Duo Processor

Cons

GeForce 8600M GT is showing its age; some newer games run slowly at high resolutions
no Blu-Ray drives available, not even external ones
MacOS X doesn't support Blu-Ray playback, and can burn Blu-Ray only with 3rd party software

ProSCORE
7 reviews

65

Lenovo ThinkPad T400

MSRP $1,130.00 Released July, 2008

Pros

allows the option for 1440x900 resolution on a 14.1" screen
ATI Mobility Radeon 3000-series runs cool and quiet, and is superior to on board Intel graphics 5-10x
Laptop runs cool

Cons

function key location is a bit odd - where ctrl should be on the vast majority of keyboards
does not come with a DVD writer standard
weight - still quite heavy, can be configured over 5 pounds

ProSCORE
7 reviews

67

HP Envy 13

MSRP $1,699.00 Released October, 2009

Pros

lightweight and thin (3.74 pounds, <1" thick)
high resolution LED backlit display (1600 x 900px) - superior colour gamut than the Envy 15
comes with the latest generation, powerful ATI Radeon HD 4330 graphics chip with 1GB of dedicated RAM

Cons

not the best value - closer to the underpowered ultra-portable side, quite expensive
only 2 USB ports
poorly implemented touchpad

ProSCORE
3 reviews

68

HP Envy 15

MSRP $1,799.00 Released October, 2009

Pros

great screen (LED backlight, 1080p resolution)
extra battery slice fits underneath the entire laptop which means you don't need to swap out batteries for more life
Great overall performance

Cons

trackpad is very buggy
extra battery slice weighs almost 3 pounds on its own
pretty expensive

ProSCORE
3 reviews

66

HP Pavilion dm3

MSRP $649.00 Released October, 2009

Pros

available with switchable discrete graphics from the two major brands
affordable price
10-hour battery life for all day computing

Cons

too much variation in system specifications - will lead to a large system performance variation, consumer confusion / support issues
ultraportable design - lightweight and small at the expense of power, not good as a desktop / work laptop replacement
Lacks more conectivity, I would like to see a USB port removed for a Firewire or ESATA port.

ProSCORE
4 reviews

78

Dell XPS M1330

MSRP $2,200.00 Released July, 2007

Pros

Looks better than most Dell laptops
HDMI out is convenient
Performs well while maintaining small size and light weight

Cons

4-cell battery doesn't last long
Expensive.
Lacks Blu-Ray/HD-DVD option

ProSCORE
13 reviews

78

Asus UL30A

MSRP $699.99 Released August, 2009

Pros

lightweight - 3.74 pounds
great battery life for all day computing (up to 12-hours claimed)
affordable compared to previous generation ultra-portables

Cons

Intel GMA 4500MHD - superior to the common netbook chip, however still poor compared to other onboard and discrete options from Nvidia and ATI
ULV Intel Core 2 Solo is designed for power savings, single core and lower clockspeed will mean slower operation for intensive tasks - not suited as a dedicated desktop replacement device
no optical drive

ProSCORE
2 reviews

80

Dell Studio 14z

MSRP $649.00 Released July, 2009

Pros

no optical media drive - makes it lighter
light-weight at 4.30 lbs
default builds include ample memory and drive space

Cons

no optical media drive - must download software or use a USB DVD drive
Dell laptop build quality leaves a lot to be desired compared to high end system manufacturers such as Lenovo and Apple
gets hot

ProSCORE
3 reviews

83

HP G60-519WM

MSRP $298.00 Releases November, 2009

Pros

extremely low cost
ample RAM and disk space
large quality 15.6" display with 720p capable resolution (1366 x 768px)

Cons

no built in webcam / microphone combo
basic Intel GMA 4500M - capable of running 2D applications, and media playback only
large and heavy with poor battery life - not good for mobile computing

ProSCORE
2 reviews

67

Apple iBook G4 12-inch

MSRP $999.00 Released --

Pros

Sudden motion sensor protects the harddrive
Standard battery retains life, even after many cycles
Two USB 2.0 Ports

Cons

Standard hard drives are only 40 GB
No 1/8" audio in port
Prone to hinge failures

ProSCORE
3 reviews

63

Lenovo IdeaPad Y650

MSRP $1,049.00 Released March, 2009

Pros

extremely attractive enclosure
fairly light and thin for a 16" model
LED backlit

Cons

poor battery life
poor 1366x768 resolution (same as the 15" and 14" models!)
no Blu-ray drive option

ProSCORE
2 reviews

59

HP HDX18

MSRP $1,549.00 Released September, 2008

Pros

a quality sound system to replace the usual tinny laptop speakers
full 1080p support on a large screen
an affordable base model
gamer-grade video card

Cons

poor battery life
very large and heavy

ProSCORE
4 reviews

72

MSi GT640

MSRP -- Released October, 2009

Pros

respectable 16:10 display resolution of 1680 x 1050px
two year warranty
full number pad

Cons

claim of 'most powerful gaming laptop in the world' is dumb, and obviously not true
number pad offsets the keyboard and trackpad - not centered
poor for mobile computing - like most gaming laptops it will have poor battery life, heavy weight

ProSCORE
3 reviews

68

Acer Aspire 5810 Timeline

MSRP $750.00 Released June, 2009

Pros

ultra-thin design - less than 1" thick
faster than a netbook with proper Core 2 Solo CPU
DDR3 memory

Cons

not that light considering its thinness (5.3 pounds)
Intel GMA graphics
performance is poor compared to thicker and less energy efficient dual core options

ProSCORE
2 reviews

77

HP Compaq 2510p

MSRP $1,499.00 Released October, 2007

Pros

light weight
standard sized keyboard
docking station available
battery life

Cons

unbalanced price
very slow hard disk

ProSCORE
1 review

78

MSI GX620

MSRP -- Released July, 2008

Pros

good screen resolution and graphics card for gaming
HDMI, eSATA included
Has 4GB of RAM and 512 in the GPU
Good specs for the Price.

Cons

poor availability
very poor amount of RAM - need at least 2GB to game - preferably 3-4, 512-1GB is not enough to run Vista

ProSCORE
3 reviews

69

Acer Aspire 5630

MSRP $1,000.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

Bright, clear screen;
nifty Acer-branded utilities
decent configuration

Cons

Not configurable;
useless 3G/Bluetooth toggle switch
no FireWire port

ProSCORE
1 review

50

Lenovo IdeaPad Y450

MSRP $649.00 Released March, 2009

Pros

affordable base configuration
multi-touch touchpad
option for dedicated graphics (unlike the majority of cheaper Lenovo notebooks)

Cons

relatively small keyboard
mediocre battery life
IdeaPad series is not available directly from Lenovo in some countries

ProSCORE
4 reviews

78

Dell Inspiron 15z

MSRP $599.00 Released September, 2009

Pros

HDMI output
includes optical drive (DVD writer)
affordable

Cons

no benefit over the 14" model - same technical specifications, larger, heavier, etc...
thicker and less sleek than the Studio line
Made slimmer and lighter at the expense of power - slower ULV Core 2 Duos run at reduced clockspeeds, poor for anything besides basic productivity application use / browsing

ProSCORE
2 reviews

67

Samsung X420

MSRP $1,000.00 Released October, 2009

The Samsung X420 is a lightweight laptop offered by Samsung. It is powered by a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium dual-core SU2700 Processor and has an integrated Intel GMA X4500M graphics card for smooth video performance. It comes standard with 3 GB of memory and 250 GB of hard drive space. It has a 14" screen...

ProSCORE
1 review

67

Dell Vostro A860

MSRP $429.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

affordable price
no pre-installed crapware
quality display panel - matte surface (less glare), high definition (720p capable) resolution

Cons

Dell build quality leaves a lot to be desired compared to other system manufacturers
not as configurable as other Dell options
sagging keyboard

ProSCORE
2 reviews

53

Sony VAIO Z

MSRP $2,000.00 Released July, 2008

Pros

amazing battery life
the latest chipset - including 802.11N, improved Intel graphics
13.3" is a sweet spot - small and light but functional

Cons

fairly expensive - like any luxury super thin and light notebook
Only 2 usb connectors. Card readers inconveniently located at the middle-front.
can not enable Intel Core 2 Due Virtualization technology

ProSCORE
5 reviews

82

Lenovo IdeaPad U110

MSRP $1,799.00 Released April, 2008

Pros

ultra light at only 2.4 lbs. w/ 4 cell
11.1" screen for it's size

Cons

smudges easy

ProSCORE
3 reviews

100

Asus G50V

MSRP $2,000.00 Released August, 2008

Pros

fairly light compared to other large 15-17" laptops - usually weigh 8 or more pounds
extremely powerful components - easily desktop replacement quality (fast Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR2, Nvidia 9700M GT)
includes high quality ports such as HDMI and eSATA

Cons

heavy - 6.2 pounds, not good for transportability or mobile computing
ugly/gaudy gamer-style appearance
only 720p capable resolution

ProSCORE
2 reviews

60

Asus N80Vn

MSRP $1,050.00 Released February, 2009

Pros

great value for the dollar
GeForce 9650 graphics card can play games at a decent level
nice 14" screen size

Cons

laptop has issues where key presses are not registered properly
comes with a lot of bloatware
battery life has some issues

ProSCORE
1 review

56

Sony VAIO CS Series

MSRP $749.99 Released June, 2009

Pros

powerful components - speed Core 2 Duo, lots of memory, drive space
quality touchpad and keyboard
great build quality

Cons

a lot of pre-installed bloatware
standard battery life
Intel graphics - worst of the worst when it comes to gaming, 3D rendering, media...

ProSCORE
2 reviews

56

Sony VAIO SR Series

MSRP $1,500.00 Released July, 2008

Pros

extremely small and light - half a pound less than the new aluminum MacBook
LED backlight improves blacks, lasts longer than CCFL, contains no mercury etc...
strong recent processor and a high amount of RAM (3GB standard)

Cons

only 2 USB2 ports - and very few advanced connectivity options (no HDMI, no eSATA, no firewire etc...)
1280x800 resolution (same found on the MacBook)
fairly expensive for what you get - a fairly common thing with Sony laptops

ProSCORE
4 reviews

77

Dell Inspiron B130

MSRP $549.00 Released --

Pros

Nice widescreen LCD display
Reliable wireless network performance
Runs Windows Vista and Windows 7 very well in Basic Mode

Cons

Weak video card
Design is basic and not very nice looking
Vista and Windows 7 are the only options.

ProSCORE
2 reviews

22

Apple PowerBook G4 17-inch

MSRP $2,499.00 Released --

Pros

screen size
power cord
3 usb ports

Cons

trackpad size
price
weight

ProSCORE
1 review

55

MSi X-Slim X410

MSRP $735.00 Released September, 2009

Pros

lightweight and compact - weighs around 3.3 pounds, 1" thick
optional external DVD / Bluray drives
720p capable display resolution

Cons

slower AMD Neo single core processor, DDR2 667MHz RAM, and older onboard ATI graphics
high price compared to comparable ultra-portables
no discrete graphics option

ProSCORE
2 reviews

47

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5993

MSRP $640.00 Released January, 2009

The L505-S5993 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an Intel Pentium processor with 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 500GB hard drive. The L505-S5993 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and a built-in webcam and microphone. It also...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Apple MacBook 2.0GHz Black

MSRP $1,499.00 Released May, 2006

Pros

Plenty powerful, runs OSX smoothly
Has the looks, still an eye catcher
Above average battery run-time, up to 4 hours normal use

Cons

Housing has average build quality, shows some flex
Needs an adapter cable to attach a projector
motherboard or what they say logic board can get damaged quite easy

ProSCORE
7 reviews

61

Asus N81Vp

MSRP $1,250.00 Released September, 2009

Pros

great performance for the price
great performance for the size
graphics card can play more graphic intensive games like Crysis on decent settings

Cons

performance comes at the cost of size and weight
Under 3 hour battery life isn't good, with no bigger options available
single-fan design makes the laptop susceptible to overheating

ProSCORE
1 review

70

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5995

MSRP $650.00 Released January, 2009

The L505-S5995 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an Intel Pentium processor with 3GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 250GB hard drive. The laptop also has an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4750 graphics card with 512MB of dedicated memory. ...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Toshiba Portégé M800

MSRP $850.00 Released May, 2008

Pros

13.3" screen for good portability without sacrificing too much size
fairly light compared to most 13.3" laptops (4.3 pounds) - good for transportability and mobile computing
more than powerful enough for regular day-to-day computing tasks

Cons

large amount of keyboard flex
keyboard can be annoying for English-only users
tons of bloated Toshiba crap-ware

ProSCORE
4 reviews

63

MSI PR400

MSRP -- Released January, 2008

Pros

weighs less than the average notebook
affordable price
much more powerful than a similarly priced netbook

Cons

built on the now outdated Centrino platform
poor Intel GMA X3100 graphics
Built-in Web-Cam has Poor driver support - Just try and use Vista - Windows Movie Maker

ProSCORE
2 reviews

40

Acer Aspire 8940

MSRP $1,349.99 Released November, 2009

Pros

ample memory and drive space
powerful components - i7 processor, DDR3, Nvidia graphics
HDMI output

Cons

boring uninspired design
poor tech support
very heavy and large (10 pounds) - poor for lugging around

ProSCORE
2 reviews

76

HP Pavilion dv4t Series

MSRP $1,237.99 Released July, 2008

Pros

Trendy looks
Powerful WiFi
HDMI and ESATA ports

Cons

Unreliable and low-quality built in audio/graphics/hardware in general
Extremely bad battery life
Overheats if left on a non flat/hard surface

ProSCORE
3 reviews

57

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5997

MSRP $680.00 Released January, 2009

The L505-S5997 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LED-backlit display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 320GB hard drive. The L505-S5997 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and a built-in webcam and microphone. .....

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Asus W90

MSRP $2,200.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

powerful dual video card options
Altec Lancing 5.1 system (included subwoofer)
powerful CPU and RAM

Cons

heavy and large (11.5 pounds)
poor battery life
large power brick (2.2 pounds)

ProSCORE
2 reviews

61

HP TouchSmart tx2z Series

MSRP $999.99 Released February, 2009

Pros

compact
convertible (into tablet mode)
impressive onboard AMD/ATI Radeon graphics - much faster than Intel GMA options

Cons

no eSATA, FireWire or digital video out port (HDMI, DisplayPort, etc...)
5.8 pounds with AC adapter
glossy plastic enclosure - fingerprint magnet

ProSCORE
2 reviews

68

Apple MacBook 1.83GHz White

MSRP $1,099.00 Released May, 2006

Pros

It's mac...
It's not Windows...
looks beautiful

ProSCORE
4 reviews

100

Gateway NV5606u

MSRP $599.99 Released January, 2009

The Gateway NV5606u is a stylish and powerful notebook offered by Gateway designed for the multi-tasker. It is powered by an AMD 780 Series 2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Mobile Processor with an ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics graphics card for smooth video performance and enhanced graphics. It comes standard with 4 GB of...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds

MSRP $3,000.00 Released June, 2009

Pros

extremely powerful - the latest and greatest dual core CPUs, DDR3 memory, discrete graphics cards
large 17" display with secondary retractable 10.6" display
ThinkPad keyboard w/ dedicated number pad

Cons

very expensive
larger size / power hungry, poor for portability
off-centered trackpad

ProSCORE
2 reviews

42

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5998

MSRP $605.00 Released January, 2009

The L505-S5998 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an Intel Pentium processor with 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 320GB hard drive. The L505-S5998 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and a built-in webcam and microphone. It also...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5999

MSRP $695.00 Released January, 2009

The L505-S5999 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LED-backlit display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 320GB hard drive. The L505-S5999 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and a built-in webcam and microphone. .....

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5983

MSRP $540.00 Released January, 2009

The L505D-S5983 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an AMD Athlon II Dual-Core processor with 3GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 320GB hard drive. The L505D-S5983 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and comes with an ATI Radeon...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Lenovo ThinkPad T42

MSRP $1,699.00 Released May, 2004

Pros

Very stable computer
Great computer administrative utilties
Great warranty coverage

Cons

Poor battery life
Relatively expensive
Power jack located at back of unit means it can come loose when unit is moved (most laptops have it on the side)

ProSCORE
5 reviews

71

Dell Adamo XPS

MSRP $1,499.00 Releases January, 2010

Pros

thinnest laptop in the world (1/2 an inch)
solid aluminum body
very thin and light - (1/2" thick, 1.5 pounds) great portability

Cons

this type of thinness is not intriguing from a usability standpoint
not pretty
makes you look stupid

ProSCORE
2 reviews

44

Dell Studio XPS 13

MSRP $999.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

lovely bright screen, even on the standard screen option
nice fast machine, very reasonably priced
Wireless N

Cons

terrible fan exhaust placement (back left of the base) meaning the exhaust gets the bottom left of the screen hot.
could have offered a higher resolution
Can suffer from high heat and short battery life because of its high-performance components

ProSCORE
2 reviews

67

Acer Aspire 5515

MSRP $400.00 Released January, 2009

Pros

Crisp display
Budget friendly
easy ram upgrade access

Cons

Low CPU performance
Vey low end ATi 1200xpress graphics
2 usb ports

ProSCORE
1 review

50

Asus UX30

MSRP $1,000.00 Released August, 2009

Pros

Thin & Lightweight
Led backlight
CPU ultra low-voltage

ProSCORE
1 review

100

HP Compaq 6530s Notebook PC

MSRP $779.00 Released August, 2008

Pros

wide variety of relatively powerful components - good for custom tailoring a system to the needs of employees
latest onboard graphics and wireless N capabilities
It's weight, dimensions and battery life is OK.

Cons

1GB of memory is too little
Touchpad is very hard. It'll seem like it's not working and then suddenly work again.
see me full data of this laptop

ProSCORE
5 reviews

40

HP Elitebook 8730w

MSRP $1,699.00 Released August, 2008

Pros

comes with an optional quad-core processor for performance never before seen on laptops
features expensive professional level graphics cards for advanced 2D and 3D rendering
features advanced connectivity options for power users (HDMI, eSATA, Firewire etc...)

Cons

uses older and cheaper DDR2 ram
RGB-LED TFT screen only available in $3000+ configurations
cannot compare to the Lenovo W500 which has recently dropped in price to $1350

ProSCORE
2 reviews

68

Dell Studio 17

MSRP $1,299.00 Released August, 2008

Pros

large, bright screen
numpad included
keys are very responsive and comfortable

Cons

sd/mmc/ms card slot is very finnicky and you can get your cards stuck if your not careful
on the heavy side
gets pretty hot

ProSCORE
1 review

73

Sony VAIO FW Series VGN-FW590FEB

MSRP $1,260.00 Released January, 2009

The VGN-FW590FEB is a mid-range laptop from Sony's VAIO FW Series. The laptop has a 16.4" LED-backlit widescreen display with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. It features a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB of DDR2 memory and a 320GB hard drive. The VGN-FW590FEB offers built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity...

ProSCORE
0 reviews

N/A

Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5985

MSRP $505.00 Released January, 2009

The L505D-S5985 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an AMD Athlon II Dual-Core processor with 2GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 250GB hard drive. The L505D-S5985 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and has a built-in webcam and...

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0 reviews

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Dell Latitude E4200

MSRP $1,999.00 Released September, 2008

Pros

Extra light
Docking station available
Long battery life (4-5 hours)

ProSCORE
2 reviews

100

Dell Latitude D430

MSRP $1,445.00 Released April, 2008

The Dell Latitude D430 is the flagship road warrior in the Latitude line-up. To be considered a road warrior, the laptop must be small in size and weight, while possessing strong communication tools, have long battery life and a durable exterior. This model has a 12.1” WXGA display and weighs 3lbs while being powered by Intel...

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0 reviews

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Acer Aspire 5516

MSRP $400.00 Released May, 2009

The Acer Aspire 5516 is an entry-level notebook computer, affordable but lacking advanced performance. Powered by a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon single-core processor, it features 2 GB of RAM and a 160 or 250 GB hard drive. To the 5515, the 5516 adds the 250GB storage option and features a larger, brighter, 15.6-inch 16:9 display....

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0 reviews

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Sony VAIO FZ Series

MSRP $1,400.00 Released February, 2008

Pros

Bright, vibrant screen
Thin, light
Comfortable enough keyboard

Cons

Screen glare

ProSCORE
1 review

75

MSI X320

MSRP $699.00 Released April, 2008

Pros

affordable compared to most other sub-notebook computers
despite being slightly less powerful it can still do as much as most other sub-notebooks
Atom processor sips power and creates very little heat

Cons

cheaper plastic netbook-like construction
somewhat expensive versus netbook options that present most of the usability of such a device
limited ports (3 USB and VGA output)

ProSCORE
1 review

64

Dell Vostro 1500

MSRP $914.00 Released --

Pros

Good no frills gaming laptop for less than gaming branded laptops with same specs.
Great performance for the price
Solid build

Cons

No color options
Reports of monitor not being as good as XPS's

ProSCORE
2 reviews

67

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