Refine Category by
- Laptops
- Ultraportable, Thin-and-light, Mid-size, Desktop replacement, HP, Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Sony, All
-
Dell XPS 430-121B
Dell's XPS 430-121B, sold exclusively at Best Buy, outpaces the competition and carries an impressive set of media-centric features. Heavy gamers can find a more suitable system elsewhere, but digital media enthusiasts will appreciate this Dell in their home network.
-
Gateway MD2614u
For an AMD-based laptop, the entry-level Gateway MD2614u provides adequate everyday performance with a handful of extras we'd expect from more expensive systems.
-
Acer Aspire One AOD150
The new 10-inch Aspire One AOD150 will further cement Acer's lead in the Netbook market, largely on account of its rock-bottom price.
-
Dell I15-156B
For less than $500, the Dell Inspiron I15-156B offers few frills, but is about as cheap as a dual-core laptop gets.
-
Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A
The Acer X1700-U3700A is slightly slower than the competition, but it gives you almost every component you need in either a basic desktop or a light-duty home theater PC. If you prefer functionality to performance, we recommend this model out of the three systems in the current lineup.
-
Dell S17-162B
For a budget-priced 17-inch laptop, the Dell Studio S17-162B has many features of a more expensive system, but also a few notable omissions.
-
Sony Vaio VGN-NS240E/W
The Sony Vaio VGN-NS240E is a respectable, attractive mainstream budget notebook, but it can't match what the competition is offering for the same price.
-
Gefen EXT-WHDMI wireless HDMI extender
The professional-grade Gefen EXT-WHDMI may not quite match the quality of an actual HDMI cable, but its solid transmissions make it a viable candidate when wireless HDMI is the best option.
-
Gateway MD7818u
Gateway's affordable multimedia laptop, the MD7818u, has some high-end design touches, but is a little too big for travel.
-
Gateway MD7801u
Gateway's affordable multimedia laptop, the MD7818u, has some high-end design touches, but is a little too big for travel.
-
Dell I15-157B
This retail version of Dell's basic Inspiron 15-inch, the I15-157B, is a textbook mainstream budget computer, but lacks some of the extras you'll find in other comparably priced laptops.
-
Dell Inspiron I530S-119B
In its present configuration, the Dell Inspiron I530S-119B won't feel at home in a home theater or digital media environment, but it succeeds in providing high performance at minimal cost thanks to a faster processor than the competition. Future upgrades to this system are limited, but if you're shopping for a budget computer for basic functionality, this Dell will do the trick.
-
eMachines ET1161-07
At first glance, the eMachines ET1161-07 seems like a decent setup, but a laundry list of subpar components running on 32-bit Windows Vista just can't keep up with other similarly priced systems that give you much faster performance and higher-quality components for just $100 more.
-
Maingear Ephex (Intel Core i7 965)
Maingear's Ephex is the fastest PC we've reviewed, and also the most expensive. You can find better service policies from other boutique PC vendors, but the Ephex's overall speed and build quality are enough for us to recommend it to those in the market for the best desktop they can find.
-
Acer Aspire 8930-6448
With a true 1080p display, the 18-inch Acer Aspire 8930 is a capable HD-content playback machine, but we'd spend a bit more for a Blu-ray-equipped version.
-
HP Mini 2140
HP offers a premium version of its plastic Mini 1000 while keeping the price down, making the Mini 2140 the Netbook to beat.
-
Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q706
The Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q706 offers some of the latest high-end components in an enormous, flashy package, but its performance doesn't outshine the competition.
-
Sony P-series Lifestyle PC
Sony's upscale Atom-powered Lifestyle PC has the components of a cheaper machine but the design of a more expensive one. The end result will be a useful travel PC for some and a conversation piece for others.
-
Dell Studio XPS 16 (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 500GB HDD, 4GB)
Dell's new 16:9 Studio XPS 16 adds upscale extras such as a leather trim and a backlit keyboard to a fairly standard set of components, without jacking up the price (too much).
-
Dell Studio XPS 16 (320GB HDD, 4GB)
Dell's new 16:9 Studio XPS 16 adds upscale extras such as a leather trim and a backlit keyboard to a fairly standard set of components, without jacking up the price (too much).
- More Reviews »
Laptops and Desktops Blog
-
Tax Refund Special: Laptops and desktops
The average tax refund is around $2,500. Given the state of the economy, you may be tempted to stick it in your mattress. But we all know the patriotic...
-
First reviews of Nvidia's netbook solution
Netbooks powered by Nvidia's Ion platform are nowhere in sight, but that hasn't stopped reviewers from taking it for a spin. These first reviews aren't based on real-world systems-we won't...
-
Is it possible to build a $20 laptop?
The unveiling of the $20 laptop-the result of a major project involving the government, universities and the private sector in India-so far hasn't done much to clear up the mystery...
-
Graphics market shrank last quarter, but AMD-Nvidia battle continues
As the PC market goes, so goes graphics cards. After "defying gravity" in the third quarter of 2008, the market for graphics processing units (GPUs) came crashing down to earth...
-
MIDs haven't made it, but Intel is undaunted
Stop me if you've heard this one before. . . BusinessWeek reports that Intel is readying a big push for a new class of handhelds known as MIDs, or Mobile...
More on ZDNet
-
My very own little project failure
Michael Krigsman writes a cheery little blog on IT Project Failures. Yesterday, I had one of my own. I probably shouldn't call it a failure, because the real aim of ...
-
News to know: Pwn2Own; Windows advice; Palm; JavaFX
Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily . For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage Ed Burnette: Java gets ...
-
Tax Refund Special: Laptops and desktops
The average tax refund is around $2,500. Given the state of the economy, you may be tempted to stick it in your mattress. But we all know the patriotic thing ...
-
ZDNet's Tax Refund Special for Tax Year 2008
It's the economy, stupid...but that doesn't mean you can't live a little when Uncle Sam hands you your own money once you've filed your taxes this year. The average tax ...
-
New microchip uses 30 times less power
Scientists at Rice University have created a microchip that uses 30 times less electricity while running seven times faster than today's best technology. The U.S.-Singapore team developing the technology, named ...