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Buyers' Guide to Notebook PCs

Power makes a difference if you're replacing a desktop, but portability means more to travelers.

Carla Thornton

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If you've ever shopped for a notebook PC, you know that the factors you should consider go far beyond performance and connections. Notebook buyers also have to mull such variables as size, weight, screen dimensions, battery life, and keyboard quality--not to mention options such as built-in wireless.

Many top-of-the-line and some midrange portables are now available with an Intel Pentium 4 Processor-M, which comes in versions with clock speeds of 1.7 GHz, 1.8 GHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2 GHz.

This year, just when we thought notebook screens couldn't get any bigger, Sony introduced its VAIO PCG-GRX570, with the first-ever 16.1-inch display. With 14- and 15-inch screens already appearing on $1100 portables, you can expect the newest giant screen to trickle down eventually to some budget notebook PCs.

Top 15 Notebook PCs (chart)

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