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Top 15 Notebook PCs

Big screens predominate on our desktop replacements list, as a new EMachines notebook sports a 15.4-inch wide-screen display and a new Toshiba model packs a 17-inch screen.

Kalpana Ettenson

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NC6000 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

1. HP NC6000

1.6-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2032

Bottom Line: Lightweight corporate notebook comes with dual wireless capabilities and great battery life.

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Gateway M405CS Pentium M Integrated 10x min. 24x max. CD-ROM 10x min. PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 27, 2004

2. Gateway Gateway M405CS Pentium M Integrated 10x min. 24x max. CD-ROM 10x min.

1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 40GB harddrive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1522

Bottom Line: Offers fast performance for a low price. Order it with the lithium ion battery (as we did) to get the battery life we saw in our tests.

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Satellite P15-S420 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 27, 2004

3. Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 Notebook

3-GHz Pentium 4 processor, 15.4-inch screen, 9.7 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1699

Bottom Line: Wide-screen notebook is a suitable desktop replacement if you don't need good stereo sound or upgradable storage.

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M6809 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: June 21, 2004

4. EMachines M6809

2-GHz Mobile Athlon 64 3200+ processor, 15.4-inch screen, 9.0 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+/-RW drive, Price when ranked: $1650

Bottom Line: Speedy, affordable wide-screen notebook would be ideal for home users. It has loads of features.

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Satellite P25-S670 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 30, 2004

5. Toshiba Satellite P25-S670 Notebook

3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor, 17.0-inch screen, 11.3 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+/-RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $2699

Bottom Line: Handsome multimedia notebook has 17-inch screen, big storage possibilities and a fast DVD burner capable of writing to all DVD formats.

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ThinkPad R50 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: January 23, 2004

6. IBM ThinkPad R50

1.4-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.5 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1553

Bottom Line: Well-rounded, affordable laptop turns in strong performance, and has long battery life and a great keyboard.

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Tecra M2V-S310 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: June 21, 2004

7. Toshiba Tecra M2V-S310 Notebook

1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.0-inch screen, 5.7 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1449

Bottom Line: Lightweight business notebook offers good battery life and generous storage expansion.

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NP1620A PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 27, 2004

8. Micro Express NP1620A

1.6-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1399

Bottom Line: Outperformed similarly equipped notebooks, thanks to a whopping 1GB of RAM--our unit's maximum, and twice that of most notebooks.

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Satellite M35-S320 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 27, 2004

9. Toshiba Satellite M35-S320 Notebook

1.4-GHz Pentium M processor, 15.4-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1649

Bottom Line: Reasonably priced wedge-shaped portable allows comfortable typing and displays graphics beautifully on its 15.4-inch screen.

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ThinkPad T41 Notebook (IBM-23733HU) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 21, 2003

10. IBM ThinkPad T41 Notebook (IBM-23733HU)

1.6-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 5.9 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2023

Bottom Line: The eraserhead and mouse buttons feel a bit flimsy, and the battery is awkward to remove, but the overall design is still pleasing.

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ThinkPad X31 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 22, 2003

11. IBM ThinkPad X31

1.3-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 20GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1678

Bottom Line: This near-perfect small notebook?s only flaw: The optical drive is located in a separate $199 docking station.

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BTO Portege m100 PM-1.2LV 256MB 40GB CD-RW/DVD-ROM 802.11b 12T-XGA (Toshiba-PPM10U0002T7) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 22, 2003

12. Toshiba BTO Portege m100 PM-1.2LV 256MB 40GB CD-RW/DVD-ROM 802.11b 12T-XGA (Toshiba-PPM10U0002T7)

1.2-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.3 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2199

Bottom Line: Sporty notebook combines a good keyboard, solid performance, strong audio, and long battery life.

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Latitude X300 Notebook Computer (Dell-X300SB) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

13. Dell Latitude X300 Notebook Computer (Dell-X300SB)

1.2-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 6.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2345

Bottom Line: On its own, this portable weighs just 3 pounds; its 1.9-pound media slice adds a full set of connections and great sound.

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Toughbook CF-W2 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 22, 2003

14. Panasonic Toughbook CF-W2

900-MHz ULV Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 3.7 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1995

Bottom Line: Light, hardy little notebook has a unique top-mounted optical drive but a cramped keyboard, and it skimps on other features.

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VAIO PCG-TR3AP3 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 27, 2004

15. Sony VAIO PCG-TR3AP3

1-GHz Pentium M processor, 10.6-inch screen, 4.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-RW drive, Price when ranked: $3000

Bottom Line: The VGA camera mounted on the screen is nice. The tinny speakers and shallow keystroke are drawbacks.

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All systems are tested or retested under our PC WorldBench 4 test suite.

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