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Top 15 Notebook PCs

HP's Pavilion Ze2000 slips onto the desktop replacements list, while Sony's VAIO VGN-T150P conquers the ultraportable category.

Narasu Rebbapragada

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NC6000 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

1. HP NC6000

1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1699

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

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Dell Latitude D600 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 01, 2004

2. Dell Dell Latitude D600

2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $2125

Bottom Line: Fast and light, this full-featured notebook offers a multipurpose bay and dual pointing devices.

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ThinkPad T42 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 23, 2004

3. IBM ThinkPad T42

1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2099

Bottom Line: Slide fingerprint reader a bit finicky, but this laptop has an industry-leading electronic manual.

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ChemBook 2037 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: January 25, 2005

4. Chem USA ChemBook 2037

2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.4-inch wide-screen, 8.7 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD-RW drive, Price when ranked: $1899

Bottom Line: This well-designed model has ports on the front end and features an 800-by-600-pixel VGA camera in its lid.

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Pavilion ze2000 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 25, 2005

5. HP Pavilion ze2000

1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1174

Bottom Line: This well-rounded notebook delivers decent performance and battery life for a reasonable price.

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ThinkPad R51 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 28, 2004

6. IBM ThinkPad R51 Notebook

1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.4 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1549

Bottom Line: The slim R51 will suit users who don't require many fancy extras. Excellent keyboard.

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PolyNote 3015AW PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 04, 2004

7. Polywell PolyNote 3015AW

2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.4-inch wide-screen, 7.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $2150

Bottom Line: This stylish, fast laptop has a firm keyboard, a swappable DVD burner, audio buttons, and shortcut keys.

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CL5620 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: January 25, 2005

8. Micro Express CL5620

2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.2 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1599

Bottom Line: Elegant-looking portable sports a beautiful high-resolution screen and an ultrafirm keyboard.

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Chembook 2056 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 26, 2004

9. Chem USA Chembook 2056

1.7-GHz Pentium M processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1869

Bottom Line: Strong performance and battery life distinguish this unit. The optical drive is mounted on the front for easy access.

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TransPort T2200 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 24, 2004

10. MPC (Micron PC) TransPort T2200

1.7-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.9 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2002

Bottom Line: This attractive, lightweight notebook offers a fingerprint reader but comes with hard-to-hit mouse buttons and hard-to-search documentation.

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VAIO VGN-T150PL Notebook (1.1GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 10.6 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 25, 2005

11. Sony VAIO VGN-T150PL Notebook (1.1GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 10.6

1.1-GHz Pentium M ULV 733 processor, 10.6-inch screen, 3.8 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $2300

Bottom Line: This expensive, ultralight portable has a comfortable keyboard and the best battery life we've seen.

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Latitude X300 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

12. Dell Latitude X300

1.4-GHz Pentium M LV 738 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 4.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive in docking station, Price when ranked: $2364

Bottom Line: This relatively fast Latitude is expandable, thanks to the best docking station we've seen in its class.

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Lifebook P7010D PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

13. Fujitsu Lifebook P7010D

1.1-GHz Pentium M ULV 713 processor, 10.6-inch screen, 4.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1999

Bottom Line: Light unit with a fingerprint reader lasts long on a battery charge and has extra card slots.

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Inspiron 700M PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

14. Dell Inspiron 700M

1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor, 12.1-inch wide-screen, 4.8 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $1772

Bottom Line: This strongly built, lightweight laptop offers a wide-aspect 12.1-inch screen but has a cramped keyboard.

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ThinkPad X40 Notebook PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 27, 2004

15. IBM ThinkPad X40 Notebook

1.2-GHz Pentium LV M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.6 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and CD-RW combo drive in docking station, Price when ranked: $2299

Bottom Line: Ultraportable ThinkPad boasts the finest keyboard available for its size. Optical drive is USB- or dock-based.

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All systems are tested or retested under our WorldBench 5 test suite.

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