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Top 15 Notebook PCs

Of the four new laptops on this month's chart, the Lenovo ThinkPad T43 and R52 models and the WinBook X512 take Best Buy honors.

Kalpana Ettenson

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TravelMate 8100 PCW Rating: 86.0PCW Rating: 86.0PCW Rating: 86.0

Last Rated: June 24, 2005

1. Acer TravelMate 8100

2-GHz Pentium M 760 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.6 pounds, 100GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $1999

Bottom Line: Chic and pricey wide-screen model includes a DVI port for connecting digital monitors.

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Thinkpad T43 Notebook Model 2687D8U (1.8GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 60GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 14.1 PCW Rating: 80.2PCW Rating: 80.2PCW Rating: 80.2

Last Rated: May 24, 2005

2. Lenovo Thinkpad T43 Notebook Model 2687D8U (1.8GHz Pentium M Centrino, 512MB, 60GB, DVD?RW, Windows XP, 14.1

1.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD±RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $1999

Bottom Line: This slim unit includes a handy biometric fingerprint reader as well as an ExpressCard slot.

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Inspiron 6000 (2-GHz Pentium M processor, 1GB of DDR400 DRAM) PCW Rating: 86.0PCW Rating: 86.0PCW Rating: 86.0

Last Rated: March 28, 2005

3. Dell Inspiron 6000 (2-GHz Pentium M processor, 1GB of DDR400 DRAM)

2-GHz Pentium M 760 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 8.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $2271

Bottom Line: Big laptop combines strong performance, a superhigh resolution of 1920 by 1200, and great speakers.

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Presario M2000Z PCW Rating: 81.0PCW Rating: 81.0PCW Rating: 81.0

Last Rated: September 28, 2005

4. Compaq Presario M2000Z

1.8-GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-34 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 8.1 pounds, 80GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1314

Bottom Line: Nicely priced, boxy laptop has great sound and impressive battery life.

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Pavilion Dv4000 PCW Rating: 82.1PCW Rating: 82.1PCW Rating: 82.1

Last Rated: May 24, 2005

5. HP Pavilion Dv4000

1.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.6 pounds, 80GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1324

Bottom Line: Elegant wide-screen model features an ExpressCard slot and includes a six-in-one media reader.

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HP Compaq NC8230 PCW Rating: 76.0PCW Rating: 76.0PCW Rating: 76.0

Last Rated: March 28, 2005

6. Compaq HP Compaq NC8230

2-GHz Pentium M 760 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2114

Bottom Line: Classy-looking model has a quick-launch presentation button and a high-resolution screen.

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ThinkPad R52 PCW Rating: 75.0PCW Rating: 75.0PCW Rating: 75.0

Last Rated: May 24, 2005

7. Lenovo ThinkPad R52

1.73-GHz Pentium M 740 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 7.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1349

Bottom Line: This model's fine keyboard has dual pointing devices, and a modular bay accepts many optional drives.

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M250E PCW Rating: 77.0PCW Rating: 77.0PCW Rating: 77.0

Last Rated: September 28, 2005

8. Gateway M250E

2.13-GHz Pentium M 770 processor, 14.0-inch wide screen, 6.8 pounds, 80GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1729

Bottom Line: The optional 12-cell extended-life battery gives this big consumer laptop a comfortable typing slant.

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Latitude D510 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: September 28, 2005

9. Dell Latitude D510

1.6-GHz Pentium M 730 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1509

Bottom Line: A well-priced business laptop that's a standout in battery life and expandability.

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ChemBook 2070 PCW Rating: 75.0PCW Rating: 75.0PCW Rating: 75.0

Last Rated: July 29, 2005

10. Chem USA ChemBook 2070

2-GHz Pentium M 760 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1769

Bottom Line: High-resolution (1680 by 1050) model makes a fine stand-alone CD and DVD player; TV tuner is optional.

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ThinkPad X41 Notebook Model 25285FU (1.5GHz Pentium M Centrino 758, 512MB DDR2, 40GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 12.1 PCW Rating: 79.0PCW Rating: 79.0PCW Rating: 79.0

Last Rated: July 29, 2005

11. Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Notebook Model 25285FU (1.5GHz Pentium M Centrino 758, 512MB DDR2, 40GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 12.1

1.5-GHz Pentium M LV 758 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.6 pounds, 40GB hard drive, External DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2049

Bottom Line: Updated ultraportable now comes with a biometric fingerprint reader for extra security.

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LifeBook P7010D Notebook (1.2GHz Pentium M 753, 512MB, 60GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 10.6 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 29, 2005

12. Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D Notebook (1.2GHz Pentium M 753, 512MB, 60GB, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 10.6

1.2-GHz Pentium M ULV 753 processor, 10.6-inch wide screen, 4.2 pounds, 80GB hard drive, Double-layer DVD±RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $1949

Bottom Line: Full-featured laptop delivers long battery life but has an awkward keyboard and a small screen.

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Portege R200-S234 Notebook (1.2GHz Pentium M 753, 512MB DDR2, 60GB, Windows XP Pro, 12.1 PCW Rating: 72.0PCW Rating: 72.0PCW Rating: 72.0

Last Rated: September 28, 2005

13. Toshiba Portege R200-S234 Notebook (1.2GHz Pentium M 753, 512MB DDR2, 60GB, Windows XP Pro, 12.1

1.2-GHz Pentium M ULV 753 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.0 pounds, 60GB hard drive, External DVD±RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $2414

Bottom Line: This superportable laptop has a good keyboard and screen, but no internal optical drive.

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X512 PCW Rating: 73.0PCW Rating: 73.0PCW Rating: 73.0

Last Rated: July 29, 2005

14. WinBook X512

1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.6 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1098

Bottom Line: This unit has an elegant Media Center Edition knockoff app and makes a dandy stand-alone DVD player.

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Dell Latitude X1 Notebook Computer. Intel Pentium M Processor 733 (1.10GHz ULV) 12.1in WXGA Display. 512MB DDR2 400MHz SDRAM, (256MB Integrated) 2 DIMMs, 60GB Hard Drive, 8MM, 4200RPM. PCW Rating: 69.4PCW Rating: 69.4PCW Rating: 69.4

Last Rated: July 29, 2005

15. Dell Dell Latitude X1 Notebook Computer. Intel Pentium M Processor 733 (1.10GHz ULV) 12.1in WXGA Display. 512MB DDR2 400MHz SDRAM, (256MB Integrated) 2 DIMMs, 60GB Hard Drive, 8MM, 4200RPM.

1.1-GHz Pentium M ULV 733 processor, 12.1-inch wide screen, 4.4 pounds, 60GB hard drive, External DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2096

Bottom Line: Lightweight ultraportable offers a sharp 12.1-inch wide screen and has a dedicated CompactFlash slot.

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

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