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Top 10 Notebook PCs

This month, the top four desktop replacements on the chart cost less than $2000 each, and all five ranked all-purpose notebooks come in at under $1350 apiece.

Carla Thornton

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

Last Rated: June 24, 2005

 BEST BUY!

1. Acer TravelMate 8100

2-GHz Pentium M 760 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.6 pounds, 100GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 94 Superior, Price when reviewed: $1999 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Chic and pricey wide-screen model has a DVI port and a five-in-one media card reader.

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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

2. 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, WorldBench 5 score: 89 Superior, Price when reviewed: $1964 (10/26/05)

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

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Freestyle M7500 PCW Rating: 78.0PCW Rating: 78.0PCW Rating: 78.0

Last Rated: October 29, 2005

3. Sys Technology Freestyle M7500

1.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 8.0 pounds, 60GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 85 Superior, Price when reviewed: $1395 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Budget entertainment notebook includes Windows Media Center lookalike application and a remote control.

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

Last Rated: May 24, 2005

4. HP Pavilion Dv4000

1.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 7.6 pounds, 80GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 77 Very Good, Price when reviewed: $1363 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Elegant 15.4-inch wide screen features an ExpressCard slot and comes with a six-in-one media reader.

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Inspiron XPS Gen 2 PCW Rating: 84.2PCW Rating: 84.2PCW Rating: 84.2

Last Rated:

5. Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2

2.13-GHz Pentium M 770 processor, 17.0-inch wide screen, 11.3 pounds, 100GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 93 Superior, Price when reviewed: $3522 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Burly gaming notebook does a good job with media, thanks to its high-resolution screen, but its battery life is poor.

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Compaq nx6125 Notebook PCW Rating: 76.0PCW Rating: 76.0PCW Rating: 76.0

Last Rated: October 29, 2005

 BEST BUY!

6. Compaq Compaq nx6125 Notebook

2.2-GHz Turion 64 ML-40 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.2 pounds, 80GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 81 Very Good, Price when reviewed: $1249 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Budget business unit overcomes slightly dull screen by doing everything else right. A six-in-one card reader sits up front.

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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, WorldBench 5 score: 77 Good, Price when reviewed: $1149 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: The R52 has a comfortable keyboard, and its modular bay accepts many optional drives.

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

Last Rated: September 28, 2005

8. Compaq Presario M2000Z

1.8-GHz Turion 64 ML-34 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 8.1 pounds, 80GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 73 Good, Price when reviewed: $1278 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Nicely priced, boxy laptop has great sound and impressive battery life, but it's on the heavy side.

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Satellite M55-S325 Notebook (1.73GHz Pentium M Centrino 740, 512MB DDR, 100GB, DVD?RW DL, Windows XP, 14" TFT) PCW Rating: 79.2PCW Rating: 79.2PCW Rating: 79.2

Last Rated: October 29, 2005

9. Toshiba Satellite M55-S325 Notebook (1.73GHz Pentium M Centrino 740, 512MB DDR, 100GB, DVD?RW DL, Windows XP, 14" TFT)

1.73-GHz Pentium M 740 processor, 14.0-inch wide screen, 6.1 pounds, 100GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 78 Good, Price when reviewed: $1349 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: Sleek 14-inch wide-screen notebook boasts peacock-blue lid but has cramped mouse buttons.

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Tecra A5-S416 Notebook (1.6GHz Pentium M 730, 512MB DDR, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 14" TFT) PCW Rating: 78.1PCW Rating: 78.1PCW Rating: 78.1

Last Rated: October 29, 2005

10. Toshiba Tecra A5-S416 Notebook (1.6GHz Pentium M 730, 512MB DDR, DVD/CD-RW, Windows XP Pro, 14" TFT)

1.6-GHz Pentium M 730 processor, 14.0-inch wide screen, 6.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, WorldBench 5 score: 74 Good, Price when reviewed: $1049 (10/26/05)

Bottom Line: This plain-looking business portable is rich in features but suffers from uncomfortable touchpad buttons.

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

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