Desktop Killers

Go on, admit it. You've been thinking about ditching your desktop in favor of a laptop. You're not alone--many people have already made the switch and now revel in the ability to pick up their computer and go. Thanks to dual-core processors, dual hard drives, multiformat DVD burners, powerful graphics, and brilliant 17-inch wide-aspect screens, the latest crop of high-performance portables stand ready to replace your desktop PC. Who wouldn't be tempted?

To help you decide whether to opt for a big, powerful laptop instead of a desktop PC, we looked at seven notebooks. Four of these were entertainment-focused: Alienware's Aurora m7700, Dell's Inspiron E1705, HP's Pavilion dv8000z, and Toshiba's Qosmio G35-AV600. We also tried two big business-minded laptops--the Gateway M-685E and the HP Compaq nx9420. The final model in our test group, Acer's TravelMate 8200, possesses both entertainment and business appeal.

To gauge how these notebooks stacked up against desktop PCs, we tested each model using our WorldBench 5 benchmark, conducted our regular battery life and graphics tests, and completed a thorough series of hands-on evaluations.

Ultimately, we determined that two notebooks--HP's Pavilion dv8000z and Toshiba's Qosmio G35-AV600--deserved Best Buy awards. The dv8000z offers the best balance of speed, usability, and features, for a reasonable $2200, while the $2548 Toshiba Qosmio is the best audiovisual notebook on the market today.

Of the others, we liked the HP Compaq nx9420's 7.4-pound weight and the Acer TravelMate 8200's built-in Webcam. The pricey Alienware Aurora m7700 offers the option of dual hard drives and dual optical drives, while the Gateway M685-E is a good all-around small-business desktop replacement for graphics pros. The Dell Inspiron E1705's superb graphics results will entice gamers.

While the entry point for ownership is now remarkably similar for desktops and laptops--about $500--feature for feature, you'll still pay about 40 percent more for a notebook. You might spend $2400 on a portable with a dual-core CPU and a 17-inch screen, or you could invest $1400 in a faster desktop and a 20-inch flat-screen panel--and save $1000.

Desktops continue to have the edge in expandability, too, because of their size and the easy access to internal components they afford. Though you can replace a notebook's hard drive and upgrade its RAM, in most cases you can't swap out the graphics card yourself or add another internal hard drive or a second optical drive. Finally, desktops are usually the first to incorporate new technologies--whether a line of new processors, an improved drive interface, or bigger and faster hard drives. But notebooks also have an edge: Most now offer the added convenience of built-in Wi-Fi, and some support mobile broadband services, so you can work wirelessly almost anywhere.

In This Article:

• Introduction
• The Performance Divide
• After-Hours Appeal
• Creature Comforts
• What to Choose?
• What's Next?
• Add-Ons MimicYour Desktop
• Top Desktop Replacements (chart)