HP Pavilion Notebook PC

WHAT'S HOT: Like its higher-priced Pentium III-500 sibling (which occupies first place on our midrange chart), this well-rounded budget notebook can function as a stand-alone CD player. At 6.6 pounds (not including the AC adapter), the Pavilion is trim for a notebook with built-in floppy and CD-ROM drives. Parts on this system are easy to access, including the hard drive, which is locked in by a single screw.

WHAT'S NOT: Though fast for a budget notebook, this Celeron-433 performs 15 percent slower than a typical Celeron-400. Free telephone support (to a toll number) ends after three years, and we have the same design quibbles about it as with the Pavilion N3290: The headphone port is inconveniently located on the back of the unit, and the shallow, dark-blue CD controls are difficult to read and press. We originally evaluated this system with PC WorldBench 98, but we have since retested it with PC WorldBench 2000 and reconfirmed its configuration with the vendor. --Editors

WHAT ELSE: You can program the mouse buttons to launch your favorite applications. You get the same attractive consumer software bundle as with the Pavilion N3290: Microsoft Works 2000, Money 2000, and Quicken Basic 2000.

BEST USE: Only HP's parsimonious support policies prevent the Pavilion from being the perfect starter notebook.

SUMMARY

HP Pavilion Notebook PC PC WorldBench 2000 score of 90, Celeron-433 CPU, 64MB of RAM, 12.1-inch active screen, 4.8GB hard drive, touchpad, 10X-24X CD-ROM drive, V.90 modem, lithium ion battery; 1-year warranty on parts, 1-year labor warranty, 24-hour daily support (toll call). $1573 800/322-4772 www.hp.com