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Top 15 Notebook PCs

Newcomers from HP and Toshiba slip onto the chart in the desktop replacement and all-purpose notebook divisions, respectively.

Richard Baguley

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Compaq Nc6000 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

1. Compaq Nc6000

1.6-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2099,

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

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Gateway 450XL PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

2. Gateway 450XL

1.7-GHz Pentium M processor, 15.1-inch screen, 8.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2169,

Bottom Line: An unremarkable exterior conceals such top-notch features as built-in Wi-Fi, very good battery life, and upgradability.

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Dell Inspiron 5150 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

3. Dell Inspiron 5150

3.06-GHz Pentium 4-M processor, 15.0-inch screen, 10.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+R/RW drive, Price when ranked: $1679,

Bottom Line: This notebook has a high-resolution screen. It's hefty, however, and you can't remove its optical drive to swap in a second battery.

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EMachines M6807 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

4. EMachines M6807

1.8-GHz Mobile Athlon 64 3000+ processor, 15.4-inch screen, 9.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW drive, Price when ranked: $1649,

Bottom Line: The first notebook we've tested that has a Mobile Athlon 64 CPU whips through applications and piles on the features.

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HP Pavilion Zx5001 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: April 29, 2004

5. HP Pavilion Zx5001

3.06-GHz Pentium 4-M processor, 15.4-inch wide screen, 10.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+R/RW drive, Price when ranked: $2073,

Bottom Line: Wide-screen notebook has a top-of-the-line deign, but it's dragged down by mediocre performance.

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IBM ThinkPad R50 PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated: January 23, 2004

6. IBM ThinkPad R50

1.4-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.5 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1724,

Bottom Line: Well-rounded, affordable laptop turned in strong performance, and has long battery life and a great keyboard.

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Dell Latitude D505 PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

7. Dell Latitude D505

1.2-GHz Celeron M processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1357,

Bottom Line: Business portable delivered lackluster performance; its sleek modular optical drive has a built-in release.

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IBM ThinkPad T41 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: December 21, 2003

8. IBM ThinkPad T41

1.6-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 5.9 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2064,

Bottom Line: Eraserhead and mouse buttons feel a bit flimsy and the battery is awkward to remove, but the overall design is still pleasing.

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Toshiba Satellite M35 PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: February 27, 2004

9. Toshiba Satellite M35

1.4-GHz Pentium M processor, 15.4-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1649,

Bottom Line: Reasonably priced wedge-shaped portable allows comfortable typing and displays graphics beautifully on its 15.4-inch screen.

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Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: April 29, 2004

10. Toshiba Satellite A45-S250

2.8-GHz Pentium 4-M processor, 15.0-inch screen, 9.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW drive, Price when ranked: $1599,

Bottom Line: Wedge-shaped portable allows easy typing; carries twice as many USB ports as most notebooks, along with useful audio controls.

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Toshiba Portege M100 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: November 22, 2003

11. Toshiba Portege M100

1.2-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.3 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1749,

Bottom Line: Sporty notebook combines a good keyboard, solid performance, strong audio, and long battery life.

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IBM ThinkPad X31 PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated: December 22, 2003

12. IBM ThinkPad X31

1.3-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 20GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive (bay is in docking station), Price when ranked: $1678,

Bottom Line: This near-perfect small notebook?s only flaw: The optical drive is located in a separate $199 docking station.

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Fujitsu LifeBook P5020 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: December 21, 2003

13. Fujitsu LifeBook P5020

1-GHz Pentium M processor, 10.6-inch screen, 4.7 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1899,

Bottom Line: Relatively compact for a portable with a modular bay, the P5020 has a small screen.

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Dell Latitude X300 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

14. Dell Latitude X300

1.2-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 6.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive (bay is in docking station), Price when ranked: $2306,

Bottom Line: On its own, this portable weighs just 3 pounds; its 1.9-pound media slice adds a full set of connections and great sound.

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Panasonic CF-W2 Toughbook PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: November 22, 2003

15. Panasonic CF-W2 Toughbook

900-MHz ULV Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 3.7 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1995,

Bottom Line: Light, hardy little notebook has a unique top-mounted optical drive but a cramped keyboard, and it skimps on other features.

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All systems are tested or retested under our PC WorldBench 4 test suite.

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