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Top 15 Notebook PCs

This month's chart gains new entrants in every category, including the ultraportables Best Buy--the Dell Inspiron 700m.

Dan Sommer

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HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc6000 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

1. HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc6000

1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1874,

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

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Gateway M405CS PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: May 27, 2004

2. Gateway M405CS

1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1223,

Bottom Line: Model performs well and is low-priced. Order it with the lithium ion battery (as we did) to get the battery life we saw in our tests.

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Gateway M520XL PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

3. Gateway M520XL

3.06-GHz Mobile Pentium 4 532 processor, 15.4-inch screen, 9.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1650,

Bottom Line: The M520XL combines very strong performance with an inexpensive price, along with a six-in-one card reader. Limited in expansion options.

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Dell Inspiron 8600 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: October 04, 2004

4. Dell Inspiron 8600

2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.4-inch screen, 8.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $2680,

Bottom Line: Convenient design touches and good sound make up for this laptop's thick case.

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Sys Technology WideView PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

5. Sys Technology WideView

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 3400+ desktop processor, 15.4-inch screen, 10.4 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1595,

Bottom Line: Though not elegant in design, the WideView, with an Athlon 64 3400+ processor, offers great performance for the money.

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IBM ThinkPad R51 PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated: July 28, 2004

6. IBM ThinkPad R51

1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 7.4 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1699,

Bottom Line: The slim R51 suits users who care more about mainstream features than bells and whistles. Excellent keyboard.

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IBM ThinkPad T42 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: July 28, 2004

7. IBM ThinkPad T42

1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 15.1-inch screen, 6.9 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2299,

Bottom Line: IBM pays terrific attention to detail in this impressive business laptop which has good speed and an outstanding keyboard.

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Toshiba Satellite A55-S326 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

8. Toshiba Satellite A55-S326

1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 6.8 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD±RW/-RAM drive, Price when ranked: $1599,

Bottom Line: Easy-to-use audio controls and a firm keyboard highlight this inexpensive, midweight notebook.

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Gateway M320XL PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

9. Gateway M320XL

1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 15.0-inch screen, 6.5 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD±RW drive, Price when ranked: $1800,

Bottom Line: Lightweight but loaded with an 80GB hard drive, the stylish M320XL would make an uncomplicated road machine for those with lots of big files.

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Toshiba Tecra M2V-S310 PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0PCW Rating: 3.0

Last Rated: June 21, 2004

10. Toshiba Tecra M2V-S310

1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 5.7 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1499,

Bottom Line: Lightweight business notebook offers good battery life and generous storage expansion. At this price, model includes 256MB of RAM.

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Dell Inspiron 700m PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

11. Dell Inspiron 700m

1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 4.8 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $2091,

Bottom Line: A durable, lightweight laptop, the Dell Inspiron 700m offers a wide-aspect 12.1-inch screen. All that mars the package are a slightly cramped keyboard and a hard-to-press optical drive button.

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Dell Latitude X300 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

12. Dell Latitude X300

1.4-GHz Pentium M Low Voltage 738 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 4.0 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive, Price when ranked: $2425,

Bottom Line: The Dell Latitude X300 is relatively fast and nicely expandable thanks to Dell's MediaBase, the best docking station we've seen in this class.

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Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: October 25, 2004

13. Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D

1.1-GHz Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 713 processor, 10.6-inch screen, 4.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2149,

Bottom Line: Light unit lasts ages on a battery charge, includes a fingerprint reader, and squeezes in extra card slots, a combination drive, and a good keyboard.

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IBM ThinkPad X40 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated: July 27, 2004

14. IBM ThinkPad X40

1.2-GHz Pentium M Low Voltage processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.6 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $1824,

Bottom Line: Ultraportable ThinkPad boasts the finest keyboard for its size. Optical drive is USB- or dock-based.

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Toshiba Portégé M205-S810 PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: July 28, 2004

15. Toshiba Portégé M205-S810

1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 7.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, Price when ranked: $2299,

Bottom Line: This stylish convertible tablet/notebook handles both jobs adequately. It has good battery life and is very responsive to screen taps.

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

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