RSS
Subscribe to magazine
  • Recommend:

Top All-Purpose Laptops

These mid-size laptops are often very affordable and offer more options for hardware and features than smaller laptops, yet are more portable than desktop replacement models.

Edited by Jason Cross   

Rating & Price
Products
1
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $1,200

Dell XPS 14z

Dell's XPS 14z offers a balanced approach to thin-and-light, full featured laptops, but has only two USB ports.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: November 09, 2011
2
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $842

HP Pavilion dv6

HP's dv6 is a classy-looking (though slightly bulky) laptop with a good mix of features for its price.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: July 18, 2011
3
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $926
Buy at Lenovo.com »

Lenovo ThinkPad T420

The venerable T420's staid countenance belies its outstanding performance, reliability, and features.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: August 25, 2011
4
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $857

MSI X460DX-006US

The MSI X460DX is a slim yet powerful all-purpose notebook available at a decent price.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: September 27, 2011
5
PCWorld Rating

Gateway ID47H02u

Though not the fastest or most full-featured laptop, Gateway has hit the nail on the head in terms of design and overall appeal.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: September 01, 2011
6
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $899

Asus U46SV

This all-purpose laptop is stylish with great stats and numbers, but it's also heavy and you must clean out the software bloat to fully appreciate it.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: January 27, 2012
7
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $569
Buy at Lenovo.com »

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420

Fans of ThinkPad keyboards and input devices should welcome this affordable, not-too-heavy model, but gamers and hard-core number crunchers should look elsewhere.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: July 21, 2011
8
PCWorld Rating

Buy at Lenovo.com »

Lenovo IdeaPad U400

You won't find a more stylish or capable all-purpose laptop, though it needs a Blu-ray option.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: January 23, 2012
9
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $959

Sony VAIO S Series (VPCSE13FX/S)

Sony's VAIO S Series won't win any awards for performance or multimedia playback, but it's a great light laptop for a business professional.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: December 14, 2011
10
PCWorld Rating
Prices from $1,629

HP Envy 15 (early 2012)

HP could have a very satisfying performance laptop in the Envy 15--if it addresses a couple of critical problems.

Full Review | Specs - Rated: January 25, 2012

  • Become an Android authority

    Play music or games, run productivity apps and essential utilities.

    Get the Superguide now!

Downloads: Freeware, Shareware and Software to Buy
  • Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus is a reliable free antivirus solution, that constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc. Monitoring every action executed by the user or by the operating system and being able to react promptly when a malicious program is detected. Actions include repair, delete, block, rename and quarantine programs or files.
  • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Free program protects against viruses and hackers.
  • 3D Desktop This free Windows 7 theme includes dozens of gorgeous 3D images.
See more in Downloads

Subscribe to the Laptop Link Newsletter - weekly

See All Newsletters »
Today's Special Offers
Editors' Picks