Compaq Compaq Presario M2000 Notebook

The HP Compaq M2000 lacks Wi-Fi and has only a DVD-ROM optical drive, which means you can't create discs. Otherwise, there's much to like about this budget notebook besides its price ($529 after a $50 rebate). It's got great speakers, for one. Sound from the front wraparound outlets is so loud and rich I found myself double-checking the laptop's underside for a subwoofer speaker (there is none). Volume buttons at the top of the keyboard, including a mute, add a nice touch. With these audio talents and a roomy 15-inch SVGA screen, the M2000 makes a nice budget CD and DVD movie player as well as a decent productivity workhorse.

This 6.2-pound unit (7 pounds with power adapter) has a handsome black lid and grooved bottom, a comfortably slanted keyboard, and a good case design that places one of the two USB ports just around the right-front corner. A FireWire port--a bonus for this class of notebook--speeds up digital video downloading. Later on, you can upgrade the 40GB hard drive and 256MB of RAM yourself if you're inclined; the elegant captive-screw design makes removing bottom panels extra easy.