Dell Inspiron 8100

WHAT'S HOT: This Dell desktop replacement features Intel's fast 1-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M processor (or you can specify a 1.13-GHz/733-MHz PIII-M processor for $250 more). The 8100 earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 100, making it a fairly speedy notebook running Windows 2000. You also get a 15-inch screen with a resolution of 1400 by 1050 pixels (1600 by 1200 resolution is also available), dual pointing devices, and dual-purpose buttons for playing music or launching applications.

Like its predecessor, the Inspiron 8000, the 8100 offers an unusual flip-flopped drive bay configuration that increases the notebook's flexibility. Ordinarily, the floppy drive is fixed and the optical drive is removable, but on the Inspiron 8100 the DVD-ROM drive is fixed, and the floppy drive is removable. This arrangement makes it possible to carry two optical drives at once, for instance, or two batteries so you can watch back-to-back DVD movies on your next cross-country flight.

WHAT'S NOT: The 8100 suffers from the same slightly clacky-sounding keyboard and clunky dual-purpose button design as the Inspiron 8000. Instead of flipping a hardware switch to toggle between CD-playing and file-launching modes, you have to use a software utility. The 8100 is heavy, too: Even without the AC adapter and with a travel module inserted into the floppy drive bay, it weighs 7.5 pounds.