Compaq Presario 1800

WHAT'S HOT: The Presario 1800 caters to Web surfers and music lovers, with six programmable quick-launch buttons and a separate set of buttons for operating the laptop as a stand-alone CD player. You can even play one track or the entire CD repeatedly if you wish--an unusual extra. The easy-to-read LCD window on the front edge shows the current music track and time remaining, plus the current battery charge, even with the case closed.

Like most Presarios, the 1800 sounds good, with healthy volume and more bass than the typical notebook. The generous 3.6-hour battery life will let you work in the backyard or on the couch all afternoon. Posting a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 151, the 1800 performed slightly better than the only other Pentium III-1000 Value laptop we've tested with Windows Millennium Edition--the WinBook J1, which earned a score of 147.

WHAT'S NOT: The Presario 1800's hard drive is fixed in place, eliminating the useful option of removing and locking away a drive containing valuable data. You'll also have to send the unit to Compaq for drive upgrades, although the 20GB hard drive should satisfy most users' storage appetites for some time. Lugging this notebook around makes for a good workout, since it's 8.4 pounds with the AC adapter and phone cord.