Tested: Top 10 All-Purpose Laptops

What is an all-purpose laptop? We generally define them as between 14 and 16 inches, weighing more than 4.5 pounds. Some 13-inch laptops that are thicker and heavier than the standard may fit the bill. These are large and powerful enough to serve as your everyday computer, but portable enough to accompany you on the go. By the way, we’ve tested every laptop in this slideshow in the PCWorld Labs.

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If speed is your passion, you’ll like this all-purpose unit from Asus, but its input ergonomics are weak.

Pros

– Excellent performance

– Large display

Cons

– Only single-band, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi

– Weak touchpad and buttons

Specs

The P151HM brings a robust GPU and solid gaming performance to the 15-inch category of laptops, but at the cost of added weight and bulk.

Pros

– Very good game performance for its size

– Great keyboard with excellent tactile feedback

Cons

– Quite hefty for its class

– The system gets pretty loud under a full gaming load

Specs

Gateway finally racks up some style points with this mainstream laptop, which also delivers good performance.

Pros

– Nice styling and input ergonomics

– Good overall and gaming performance

Cons

– Mild junkware

Specs

A great all-purpose unit with superior gaming potential.

Pros

– Fast and stylish

– Great gaming frame rates

Cons

– A bit pricey for a mainstream laptop

– Ethernet port is inconveniently located

Specs

Sony’s VAIO EA series may not be the cheapest all-purpose laptop line, but the excellent design and usability are worth the modest price premium.

Pros

– Good arrangement and variety of ports

– Excellent keyboard and touchpad

Cons

– Horrible green color

– Slightly washed-out display

Specs

The Asus N82Jv has good graphics, a nice screen, and a USB 3.0 port. If only it weren’t so heavy.

Pros

– Cool cover

– Nice, bright screen

Cons

– Heavy

– Touchpad is only semi-multitouch

Specs

Micro Express manages to ship a staggeringly average laptop using Intel’s new Sandy Bridge CPUs.

Pros

– Good desktop app performance in a $1200 laptop

– Lighter than average

Cons

– Surprisingly poor gaming performance

– Noisy video upscaling, visible edge enhancement

Specs

The U41JF performs pretty well for its category, but the case looks and feels cheap.

Pros

– Nice graphics card

– Thin screen

Cons

– Feels cheap

– Looks cheap

Specs

Samsung ships an elegant looking laptop with a great keyboard, but the machine is overpriced for what you get.

Pros

– Excellent keyboard

– Sleek exterior and light weight for a 15-incher

Cons

– Intel graphics useless for modern PC games

– Motion smearing in video

Specs

Toshiba’s take on a budget all-purpose notebook delivers a good selection of hardware, but lackluster performance and battery life.

Pros

– Nice keyboard, built-in DVD burner

– Good hardware specs at a reasonable price

Cons

– A lot of bloatware that runs by default

– Mediocre performance and battery life

Specs