In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 30-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$500 entry level models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.
In the "mainstream" category, covering laptops between $700 and $999, we found a wide variety of systems, from the 12-inch touch screen HP tx2 to the 15-inch Core Solo Asus UX50V. Our overall favorite, was the Toshiba E105, which married solid components and performance with worthy features, such as a backlit keyboard, 500GB hard drive, and longer-than-average warranty.
One important notes -- on this particular page we're *only* talking about a handful of retail-specific models that cost between $700 and $999. For a roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.
Check out details of each system below:... Read more
In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 30-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$500 entry level models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.
In that budget level category, covering laptops between $500 and $699, we we found systems that in many cases offered only modest improvements from their slightly less expensive entry-level cousins, leading us to crown Toshiba's Satellite A505-S6960 the winner, as it the offered a true Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (instead of a slower "Intel Dual-Core" model), along with a big 320GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM.
Two important notes -- on this particular page we're *only* talking about a handful of retail-specific models that cost between $500 and $699. For a roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here; for our latest MacBook reviews, check here.
Check out details of each system below:... Read more
In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 30-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$500 entry level models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.
In that entry level category, covering laptops up to $499, we looked at laptops from Toshiba, HP, Dell, and Asus. Diving below the $500 mark is always risky when buying anything other than a Netbook, and we found systems that ranged from brick-like to not-so-bad. The biggest difference was in the processors, where you could find anything from a painfully slow Intel Celeron 900 to a reasonably usable Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200.
We ended up with a near-tie between the $429 Dell i1545-012B, with an Intel dual-core CPU, and the similar Asus K50IJ-RX05, which won us over by offering a nicer design, more RAM, and a bigger hard drive for only $70 more.
Two important notes -- on this particular page we're *only* talking about retail-specific models that cost less than $499. For a roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here; for our latest MacBook reviews, check here.
Check out details of each system below:... Read more
In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 30-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$500 entry level models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.
In that high-end category, we looked at three laptops from Sony, HP, and Asus. While they were largely similar, Sony's Vaio FW480J/T won us over by including a Blu-ray drive and having the best battery life (although the Asus G71GX-RX05 should be your choice for gaming).
Check out details of each system below:... Read more
With laptops and desktops as standard equipment in many classrooms and dorm rooms, the back-to-school season is a busy one for computer shopping. We are once again scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $349 to quad-core powerhouses.
Many of these are similar to those you'd be able to configure online from companies such as Dell and HP, but these are specific retail models that have slightly different names and features, and are--thanks to the deep discounts offered by brick-and-mortar store back-to-school sales--sometimes a better deal than buying direct from a PC maker.
These are also the exact same systems you'll find in Sunday newspaper sales circulars, so check the list below for a review before heading out to the store. We'll update this list with ratings and live links as the systems get reviewed over the next several weeks (and a couple of these systems haven't been announced yet, so we'll reveal those names as we go).
(Note: Apple's iMac, MacBooks, and Mac Minis, while popular with students, are the same whether purchased direct from Apple or in a store--you can find our latest MacBook reviews rounded up here, our iMac reviews here, and our Mac Mini reviews here. Similarly, Netbooks rarely have specific retail store configurations, so you can find our favorite Netbooks collected here.)
Updates:
>See our favorite laptop in the entry level category here.
>See our favorite laptop in the budget category here.
>See our favorite laptop in the mainstream category here.
>See our favorite laptop in the high-end category here.
>See our favorite desktop in the budget and mainstream categories here.
>See our wrap-up of back-to-school desktop reviews here.
See more news, reviews, and recommendations in our Laptops and Desktops sections.
Dell's middle-of-the-road 15-inch Inspiron laptops have long been an excellent go-to choice for basic computing, especially if you take the time to configure a system to your needs via Dell's online configurator. Fixed configuration versions available in retail stores have been more hit-or-miss, sometimes undercutting the price of built-to-order versions, but also missing some key features.
The $649 Dell Inspiron I15-157B gives you a powerful combo of an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and 4GB of RAM for not too much more than a decently configured Netbook. At the same time, it's about as stripped down as a laptop gets, with no media control buttons or HDMI port (which previous versions had).
Read the full review of the Dell Inspiron I15-157B.
Note: This review is part of our Winter 2009 Retail Laptop Review Roundup, covering specific configurations of popular laptops that can be found in retail stores.
We've scoured the retail shelves of big box electronics stores, searching for the specific laptop configurations and models you'll find boxed up and ready to go, or listed in Sunday newspaper sales circulars (be on the lookout for Presidents' Day sales on many of these).
Bookmark this page and check back regularly to follow these links to the full reviews, which we'll be publishing over the next several weeks. We'll also be picking our favorite in each category, showing you who offers the very best bang for your buck.
Some of the exciting laptops we'll be reviewing in this roundup.
Entry level ($599 or less)
Compaq CQ60-215DX [Reviewed: 2.5 stars]
Dell I15-156B [Reviewed: 2.5 stars]
Gateway MD2614u [Reviewed: 3 Stars]
Toshiba L305D-5934 [Reviewed: 3 Stars]
HP G60-235DX [Reviewed: 3.5 Stars]
Toshiba L355D-S7901 [Reviewed: 3 Stars]
Budget ($600 - $899)
Dell I15-157B [Reviewed: 3 Stars]
Toshiba A305-S6905 [Reviewed: 3 Stars]
Asus X83VB-X2 [Reviewed: 3.5 Stars]
Gateway MD7818u [Reviewed: 4 Stars]
HP Pavilion dv7-1245dx [Reviewed: 3 stars]
HP Pavilion dv5-1235dx[Reviewed: 3.5 Stars]
Sony Vaio NS240E/W [Reviewed: 3 stars]
Dell S17-162B [Reviewed: 3.5 Stars]
HP Pavilion dv4-1275mx [Reviewed: 2.5 Stars]
Sony Vaio CS215J/W [Reviewed: 3 stars]
Toshiba A305-S6916 [Reviewed: 3.5 Stars]
Mainstream ($900 - $1,200)
Dell SX13-163B [Reviewed: 3.5 stars]
Sony FW351J/H [Reviewed: 3.5 stars]
Asus G50VT-X5 [Reviewed: 3.5 stars]
Gateway FX P-7805u [Reviewed:4 Stars]
HP dv7-1285dx [Reviewed: 3.0 Stars]
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