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The latest desktop-replacement laptop reviews
Michelle Thatcher
Michelle Thatcher
Associate editor
Updated September 21, 2005

Armed with the most powerful mobile processors, desktop-replacement laptops let you take your multimedia authoring, number crunching, or gaming from room to room or--occasionally--on the road. Though they're too heavy for frequent travel, their big cases leave room for lots of perks, such as massive screens, comfortable keyboards, and DVD burners. And as more users adopt laptops as all-in-one media centers, we're also finding models with TV tuners and high-end speakers. Below are the most recent reviews of desktop-replacement laptops.


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Product name Alienware Area-51m 7700
Alienware Area-51m 7700
Fujitsu LifeBook N6210 (Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB HDD)
Fujitsu LifeBook N6210 (Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB HDD)
Gateway M680XL
Gateway M680XL
Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB HDD)
Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB HDD)
HP Pavilion dv4000
HP Pavilion dv4000






Review date September 2, 2005 August 22, 2005 July 27, 2005 July 8, 2005 June 30, 2005






Editors' rating
(Editors' rating explained)
6.2 out of 10 6.2
Good
6.8 out of 10 6.8
Good
6.4 out of 10 6.4
Good






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Review summary A very good multimedia laptop, the Area-51m 7700 can handle any task--from gaming to recording TV--but there are less expensive options. A full-featured digital entertainment center, the Fujitsu LifeBook N6210 can handle TV, DVDs, CDs, and virtually any computing task except gaming. With high-end performance and graphics, the Gateway M680XL is a power user's dream come true, but it lacks both the security that businesses demand and the multimedia goodies home users want. The Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 offers a full complement of multimedia niceties, including an integrated TV tuner; however, there are much less expensive options if you don't care to watch TV on your laptop. Don't want an enormous desktop replacement but long for solid entertainment and computing features and performance? The affordable and well-designed HP Pavilion dv4000 delivers.






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My Products






User comments 3.4 Poor (from 40 users) 8.4 Excellent (from 9 users) 8.2 Excellent (from 8 users) Be one of the first to rate this product! 7.8 Very good (from 45 users)
Basic Specs
Dimensions (WxDxH) 15.6 in x 11.7 in x 2.1 in  
15.9 in x 11.6 in x 2.1 in  
16.1 in x 10.9 in x 1.4 in  
14 in x 10.3 in x 1.6 in  
14.1 in x 10.2 in x 1.7 in  






Weight 12.6 lbs 
9.7 lbs 
7.7 lbs 
7.5 lbs 
6.6 lbs 






Processor Intel Pentium 4 550 / 3 GHz  
Intel Pentium M 750 / 1.86 GHz  
Intel Pentium M 750 / 1.86 GHz  
Intel Pentium M 740 / 1.73 GHz  
Intel Pentium M 725 / 1.6 GHz  






Cache Memory 1 MB - L2 cache  
2 MB - L2 cache  
2 MB - L2 cache  
2 MB - L2 cache  
2 MB - L2 cache  






RAM 256 MB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 533 MHz - PC2-4200  
1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM ( 2 x 512 MB )  
1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC2-3200  
512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 400 MHz  
512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 333 MHz ( 2 x 256 MB )  






Hard Drive 60 GB - 5400 rpm  
100 GB  
80 GB - 5400 rpm  
100 GB - 4200 rpm  
60 GB - 4200 rpm  






Optical Storage CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - Plug-in module  
DVD?RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM  
DVD?RW - Integrated  
DVD?RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM  
DVD?RW (+R DL)  






Graphics Controller NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 - 256 MB  
ATI Mobility Radeon x600 - 128 MB  
ATI Mobility Radeon X700 - 128 MB  
ATI Mobility Radeon X300 - 64 MB  
Intel GMA 900 - 128 MB  






Networking Network adapter - Ethernet , - Gigabit Ethernet , - Fast Ethernet  
Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11g , - IEEE 802.11b , - IEEE 802.11a , - Gigabit Ethernet , - Fast Ethernet  
Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11g , - IEEE 802.11b , - Gigabit Ethernet , - Fast Ethernet  
Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11g , - IEEE 802.11b , - Fast Ethernet  
- IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11b , Network adapter - Ethernet  






Battery Lithium ion  
Lithium ion  
Lithium ion  
Lithium ion  
Lithium ion  






OS Provided Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition  
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition  
Microsoft Windows XP Professional  
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition  
Microsoft Windows XP Professional  






 
 
 
 
 
 
Product name Alienware Area-51m 7700 Fujitsu LifeBook N6210 (Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB HDD) Gateway M680XL Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB HDD) HP Pavilion dv4000






Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications






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