Editors' Top Laptops
updated May 17, 2006
 
Justin Jaffe, senior editor
  Midsize laptops are the offensive linemen of the notebook team. They're big, powerful, and good in the trenches. But they're neither as quick or as flashy nor do they get as much press as their more elegant teammates, the thin-and-lights and the ultraportables. Check out our lineup.

-- Justin Jaffe, senior editor
 

For home: Desktop replacements  |  Thin-and-light laptops  |  Midsize laptops  |  Gaming laptops  |  Less than $1,000
For work: Midsize and desktop replacements  |  Thin-and-light laptops  |  Ultraportable laptops  |  Tablets

Need help finding the right computer? Let CNET's ExactChoice tool guide you to the perfect desktop or laptop.

Shopping by brand? According to CNET editors, here are this category's major players:
Apple  |  Dell  |  Fujitsu  |  Gateway  |  HP  |  Lenovo  |  Sony  |  Toshiba
 
Midsize laptops
Laptops Editors' rating Price Summary
Acer TravelMate 4650
Released: 06/01/2005
7.8 out of 10 7.8
Very good
 
The TravelMate 4650 gives home and small-office users all the speed, battery life, and features they need at a very low price.
Specs: Intel Pentium M (2 GHz) , 2 GHz, 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM , 6.2 lbs, 15 in TFT active matrix , Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 

Acer TravelMate 8200
Released: 01/06/2006
7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good
 
From a performance perspective, the fast Acer TravelMate 8200 does Intel's new Core Duo processor proud--but its battery life didn't see much of a boost.
Specs: Intel Core Duo (2 GHz) , 2 GHz, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM , 6.6 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix , Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 

Lenovo ThinkPad Z60m 2529 (Pentium M 760 2 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB HDD)
Released: 09/20/2005
7.6 out of 10 7.6
Very good
 
The ThinkPad Z60m offers a solid combination of speed, battery life, and features in a well designed though not particularly portable case.
Specs: Intel Pentium M (2 GHz) , 2 GHz, 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM , 7.3 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix , Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 

HP Pavilion dv4000
Released: 03/30/2005
7.6 out of 10 7.6
Very good
 
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.
Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.6 GHz) , 1.6 GHz, 512 MB DDR SDRAM , 6.6 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix , Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 

 
Additional notebooks coverage

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