HP Laptops

The Bottom Line: The HP Pavilion dv7-3065dx is a low-cost, big-screen laptop that will win you over with its Blu-ray player and pleasing design. It may lose you, however, when you hear its speakers.

Specs: AMD Turion X2 Ultra (2.4 GHz), 4 GB, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 7.7 lbs, 17.3 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: As long as you're not looking for extremely long battery life, the HP Pavilion dv4-2045dx is a well-rounded mainstream budget laptop with above average looks and performance.

Specs: Intel Turion II mobile processor (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.3 lbs, 14.1 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: You can find a better-designed, longer-running, Blu-ray equipped 15.6-inch for less than the HP Pavilion dv6-1375dx.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 MHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 6.4 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: HP's new Envy 15 packs high-powered components into a svelte 15-inch body. The result is an upscale status symbol that still shows a few first-generation rough edges.

Specs: Intel Core i7 (1.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.1 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: HP's Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing. Once it starts shipping with Windows 7, this could become our favorite Netbook.

Specs: DDR3 SDRAM, 160 GB

The Bottom Line: HP's upscale Envy 13 looks and feels like an expensive status symbol, with performance and features that impress us--but its high price makes it a tough sell over the similar-looking MacBook Pro.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 3072 MB DDR II SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 3.8 lbs, 15.4 in TFT

The Bottom Line: A fair price, an attractive design, and multitouch support may allow tablet shoppers to overlook the HP TouchSmart tx2-1275dx's middling performance and poor battery life.

Specs: AMD Turion X2 mobile processor (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition, 4.6 lbs, 12.1 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: Its massive battery extends awkwardly from the bottom of the laptop, but the HP Pavilion dv3-2155mx is an otherwise compact thin-and-light laptop that should get students to class and back on a single charge.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 4.9 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: HP's biz-minded Mini 5101 is a successor to the Mini 2140 (one of our all-time favorite Netbooks). It looks and feels great, but for a premium-price Netbook, we expect to get more features, not fewer.

Specs: Intel Atom (1.66 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 2.9 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

The Bottom Line: Saddled with a processor that's bottom-tier, the CQ60-417DX is a budget laptop with the chassis of a superior machine but the guts of an inferior one.

Specs: Intel Celeron (2.2 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista, 15.6 in TFT active matrix