Budget Laptops

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: The Sony Vaio VGN-NW270F/S is a low-cost, Blu-ray-equipped laptop that makes a great choice for home use and, should you be willing to tote around a 15-inch machine, a decent choice as your everyday, take-it-with-you laptop.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 6.0 lbs, 15.5 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: With an ultra-low-voltage CPU, the Dell Inspiron 1470-3282 runs longer but slower than competing laptops. We're not thrilled with the performance hit, but we still found lots to like about this well-designed, 14-inch laptop.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.3 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 4.6 lbs, 14 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: Although the Asus K60IJ-RBLX05 is an affordable 16-inch budget laptop, it's missing the processing punch and features that can be had for just a little more money.

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.7 lbs, 16 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: A large-screen laptop with very good performance, the Gateway NV7802u is an attractive choice for home or office.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 7.3 lbs, 17.3 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: The design and portability of the Asus UL50AG make it one of the slickest 15.6-inch DVD-drive-equipped laptops we've seen, but an ultralow-voltage processor compromises its computing power.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.3 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.1 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: Nokia's entry in the crowded Netbook field shows that the company's hardware know-how translates to computer design, but a poor choice of CPU should give you pause.

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 120 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: The Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU is a good, if basic, laptop with a strong price-to-performance ratio.

Specs: Intel Pentium (2.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: For a budget Windows 7 thin-and-light that won't need to recharge often, you could do a lot worse than the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1309.

Specs: Intel Pentium (1.3 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: The Gateway NV5207u is certainly above average for the money, but its processor is a dog.

Specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 6.8 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix