Best Laptops - TheLaptopAuthority.com

These best laptops offer a range of power options based on price, from value processors like Intel Celeron and AMD Sempron chips to the more costly and powerful Intel Pentium M and Core Duo chips, plus AMD's Turion 64 processors.

These systems feature a good mix of multimedia components, such as recordable DVD drives, high capacity hard drives, and mid-tier graphics processors.

Most casual gamers will enjoy playing games on a mainstream notebook, but the 3D graphics may leave hard-core gamers underwhelmed.

Powered by a 1.66-GHz Intel T2300 Core Duo processor, the Acer Aspire 5670 delivers solid performance and a good array of multimedia features at a reasonable price. It shows that this system has what it takes to run today's 3D games, thanks in part to ATI's Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics.

The 5670 is well equipped with a massive 120GB hard drive, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a slot-loading DVD burner, and a crisp 15.4-inch widescreen display featuring Acer's Crystal Brite filtering technology. The Aspire also packs a built-In 1.3-megapixel webcam, DVD and CD player controls, a digital video-out (DVI) port, and an SPDIF audio jack The Acer Arcade feature provides easy access to your multimedia files. Throw in four USB ports, a 5-in-1 media card reader, S-Video, and a FireWire port, and you've got one of the most well-rounded mainstream notebooks out there.

With a 1.83-GHz Intel Core Duo processor and 512MB of memory, the HP dv5000t turned in solid scores on benchmark tests. The system's 60GB hard drive is a bit on the small side, but you can use the multi-format/dual layer DVD burner to archive some larger files. Where the dv5000t really shines is battery power: using the 12-cell battery, this system lasted an amazing 7.5 hours unplugged. It will set you back an extra $39, but its money well spent.

As With other HP notebooks, the dv5000t offers QuickPlay, which bypasses Windows to display pictures and play movies and music, Movies look superb on the 15.4-inch display, but take note of its highly reflective surface. You can configure the system with Windows MCE and an ExpressCard TV tuner to record your favorite TV programs. An optional Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card makes this system an attractive choice for gamers.

One of the first notebooks equipped with Graphics Control Technology, the Alienware Area-51 m5500 sports the same logo and rubber gill design as its big brother, the m5700. Under the lid is a crisp 1680 x 1050-pixel, 15.4-inch display. Powering the m5500 is a 2-GHz Intel Pentium M 760 chip, with 1GB of memory and a 5,400-rpm 60GB hard drive.

The dual graphics solution allows you to use the Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 graphics card for gaming and playing videos, and the integrated Intel graphics for improved battery life for everyday productivity chores. The system also features a 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11 b/g networking, FireWire, USB, and S/PDIF ports. The price is a little high, but the m5500 looks as good as it performs.

The first Apple notebook to utilize Intel's Core Duo processor (available in 1.83 GHz and 2.16 GHz); the MacBook Pro is poised for greatness. This 5.6-pound beauty sports a brilliant 15.4-inch widescreen display (1440 x 900-pixel resolution) a SuperDrive DVD burner. FireWire, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, plus an ExpressCard slot. Additionally, the MacBook Pro offers wireless and Gigabit Ethernet networking capabilities and features a built-in iSight video camera for conferencing on the go.

Video is driven by an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card with 128MB or 256MB of GDDR3 memory (depending on the model), which is suitable for running most mid-tier 3D games. The MacBook Pro comes with Front Row, a media application that lets you access photos, music, and videos with a click of the included remote control. Thanks to Apple's Boot Camp software, you can even run Windows on this Mac.

Gateway's NX260X features a 14.1-inch widescreen display, a choice of three Intel Core Duo processors, up to 100GB worth of SATA hard drive storage, and a modular drive bay, all in a stylish 5.2-pound chassis. The modular bay lets you hot-swap components to suit your needs; you can plug in supplemental battery packs, additional hard drives, or optical drives as you need them.

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