All Laptops

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

The Bottom Line: Good design and some really nice-sounding speakers round out the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6980, a very affordable mainstream laptop with excellent battery life for its size.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 7.2 lbs, 16 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: Sony's bold experiment--a high-end luxury system with essentially Netbook components--makes an enviable coffee shop conversation piece, but one that includes some serious sticker shock.

Specs: Intel Atom (2 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 128 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 1.6 lbs, 11.1 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS

The Bottom Line: While it's hard to argue with a $330 laptop, the old-fashioned-looking L455-S5975 cuts some serious corners to get you a package that will suit only basic users.

Specs: Intel Celeron (2.2 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 15.6 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard, 4.7 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: Toshiba revives its Qosmio gaming line with the high-end X505. It has everything from Blu-ray to an Intel Core i7 CPU, but it also carries a premium price.

Specs: Intel Core i7 (1.60 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 64 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 18.4 in TFT active matrix

The Bottom Line: Lenovo's Windows 7 upgrade to the ThinkPad SL500 keeps the price affordable, and features a consumer-friendly 16:9 display.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 3072 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.3 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS

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