LAPTOPS

Compaq Presario V6102AU

Specifications
AMD Turion X2 TL-50 1.6 GHz; 1 GB RAM; 15.4-inch widescreen LCD; 100 GB HDD; DVD-RW; 802.11 a/b/g

Our Verdict
The dual-core CPU and whopping 1 GB of RAM on this laptop make for blazing-fast performance. The keypad and mouse pad are good enough to make it comfortable for extended use.

The 15.4-inch screen is bright and eminently readable; the viewing angle is 160 degrees-the highest in its category. The NVIDIA 6150 chipset churned out good graphics scores in gaming and other benchmarks. Media control buttons and a Wi-Fi switch make for easy control. The integrated memory card reader supports the most popular formats-SD, MMC, XD and MS Pro. The Compaq Presario V6102AU comes preloaded with much of the software you’d need. Considering the reasonable price tag, this laptop is very well-suited for most first-time laptop buyers.

Runner-Up: ACi Ethos Duo 1430

Dell Inspiron 6400

Specifications
Intel Core Duo T2600 2.16 GHz; 1 GB DDR2 RAM; 15.4-inch widescreen LCD; ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (256 MB); 80 GB HDD; DVDRW; 802.11 a/b/g

Our Verdict
Here’s one true-blue performer. Despite being in the “thin and light” category, its scores equalled those of the Desktop replacements. The 15.4-inch display with a maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050 and good readability under sunlight is just wonderful; combine this with a high viewing angle to ensure less eye fatigue!

The keypad is firm, with responsive keys. The click buttons are fairly large and convenient to use. The laptop features Dell’s MediaDirect buttons, which let you more easily control media playback. For casual gamers, ATI’s Mobility Radeon X1400 with 256 MB of RAM won’t lag while playing most new games. Battery life is decent-in excess of two and a half hours. A stable performer par excellence!

Runner-Up: HP Pavilion dv2025TU

Specifications
Intel Core Duo T2500 2 GHz; 1.5 GB RAM; 12.1-inch widescreen LCD; 120 GB HDD; DVD-RW; 802.11 a/b/g

Our Verdict
Roaring under the delicate exterior, this beauty boasts of hardware that can put other laptops to shame. 1.5 GB of RAM and a 120 GB hard drive make you wonder if it’s a laptop’s specs you’re looking at! Along with memory card reader, there’s also an Express card slot, keeping your options open for any compatible upgrades. All this comes in a compact package at 1.6 kg. A good investment for those who want mobility without compromising on performance.

Runner-Up: Acer TravelMate 3012

Specifications
Intel Core Duo T2600 2.16 GHz; 1 GB RAM, 17-inch widescreen LCD; GeForce Go 7600GT (256 MB); 160 GB HDD (RAID 0); Blu-ray writer; 802.11 a/b/g

Our Verdict
The AR18GP’s 17-inch screen uses Sony’s XBRITE technology to reproduce colours accurately. The display is ready to screen HD movies at 1080p HD resolution. Powering this display is the powerful NVIDIA Go 7600GT, which allows some serious gaming. Relying on two 80 GB hard drives in RAID 0 configuration, the AR18GP has twice the transfer speed compared to the other laptops in this category.

This happens to be the first laptop in the world to ship with a Blu-ray writer. Battery life is two hours-good for Desktop replacements.

Runner-Up: ASUS F3JM