Best Notebooks - PC Platform, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Operating System, 15 to 20 in. Display Size

'Peak volume levels were enough to fill a small room, but if you plan on sharing a movie inside a dorm room, it might be wise to connect the laptop to a set of external surround speakers.'

'An HDMI port makes it simple to transfer high-quality audio and video to an HDTV, giving the laptop a second function as a Blu-ray movie player.'

'spectacular performance scores'

'notebook feel sturdy, overall feeling'

'Battery life is by no means bad, either.'

'The 15.4-inch matte display is clear, and matte displays are always a plus because they are less reflective.'

'It will keep all your documents,reports and videos safe and at your fingertips on a 160GB hard drive.'

'fast system response'

'the typically excellent ThinkPad build quality makes this a system that will have a long lifespan'

'The sombre black chassis is one of the sturdiest you can buy, and perfect for the rigours of frequent travel use'

'It's still pricey when configured for power users, but the typical excellent ThinkPad build quality makes this a system that should enjoy a long lifespan'

'The build quality is excellent and working with the system (for example, swapping the hard drive) was a breeze'

'Slimmed-down design'

'excellent budget notebook'

'Fast for a budget laptop'

'Much of their consumer product lines have been relegated to the budget categories and the latest C500 series of Presario notebooks is very clearly targeted at being as low cost as possible.'

'very good laptop'

'The whole notebook feels rugged but sleek, thanks to its curved finish.'