BenQ Joybook 5100U - Pentium M 1.5 GHz - 15" TFT

Advantages: Looks good, Fast, Cheap, Great graphics
Disadvantages: Flimsy feel, not enough RAM

...BenQ? Had you heard of them a few months ago? Well I hadn’t. BenQ are new to Europe although they are well established in the Middle East. If you hadn’t heard of them before Euro 2004 you must do now! When I saw this laptop for an insanely low price a few months ago I was a little skeptical, but after days of research I couldn’t find anything to compete with it, and became more confident about BenQs reputation. So I went ahead and bought it, and I can honestly say this was the best thing I have ever spent £850 on! The laptop comes with the Centrino 1.4Ghz which is approximately equivalent to the P4 2.2Ghz, with the benefits of greatly increased battery life. BenQs quoted life of 6h is not far off from the actual 5 hours that you get from the battery. It also comes with all the standard bits: DVD/CD-RW drive, 256Mb RAM... Read review

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Advantages: Stylish, fast, packed full of features
Disadvantages: Short battery life, heats up quickly

...After spending a long time deliberating over which notebook to buy, I happened upon the BenQ JoyBook 8000 second hand & can't believe how packed with features it is. Appearance With a brushed steel effect cover & the Q Media buttons on the front, the JoyBook 8000 really is a classically stylish machine. The keyboard is very slightly translucent with deep blusih-grey keys, whilst there is a brass coloured strip around the edge of the case to stop it from looking too surgical. Screen Resolution & Clarity Despite being a couple of years old already, the Joybook's screen is a sharp & crisp 15.2" TFT active matrix widescreen, allowing for a startling clear picture. Connectivity I was astonished by the number of ports on this: 4 USB, 2 firewire (IEEE 1394), ethernet, modem, S-video out, RCA connector, parallel port, VGA & a PC card slot... Read review

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Advantages: Battery Life, Portability, Performance
Disadvantages: Could be zippier

...This laptop is a great compromise of performance, battery life, features and size. Firstly, being a 14.1" Model, it is noticeably more compact than comparable 15" and 15.4" widescreen models. The TFT Screen is clear and sharp, and perfectly suitable for all windows applications. The standard out-of-the box specs of this machine are quite reasonable, with 256Mb DDR Ram, 30GB Hard Disk Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive and wireless connectivity as well as traditional networking features. The Processor is a Centrino class Pentium M (Mobile) 1.4Ghz. The real benefit of such a chip is the power saving features. Most wireless notebooks utilising other processors will chew through the batteries in a matter of a couple of hours, but this little beauty will hold charge even with wireless switched on for up to 6, yes that's right six hours! this thing... Read review

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