Advantages: Powerful, good graphics, large screen, removable battery
Disadvantages: Short battery life, heavy, not really portable

...I've had my 1714SMi for about 2 years now, and it still works as well as the day I bought it. It has a large screen (17", 1280x1024) 128MB dedicated GeForce 5700Go graphics, a 3.4GHz P4, a gig of RAM and a 120GB hard drive. In a laptop! The media buttons are reliable and convenient (though the Shuffle button doesn't seem to work with iTunes!) and the size of the screen has allowed them to include a Num pad. I have put excellent for comfort and portability - because its that comfortable to use. Its really not portable. I don't know what the manufacturer support is like, because I haven't needed to use it. The system restore discs (while the hardware is excellent, Windows is still lacking) are EXCELLENT - it restored Windows and the machine to factory settings in TEN MINUTES! At the time I bought this I couldn't even match... Read review

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Advantages: FAST, Retail box comes with fan, sticker, manual
Disadvantages: More expensive than Celerons, AMDs, etc

...Okay, so I bought myself a motherboard (see Asus P4C800-E Deluxe review) to build a computer but it’s not a computer without the rest of the components. One of these other components I needed was the CPU. “HUH? A C-P-What?!!!”….Well since you ask, I will tell you. CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit (aka: Processor). This is the computer’s brain and it plays an important role in a computer. This is where all the information ‘processed’ and where all the calculations are done. Generally, the faster the CPU, the better the performance but there are other factors to take into consideration. It usually looks like a square metal thing, with gold pins underneath but Pentium 3’s have a single connector that slots into a slot rather than use pins. The CPU I am reviewing is Intel’s Pentium 4 (P4 for short) 3.2GHz CPU. This one has... Read review

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Advantages: All you need in one box
Disadvantages: Not much memory

...is however quite good with a variety of quick-launch multimedia keys. These are quite useful as it saves going through the start menu for launching items such as Internet Explorer and E-mail. In addition the keyboard is quite ergonomically designed with palm rest, very useful for comfort if you a doing a lot of word processing. I have found the PC to be very fast and stable, even when playing demanding on-line games with high memory usage, my Acer performs extremely well. This is helped by the use of the 3Ghz Intel P4 / 530 processor installed, which from my experience so far provides a very stable environment. Whilst this may not be as quick as the newer generation dual core processors, it does perform with admirable results. Slightly disappointing is the machine is still being supplied with Windows XP Pro installed. I have actually... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap and does everything I need it to.
Disadvantages: Stopped doing what I needed it to.

...I bought this Acer laptop from Comet in Perth. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time, a cheap laptop that I could use between my home and my girlfriend's in Dundee. I have had one or two problems with it, but Acer have a good support service that has sorted these out fairly quickly. The first problem was the battery charger stopped recharging the battery. According to Acer this is a common problem and they sent a new box out and that sorted the problem out once it arrived a few days later and I started using the new charger. The second problem also involved the battery charging and initially I was all set to cause havoc and get my money back. However, Acer asked if I would send the laptop back and arranged to get it collected from my house. I did have to pack the laptop up and make sure it wouldn't be damaged intransit... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, good quality for playing games
Disadvantages: slow, freezes easily, short term battery life

...The Acer was perfect when i first found it as i wanted just a cheap Laptop so that i could keep in contact with my fiancee when i moved away via email. The first problem i found with it is that after charging it fully, the battery will only last for an hour maximum, I rang the support number for this and was however informed that this is the case with most Laptops, Im not quite sure if this is true or not. Playing games on this laptop however is one of the better features as they play extremely well and are up to speed. However another problem i have had is that the screen tends to freeze quite often when doing the smallest of things such as writing with the word package. The look of the laptop is satisfactory and it is not to big like some of the laptops i have seen. Another problem i have had with this is that the buttons tend to fall... Read review

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Advantages: Speed, big HD, High res screen
Disadvantages: fan positioning, heat, heavy PSU

...I was after a desktop replacement that offered a really high res screen (1600x1200), big hard drive and a fast CPU. After much looking around, it seemed like the Dell 5150 fitted the bill. The price was too high though so I kept an eye on Dell's refrurbished/cancelled orders site, Dell Outlet until one turned up at about 35% off the list price. Deal done. I got a free wireless keyboard/mouse, free USB memory stick and reduced delivery in to the bargain. The machine is a couple of years old now so some of the spec isn't exactly leading edge but at the time it was state of the art: 3.06Ghz HT CPU. The HT = Hyperthreading which means the CPU can do more than one thing at a time and appears to Windows as 2 seperate CPUs. The modern version, done properly as 2 real CPUs in a chip is the Core Duo range from Intel or the X2's from AMD... Read review

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Advantages: Bright and clear screen, Spacious keyboard, which is fast and resposnsive, convenient and clear (sometimes drags on some laptops) mouse pad, Comes with Windows xp, Very fast with a 2.6GHZ Processor, and 512MB!! Of RAM, DVD Rom is better than my DVD Playe
Disadvantages: Delicate (but which laptops arent?), Quite heavy @ around 9 pounds (nearing a stone), Only comes in the same old same old colour of metallic grey

...for it to be upgraded to a maximum of 2048 MB of ram) So, now imagine 512 MB. The only example I can give you, to show you how well it handles itself, is that, I had Adobe Photoshop 5.5. Running, 4 or 5 Netscape windows running, MSN messenger, my email in Internet explorer, and also trying to play a game with a my friend (age of empires 2) in a window. The laptop didn’t even moan, whinge, cry, pop up loads of warnings. Nothing. Just went on like a breeze. This has also got to do partly with its Athlon XP-M 2.6Ghz in built processor, which is an absolute beast of a processor. A lot of people tend to shy away from Athlons, I even have in the past, but they really are just as good as P4, or any other processor on the market at the same speed. * Ergonomics * Well, it is a handsome looking thing, but at the end of the day, some people, like me, would... Read review

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Advantages: power price
Disadvantages: battery life

...and doom 3 no probs The processor is a P4 3litre HT beast, very fast, very power hungry.. which brings me onto the only downside - battery life - or the lack of.. unfortunately, lasts around an hour-ish. not too great, but this is a desktop replacement right? not meant for too much of the mobile life. but in all honesty, when youre playing games on it youre not gonna be moving, so it doesnt really matter too much - office apps dont hog much processing power though. so it really comes down to what you want from a laptop - battery life and mobility, or something that performs as well as a desktop whilst being easier to move and looking a lot better, and not taking up a desk-sized space. if you want battery life, buy a centrino. if you want performance, buy this.... Read review

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Advantages: Quality, design, performance
Disadvantages: No printed User Manual!

...I lucked-into this purchase, having initially bought a Dixons “generic” laptop with similar specifications, which ceased to function within four hours of getting it home. I replaced it at Comet with the V25 P4 2.8, for an additional £100. Thankfully, over the past four weeks the Samsung product has restored my feelings of pride in new ownership. The first thing to notice about this machine is its slick design and excellent build-quality. Its casing is nicely put together, and doesn’t flex or warp. The keyboard has a nice positive feel to it, doesn’t bounce about like those on “cheapo” laptops – and doesn’t leave you feeling crippled after several hours typing. The touch-pad is easy to use and enables precise cursor positioning (though I use a PS/2 mouse for preference). The TEAC combo CD/DVD-RW is reassuringly robust. Samsung... Read review

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Advantages: DVD re-writer, Fast at 3ghz
Disadvantages: Incredible heat build-up, Immense fan noise

...The Acer 2702WLMi may come with a blazing fast Pentium 4 at 3ghz, 256mb RAM DDR and a DVD-ReWriter, yet to call it a laptop is ridiculous. My unit builds up heat so fast that it is necessary to prop it up on a small book to enable enough air to reach the underside of the unit for it to stay usable. On many occasions has it switched itself off due to heat, resulting in a rather frustrating experience. In its favour, the processor, DVD-ReWriter and its rather large hard drive are very useful. However, the heat problem and the massive amount of fan noise it generates are just too much to make me recommend this to other buyers. On the same note, the battery life of this beast has been a measly 40 minutes in my experience. Booting up the unit takes 7% of the battery before I've even begun. This is a desktop replacement, not a portable... Read review

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