Reviewed on June 26, 2008Dell's first release from its new Studio line, the Studio 15, sits between the Inspiron and XPS lines and offers a good mix of features for the price, but we'd be tempted to save up a few extra dollars for a thinner, lighter XPS.TAGS:Dell Studio, Dell Inspiron, optical drive, Dell, Intel Core 2 Duo, USB 2.0, SD card, laptop computer, Intel
Reviewed on January 13, 2010With a relatively affordable starting price and a new design, the ThinkPad Edge loosens up the ThinkPad look--but losing an optical drive keeps it a yard short of being a top-choice compact business laptop.TAGS:ThinkPad, Lenovo, keyboard, optical drive, Intel, laptop computer, AMD, hard drive
Reviewed on November 11, 2009The design and portability of the Asus UL50AG make it one of the slickest 15.6-inch DVD-drive-equipped laptops we've seen, but an ultralow-voltage processor compromises its computing power.TAGS:ASUS, optical drive, Intel Core 2 Duo, keyboard, laptop computer, operating system
Reviewed on July 31, 2009If you're the restless type, or simply away from electrical outlets for the majority of your day, you'll love the long battery life of the HP Pavilion dv4-1465dx. Be warned: such battery life requires you to tote a laptop that's roughly a pound heavier than its 14-inch competitors.TAGS:HP Pavilion, Dell Studio, design, battery, Toshiba Satellite, optical drive, laptop computer, HP, Toshiba, keyboard, Dell
Reviewed on July 28, 2009Gateway's DX4300-03 is a game attempt at a digital media hub-style PC, but the value proposition just isn't here. Slow performance in particular drags this desktop down, and unless you particularly value a TV tuner, you'll find faster, more capable computers not much farther down the retail shelf.TAGS:Gateway Inc., ASUS, wireless networking, Acer Aspire, TV Tuner, optical drive, 64-bit, networking, TV, Acer Inc., PC
Reviewed on July 31, 2009The eMachines ET1810-03 isn't the fastest or the most attractive computer, but we can't argue with the low price, attractive design, and a complete (if not slightly barren) set of components. If you can deal with the midtower size, it will make for an excellent general purpose PC for the home.TAGS:eMachines Inc., Gateway Inc., optical drive, fax, Intel, Ethernet, modem, Apple Computer, PC, hard drive
Reviewed on February 13, 2009The affordable Gateway LX6810-01 scores high points for offering high-end components right off the shelf. We recommend this system for multimedia editors and light gamers who can make use of its hard-working Nvidia 3D card and full 8GB of RAM. However, if you're looking more at straightforward performance, Dell offers a system with a faster CPU and a similar feature set for about the same price.TAGS:Gateway Inc., optical drive, microphone, FireWire, Serial ATA, gamer, networking, NVidia, video card, Dell
Reviewed on August 17, 2009If you must buy a Nettop, the eMachines EZ1601-01's large screen and category-competitive components make a decent argument for its value among other systems like it. One look at a true budget desktop, or even a Netbook, and the appeal of this system diminishes quickly.TAGS:eMachines Inc., ASUS, graphics chip, optical drive, display, Intel, PC