01.Introduction
Test results for 10 multimedia laptops from $1600 to $4000
Looking for budget laptops? Visit our article on low cost laptops for more details.
If you’re looking for a successor to your trusty old desktop computer but don’t want the bulk of a traditional PC, you might want to consider a portable multimedia powerhouse instead.
Like smaller laptops, these have the all-in-one design with hinged lid containing the screen, integrated into a one-piece package for mobility. But what distinguishes them from the ultraportable, student budget laptops and family all-rounder laptop categories is that they tend to have more of everything: More power, more memory, more room on screen, more storage space and more features.
So, if you want a computer with lots of features, such as widescreens up to 19 inches, multiple-core processors, dual graphics cards and room for several internal hard drives on some models, but which you can move around relatively easily, this could be the way to go.
Our tested models included at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of memory (RAM), a dual-core processor, at least a 120 GB hard drive, a built-in webcam and at least a 15.4 inch widescreen. One of the models was an Apple, running the Mac OS X operating system (but which can also run Windows, which we used for part of the performance testing).
See all our laptops and netbooks reviews.
Please note: this information was current as of June 2008 but is still a useful guide to today's market.
As well as looking at their features, we scored them for:
- Ease of use
- Performance
- We also tested battery life and calculated their annual energy cost
Models tested
- Apple MacBook Pro 17 Inch
- Asus M51SN-AP003G
- BenQ R56-BV30
- Dell XPS M1730
- Lenovo IdeaPad Y510-300
- LG S900-U.CPS1A
- Optima CentorisV870 Series
- Pioneer Dreambook D901C
- QDI MX100
- Toshiba Satellite X200
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