Top 15 Notebook PCs

The best portables for what you need.

Kalpana Ettenson

Kalpana Ettenson is a PC World senior associate editor.

Finding your ideal notebook depends on how you'll use it. Will it sit on your desktop? Will it travel wherever you go? Or will it do something in between?

Here are PC World's favorite notebooks, in three categories. For more information, visit PC World's Reviews section.

Desktop Replacement

1. HP Pavilion Dv1000: 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 14-inch wide-screen, 6.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. A docking station and great speakers make this well-designed notebook good for playing multimedia. Price when ranked: $1933.

2. Dell Inspiron 8600: 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.4-inch wide-screen, 8.3 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive. Nice touches and a well-thought-out design, plus good sound quality, make up for this speedy laptop's bulky case. Price when ranked: $2480.

3. HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc6000: 1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. This lightweight corporate notebook comes with dual wireless capabilities and offers the longest battery life of any notebook in these rankings. Price when ranked: $1874.

4. Dell Latitude D600: 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.4 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive. Fast and light, this full-featured notebook offers a multipurpose bay (slip in a variety of drives, or an extra battery) and a pair of pointing devices, so you can choose what works best. Price when ranked: $2125.

5. IBM ThinkPad T42: 1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.3 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. It comes with a fingerprint reader, which we found to be a bit finicky, but if there's anything you can't figure out, this laptop has an industry-leading animated electronic manual. Did we mention the keyboard rules? Price when ranked: $1879.

All-Purpose Notebook

1. Acer TravelMate 8000: 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15-inch screen, 7.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+-RW/-RAM drive. This business laptop boasts an elegant design, moderate weight, and a multipurpose DVD burner. Price when ranked: $2499.

2. IBM ThinkPad R51: 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor, 15-inch wide-screen, 7.4 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. The slim R51 suits users who don't require many bells and whistles. And it has an excellent keyboard. Price when ranked: $1699.

3. Polywell PolyNote 3015A: 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, 15.4-inch wide-screen, 7.6 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive. This fast laptop has a firm keyboard, a swappable DVD burner, and convenient audio control buttons. Price when ranked: $2499.

4. Fujitsu LifeBook S7010: 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 14.1-inch wide-screen, 5.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. The lightweight S7010 is a good choice for business travelers, but we don't like the fact that the hard drive isn't user upgradeable. Price when ranked: $1919.

5. MPC TransPort T2200: 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 14.1-inch screen, 6.9 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. This handsome notebook offers the extra security of a fingerprint reader but we found it harder to use than most notebooks because the mouse buttons aren't well-designed. Price when ranked: $2002.

6. Gateway M320XL: 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 15-inch screen, 6.5 pounds, 80GB hard drive, DVD+-RW drive. Lightweight yet loaded with a huge (for a portable) 80GB hard drive, the stylish M320XL is an uncomplicated, highly affordable road machine. Price when ranked: $1349.

Ultraportable

1. Dell Latitude X300: 1.4-GHz Pentium M Low Voltage 738 processor, 12.1-inch screen, 4 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive. This relatively fast Latitude is highly expandable, thanks to the best docking station we've seen in this class. Price when ranked: $2364.

2. Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D: 1.1-GHz Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 713 processor, 10.6-inch screen, 4.1 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. This subnotebook comes with a fingerprint reader and lasts ages on a battery charge. We also like its spare card slots for adding features. Price when ranked: $2149.

3. Dell Inspiron 700m: 1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor, 12.1-inch wide-screen, 4.8 pounds, 60GB hard drive, DVD+RW drive. This strongly built, lightweight laptop offers a wide-aspect screen but a cramped keyboard. Price when ranked: $1916.

4. IBM ThinkPad X40: 1.2-GHz Low Voltage Pentium M processor, 12.1-inch screen, 5.6 pounds, 40GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. The ultraportable ThinkPad boasts the finest keyboard for its size. Its optical drive is USB- or dock-based. Price when ranked: $2299.