We run down some of the best rated laptops and desktops available now, along with a few of the most exciting models that will launch in the months to come.
Whether you’re looking to surf from an ultralight netbook at your favorite coffee shop, tear into opponents on a gaming PC, or edit family videos on a touch-friendly all-in-one desktop, this year’s crop of laptops and desktops offers a bounty of power and flexibility at prices that have never been more reasonable. We’ve compiled some of the most worthy machines on the market today, along with a few of the most promising upcoming hardware, to highlight some of 2010’s best laptops and desktops.
HP TouchSmart 300$800+
HP has been producing finger-friendly desktops under its TouchSmart moniker for years now, but the native touch features added with Windows 7 truly bring this system into its own. Besides integrating touch even more tightly with the , a reasonable $800 price tag, more refined build quality and 2.8GHz AMD Athlon II X2 240e processor coupled with ATI graphics make the TouchSmart 300 a great value.
Check out our HP TouchSmart 300 Review.
Lenovo ThinkPad X100e$449+
Netbooks don’t have to feel cheap. With the X100e, Lenovo has bred real ThinkPad durability and build quality into a machine only a little more expensive than your average netbook. An 11.6-inch display and AMD Neo processor help further differentiate it from the toy-like netbook crowd, but be warned: battery life does suffer a bit. Expect no more than four hours under typical use.
Sony Vaio CW Series$810+
The name “Sony” doesn’t typically end up in the same sentence with “bargain,” but we think the Vaio CW Series is just that. Even the most barebones CW notebooks come equipped with Intel’s new Core i3 processor, dedicated Nvidia GeForce graphics with 256MB on-board memory, a 320GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM. Wrap it all up in one of six metallic finishes that wouldn’t look out of place at a Audi dealership and you’re looking at one fast, attractive notebook for the cash.
Check out our Sony Vaio CW Series Review.
HP Pavilion MS225$600
While most manufacturers have resigned to borrowing anemic netbook hardware for all-in-one PCs in this price range, HP has managed to outfit the MS225 with a legit AMD Athlon II X2 250u. It’s no speed demon by a long shot, but when you consider the MS225 sweetens the deal with its own 18-inch screen and peripherals, you can’t get much more bang for the buck from an all-in-one.
Check out our HP Pavilion MS225 Review.
