Apple MacBook Pro Vs HP Pavilion Laptops 8444095

top 5 laptops2Happy Cyber Monday everybody! One trend we've noticed this year is a high interest in basic laptops. Many people it seems are interested in machines that are lightweight, easy to use, and offer long battery life. With the release of Windows 7 (in October) and the development of the CULV CPU (this summer) there are now many choices available. Gone are the days of laptops with 2-4 hour battery life - some of these newer machines can achieve 8-10 hours before needing to be pluged in. Take a look at the Top 5 Basic Laptops for November 2009.

HP Pavilion DV6-2144NR AMD Turion II 15.65. HP Pavilion dv6-2144NR $750 at Newegg; $760 at PC Mall & ClubMac. If you're scouting for a Laptop that has all the features of basic computing combined with enough zip for entertainment and mulitasking take a look at HP's Pavilion DV6-2144NR. This mid-range laptop is part of HP's Pavilion dv6z Series. It's designed with a 15.6" widescreen HD LED-backlit display with HP's BrightView technology and a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. It features an AMD Turion II dual-core processor with 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB hard drive. The DV6-2144NR includes an integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD graphics card as well as a built-in webcam, microphone, and DVD burner. It also has 4 USB ports, HDMI input, eSATA/USB combo port, 5-in-1 card reader, and an Expresscard slot.

User Opinions: The DV6-2144NR has 25 reviews with a 4 egg rating at Newegg. Many Newegg reviewers indicate that the reason they bought this HP is the video card which produces high-performance 3D graphics and is very powerful. The machine has HDMI out, plenty of RAM, is very responsive, and can multitask fantastically. One user said "I'm listening to music, downloading torrents, have Firefox open with 10 tabs, playing World of Warcarft in the background, and copying 10GB from my flash drive without a speed reduction." The DV6-2144NR comes out of the box ready to roll loaded with Windows 7; it has enough ran to comfortably run Windows 7 & Vista. The DV6's also has a full speed (7200rpm) hard drive which gives fast performance and speed relative to modern desktops. One user summed it up saying "this laptop has everything, and it all works.Exactly what I expected from HP."

ASUS P50IJ-X1 Intel Pentium dual-core 15.64. ASUS P50IJ-X1. $450 at Newegg. The ASUS P50IJ-X1 comes equipped with an Intel Pentium Dual Core and 4GB of memory so you can run even the most demanding applications confidently. The included 320GB hard disk allows you to work on your most important files, whether they're large images, videos or more! The 16-inch display gives you all of the viewing real estate you need to finish tasks without feeling cramped. Whatever you're viewing will also look good thanks to the Intel GMA 4500M graphics processor. Best of all, the ASUS P50IJ-X1 comes installed with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. You'll be ready to tackle anything now and well into the future!

User Opinions: You'll find that P50IJ-X1 has 15 reviews with a 4 egg rating at Newegg. Most Newegg users agree that the P50IJ-X1 is a very nice computer. It feels well built, screen is very bright, quick and responsive, and doesn't get hot. [http://www.shopping-battery.com/hp/pavilion-dv6.htm HP Pavilion dv6 battery] life is 3 to 4+ hours depending on what you are doing. The PC runs Google Earth without studders. Users like the numeric keypad and textured plastic outside. The screen feels very large and has a great veiwing angle. ASUS is an overall top quality laptop maker. They provide a 2 year warranty and 1 year damage warranty for the P50IJ-X1.

3. Acer Timeline AS3810TZ-4078. $650 Newegg, $599 at Amazon. Acer has just released new version of their popular Acer Timeline Series. The Acer AS3810TZ-4078 has many great things all in one package: 8-10 hour battery life, fast CPU, quiet operation, excellent screen quality, and evenly spaced keyboard. Another bonus: it comes with Windows 7! Yeah! The only negative is that you'll have to get rid of the bloatware the machine comes preinstalled with. This a great system for students or business people on the go or for basis everyday computing. Some users are getting beyond 10 hours with minor system tweaking. Newegg just recently started selling the AS3810TZ-4078 and therefore there's only 6 reviews with a 5 egg rating. Be sure to read our full review on the Acer Timeline.

User Opinions: Most users love this laptop. The AS3810TZ-4078 has a speedy Dual core CPU, Windows 7, is cool and quiet, and has a nice keyboard feel. This machine has the battery life, weight, and size of a netbook but the screen and power of a high-end laptop. The 13.3" screen is high quality and feels right-sized, not small sized. While the win score is unimpressive on graphics, this computer has plenty of zip. With a sleek design and stellar battery life this laptop is the perfect balance.

TOSHIBA Satellite L505D-S5986 AMD Athlon II 15.62. TOSHIBA Satellite L505D-S5986. $550 at Newegg; $539 at Amazon. The L505D-S5986 is an affordable, entry-level laptop from Toshiba's Satellite L500 series. The laptop has a 15.6" widescreen LCD display with Toshiba's TruBrite technology. It features an AMD Athlon II Dual-Core processor with 3GB DDR2 SDRAM and a 250GB hard drive. The L505D-S5986 is designed with a standard DVD SuperMulti drive and comes with an ATI Radeon 4100 graphics card. The L505D currently has 30 reviews with 30 total reviews at Newegg.

User Opinions: Newegg users indicate this a pretty good laptop. The screen is bright and clear, and is really easy to read. Keyboard is comfortable, easy to use, and feels natural. The overall aesthetics of the laptop are pleasing to the eye, and make me wish I could get another one. The L505D-S5986 is unbelievably fast and stable laptop; it runs quiet and cool. Toshiba builds high quality laptops. For those who loose patience with slow systems this capable laptop is not slow. The speakers won't blow you away in terms of quality and sound output. It runs some games pretty good, such as Team Fortress 2, Warcraft 3 and Company of Heroes. The L505D-S5986 is probably the best value system that can currently be found at such a low price.

lenovo G550(2958-A5U) Intel Pentium dual-core 15.61. Lenovo G550. $550 at Newegg, PC Mall, and Club Mac; $599 at Amazon. The G550 has an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor and has 3GB DDR3 SDRAM allowing faster multitasking times. Those interested in graphics and multimedia will also be happy to know the G550 has a 15.6" display screen using 16:9 HD format. This makes viewing latest movies in HD easier as the horizontal black lines are no longer visible. The G550 is light, chic with choice of hairline or textured design and has a full-sized ergonomic keyboard. Unlike most laptops, the G550 keyboard also includes a number pad for added convenience. Whether for work, school or pleasure, the G550 will fit anyone's budget. This notebook has a 4 egg rating at Newegg with 26 reviews

Review Summaries: According to NotebookCheck the G550 is a great notebook for everyday use and simple office/internet tasks. It offers good performance for those with absolutely no demands for a high level of graphics. The screen is brightwith vibrant colors but is also glossy (reflective screen indoors). NotebookReview indicates the keyboard is easy to type on and durable. The G550 has a battery life is about 4 hours 18 minutes - not the best choice for those need all day use. The laptop's shell is very tough and durable. Lenovo dropped some features to reach the $550 price point. They're positing the G550 for basic simple computing and everyday use.