Top 5 laptops of 2007
Bring it! No, literally. Bring your computer with you. And if you're going to heed that advice, you might as well get one of these portables, because they're the best laptops we've seen all year long.
If you're not afraid to take the Mac OS plunge, it's hard to find a laptop designed with more care and precision than the 13-inch MacBook. This Intel Core 2 Duo-loaded system comes with 1GB of RAM in the cheapest configuration, as well as speedy 802.11n Wi-Fi support.
The latest revision to Dell's flagship line, the massive XPS M1730 features a redesigned case and the highest-end components available, making it arguably the best gaming rig on the market today. We're talking a top-of-the-line Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, Nvidia SLI graphics, the first mobile PhysX processor, and two massive 7,200rpm hard drives.
HP's massive 20-inch Pavilion HDX is a glorious example of conspicuous consumption--overpriced, overpowered, and overwhelmingly cool. HP will probably sell only a handful of these massive 20-inch, 16-pound laptops, but that's beside the point. It's still a great conversation piece to have sitting on your desk, plus it's superpowerful, thanks to the optional Core 2 Extreme mobile CPU.
Only the high price and sluggish performance detract from Sony's inch-thick flagship laptop, the VAIO TZ, which impresses with smart design and fantastic battery life. At $2,299, our VAIO TZ 150 N/B is actually at the low end of Sony's six preconfigured TZ models and lacks the solid-state hard drive of the $3,000-plus versions. Still, for those with expensive tastes and strong sense of aesthetics, there isn't an ultraportable laptop out there that matches the VAIO TZ's industrial design.
Toshiba's Portege R500 is very close to the final word in ultraportable systems. Probably the best-engineered ultraportable laptop on the market right now, the R500 is ultrathin and ultralight, and it will turn heads wherever you go. It manages to squeeze a 12-inch display into a 2.4 lb. package.
