Acer TravelMate 800XCi
Acer's TravelMate 800XCi is an average all around thin and light notebook. With a few upgrades, it could prove to be a very good system. ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 9600 Pro
ATI's All-In-Wonder Radeon 9600 Pro is an evolutionary wonder that makes an excellent multimedia graphics card providing a wide range of features, as long as you don't use a DVI based monitor. Vantec ICEBERQ CCB-A1C VGA and Chipset Cooling Kit
Vantec's ICEBERQ CCB-A1C VGA and chipset cooling solution is an improvement over most OEM solutions, but its performance is not overwhelming making it less suitable for extreme overclocking. HP Pavilion a250n
HP's Pavilion a250n is really targeted torwards the multimedia enthusiast by providing an excellent set of capabilities in this system at a good price. HP Pavilion a300n
HP's Pavilion a300n budget desktop system provides a very capable computer with excellent peripheral connectivity for under $500. HP Pavilion ze4502us
Those looking for a good all around notebook computer system for under $1000 can't go wrong looking at the HP Pavilion ze4502us. HP Pavilion ze5470us
The HP Pavilion ze5470 could be a decent desktop replacement notebook if only the display and graphics processor weren't so poor. Dell Dimension 2400
If you are willing to watch for Dell's changes on the sub-$500 configuration of the Dimension 2400, you can walk away with a very strong machine for the money. Gateway 310SE
If price is all that matter, the Gateway 310SE is the least expensive system but that also means it has the least features. eMachines T2542
eMachines is a name synonymous with low cost PCs, the T2542 is a good all around system as long as you don't need the latest software bundle with the system. Compaq Presario S5000nx
The Compaq Presario S5000nx is a fairly good machine with the large drawback of only shipping with 128 MB of memory and no AGP expansion slot. IBM ThinkCentre A30
IBM's ThinkCentre A30 comes from a company known for quality, but in the $500 budget market there are others that provide more features. Microtel SYSD1001
Microtel's SYSD1001 budget system provides an amazingly fast processor for a budget desktop system under $500. Polywell Poly 845GL1
Polywell's Poly 845GL1 budget desktop computer is a mix of high quality components and low system specs which ends up with an average system for under $500. AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Processor
AMD's Athlon XP 2500+ is a very strong CPU for the budget minded consumer and its price to performance when overclocked is simply astounding. WinBook M102
WinBook's M102 value notebook computer has a fairly good list of features and an incredible range and number of ports for connecting external peripherals. Toshiba Satellite A10-S127
The Toshiba Satellite A10-S127 doesn't have any major draw over its competitors, but it does come with the more robust Windows XP Professional OS. IBM ThinkPad R40 Value
While IBM makes a high quality system, there are much better values in the sub-$1000 market than the R40 value edition. Gateway M305X
Gateway's M305X budget laptop is clearly targeting media savy users even if it lacks a FireWire port. Dell Inspiron 1100
Dell's Inspiron 1100 budget system is a hit or miss product. Its base configuration is nothing special, but good deals can be found through Dell's special offers. Compaq Presario 2172us
Compaq's Presario 2172us laptop is the most powerful notebook computer currently available for under $1000. Averatec 3150H
The Averatec 31050H is the smallest and lightest notebook that can be found for under $1000, but it sacrifices some features. Acer TravelMate TM242X
Acer's TravelMate 242X makes for a very average budget notebook system that features the latest Celeron CPU but lacks CD-RW or productivity software features. Toshiba Satellite Pro M10-S405
If you aren't too concerned with the weight or size compared to other thin and light systems, the Toshiba Satellite Pro M10-S405 offers a lot of performance. Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A1
If style is all that matters, consider the Sony VAIO PCG-Z1 systems but for its price you can find better performance and features elsewhere. | 