Best Desktop Replacement Laptops

For the past year, Gateway has been offering some very strong values in their P series laptops. Their latest model, the P-7807u FX has a list price just $1099 but you get a lot fro this. It comes equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, 4GB of DDR3, 320GB hard drive, dual layer DVD burner and 802.11a/g/n wireless. While it comes with a fairly powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS graphics processor with 1GB of memory, the 17-inch panel has a fairly low resolution at just 1440x900. It also is relatively heavy for a 17-inch laptop weight in at just over 9 pounds. Still, dollar for dollar it is one of the best values on the market today.

For a strong all-around laptop system, the HP Pavilion HDX 18 is one of the most rounded in terms of features with a good price. Their latest version of the laptop comes with the new Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 quad-core mobile processor that allows it to handle multitasking and multithreaded applications better. Those that need to store lots of applications files will be happy to see the 500GB hard drive. Multimedia fans will be thrilled to see the Blu-ray combo drive and 18.4-inch 1920x1080 display allowing them to watch high definition videos. About the only downside is the date NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics that do a decent job with games but isn't going to be running at the highest resolutions. Prices run around $1650 to $1700.

There are a large number of expensive high performance gaming laptops on the market, but if you want something that offers a good level of performance without getting overly expensive, the iBUYPOWER Battalion 101 M571TU is an excellent choice. It is powered by a high end Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor with 2GB of DDR3 memory. Storage is fast with a 320GB hard drive. But gamers care about the graphics and this is packed with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics with 1GB of memory and a 1920x1200 resolution 17-inch panel. One big downside is that the cooling fans can get quit loud when under heavy use. This lets it run games very fast and at high resolutions. Of course, users can modify these selections to adjust the price and performance.

If you want a large screen laptop but want to have it be portable, than the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch is the clear choice. The system has a very thin profile of just 1-inch high and a very low 6.6 pound weight. Performance is also quite strong thanks to the use of a fast 2.8GHz dual-core Intel processor with 4GB of DDR3 memory. It also has plenty of storage space thanks to a large 500GB hard drive. Their new polymer battery also gives the system some incredible battery life that can't be matched among 17-inch laptops. So, why isn't it more highly praised? The system still carries a very high price tag of $2499. It portability is key, it is a small price to pay for such a mobile platform.

For anyone that needs to do graphics work at a professional level, the display is a critical aspect for your computer. Lenovo has made some serious investment in the display of the ThinkPad W700 to ensure that it meets the needs of graphics professional. It does this by providing a high resolution 17-inch laptop display with a built-in color calibration system to ensure that the color is accurately rendered. Another feature that many graphics professional may like is the built-in Wacom tablet. Performance is strong thanks to a Core 2 Duo T9600 processor and DDR3 memory. The downside is that this system is not cheap with prices over $2000 and even higher for those interested in the new dual-screen version.