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The 10 Best Rated Laptops Reviewed

You'll find out about the 10 best rated laptops on the market today as well as the most relevant, valuable and understandable buying advice. Buying a laptop is a significant investment, and for most of us selecting the right laptop will require making difficult decisions and compromises.

When choosing a best rated laptop looking over all of the available features and options can be a difficult process. After all, the options and choices are quite extensive and it is quite easy to become lost.

In order to protect yourself, and to ensure that you're getting most from your investment, you need to select a good quality unit.

Keeping something that will last a few years is very important in order to ensure you have a good quality computer that will give you what you need.

We hope that providing you with a list of the best rated laptops will help you cut through the clutter and better find that laptop that will best serve you for years to come.

 

1. Dell XPS M1530

A sleek-looking and high performance best rated laptops. The XPS sports noteworthy features including a highly impressive 2.0 mega pixel webcam integration and an enhanced-capture microphone array. This multimedia machine also offers the powerful nVidia 8600m graphics card. Get the best of all worlds, elegance, power, and performance.

Dell XPS M1530 Laptop

Our best rated laptop comes with a Hi-Definition display of 800 lines of resolution, better than the 720-line Hi-Def standard. The HDMI output allows for connection to an external Hi-def display providing image and sound transfer.

With a slim profile and polished chrome detailing, the XPS M1530 is the ultimate illustration of industrial design. With its 15.4-inch screen, it is the larger version of Dell's XPS M1330, available in black, red, midnight blue and white colors. Made with materials designed for aesthetics, durability, and a light-weight, this laptop really stands out.

Dell offers versions of this premier laptop with RAM up to 4GB and hard drive capacity from 120GB to 250 GB. Standard with these laptops is a biometric fingerprint scanner for security which also makes it possible for you to access different programs easily using different fingers. Prices can range from $999.99 to $1,874.00.

2. Lenovo ThinkPad T61

The ThinkPad T61, released in May of 2007, is still one of the best rated laptops available on the market today. It's an improvement upon the popular T60, with the Intel Centrino Duo platform, including an even sturdier build with extra port options. The model comes with either 14.1" or 15.4" monitor displays. These best rated laptops can be purchased with the Novell SUSE® Linux Enterprise Desktop 10.

What stands out about Lenovo's ThinkPad is its durability. The T61 possesses a Roll Cage to protect the notebook body, the new Top Cover Roll Cage to give extra protection to the display, plus a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic chassis with a Magnesium top cover. The finest design for stability and toughness.

These best rated laptops also comes with respectable software security packages including an Integrated Fingerprint Reader and a 32-byte pre-boot password. Prices approximately range from $1,290.00 to $1,899.00.

3. Dell XPS M1330

Dell XPS laptops have been known to pull off performance feats that are usually associated with desktops. The M1330 is both refreshing and amazing once you factor in both design and performance. Dell slips the latest technology trends into a very sleek crimson unit, weighing a remarkable 3.9 lbs, while maintaining its performance ahead of the competition.

Dell XPS M1530 Laptop

The M1330's light weight of these best rated laptops make it a traveler's delight, and its thin frame combined with a large screen makes this notebook a standout. Significantly larger than the 12-inch screen of its predecessor, the XPS M1210 sports a 13.3-inch screen. It measures 1 inch thick, thanks to an LED screen that's just a ¼" thick. Designed with an integrated 1.3-megapixel camera.

The XPS line is all about great performance, and Dell doesn't hold back with the M1330. It loads a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor similar to that in the Sony SZ series. You will find in the M1330 something rare among ultraportables: very good 3D performance, thanks to its discrete graphics. It integrates nVidia's latest GeForce 8400M GS chipset, with support for DirectX 10 as well as for HDCP (high-definition DRM). This ultraportable is well-equipped with two headphone ports for sharing, a FireWire port, and a 160GB hard drive.

On top of that, you have draft 802.11n support, Bluetooth, and 100MB Ethernet. The HDMI-out port is a valuable asset for video and PowerPoint presenters. Prices around $2,200.00.

4. Dell Inspiron 1525

The Inspiron 1525 is another exciting notebook from Dell. With an eye-popping array of unique and colorful looks, the Inspiron 1525 is well known for its "cool" aesthetics. With a thinner and lighter form factor than the previous Inspiron 1520, it boasts a 15.4-inch CCFL (1280 x 800 pixel resolution) TrueLife Hi Definition screen.

Quite an Impressive artillery on this one for the low price with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (up to 4GB available), and the Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. Price ranges from around $500.00 to $1,000.00.

5. HP Pavilion dv6700t

This entertainment Notebook PC is the replacement for the ever popular dv6500t. This customizable laptop delivers a 15.4" BrightView display with good viewing angles, 1280 x 800-pixel resolution, and a dazzling and unique high-gloss design. Included is Intel's Core Duo processors and 256MB dedicated video memory. Also with an option to upgrade to an Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS graphics card. The Pavilion dc6700t is great for anyone looking for a multimedia laptop.

You'll find the BrightView 15.4-inch an ideal display. Includes several ports, with three USB 2.0, HDMI, S-Video, VGA, FireWire, two headphone jacks, microphone jack, 54mm ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 memory card slot, and HP's Expansion Port 3. Other features include Altec Lansing speakers, a 1.3-MP webcam, and 802.11a/g/n wireless. These best rated laptops run around $1,600.00.

6. Toshiba Satellite A200

The Satellite A200 / A205 series is a mainstream offering from Toshiba. It has Core 2 Duo inside and ATI dedicated graphics configurable on this laptop.

Toshiba Satellite Laptop

For a 15-inch laptop, the Satellite A205-S4617 looks and feels slim, especially when compared to bulkier mainstream systems.

It offers a single hinge with a sturdy feel and a dark-blue speckled lid with a high-gloss coating. The case houses a 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD display with 1,280x800 pixel resolution.

You'll also find 1GB (standard), or up to 2 GB DDR2 (PC2-5300) RAM, a 120 GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive, 802.11n support, Harman Kardon speakers, and a LabelFlash optical drive. The price on these best rated laptops is in the range of $1,324.00 to $1,858.84.

7. Lenovo ThinkPad R61

The Lenovo ThinkPad R61 comes with the newest fast Core 2 Duo processor, high-end discrete graphics from the nVidia Quadro NVS 140M and a sturdy (though boxy) body with roll cage. This is the latest of Lenovo's ThinkPad T-series laptops which have stood the test of time among professionals.

With the ThinkPad Widescreen, you get the absolute best from Intel's newest Centrino Duo platform. Great for business users who want a laptop with high data, video, and graphics capabilities. Prices around $2,510.00.

8. Toshiba Satellite A305

The Satellite A305 laptops uses the TruBrite 15.4-inch high definition widescreen display to get more from games, movies, and multitasking. The "Fusion finish" adds an extra level of durability and sexiness to this laptop. The availability of dedicated graphics, ATI Radeon X1250, and dual hard drives makes this notebook designed to perform.

Fully outfitted with an AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core TL-64 (2.2GHz) and 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM standard (maximum capacity 4GB) along with Windows Vista Home Premium. Also includes an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam and Harmon Kardon stereo speakers. Approximate price for these best rated laptops: $999.99

9. Sony VAIO SZ

Big performance in a small package - that sums up the Sony VAIO SZ. One of the first to load the Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 into an ultraportable. The razor thin 13.3" LCD display is powered by a hybrid graphics system and the Intel Santa Rosa platform for an extra performance boost.

Sony VAIO SZ Laptop

The Sony VAIO is surprisingly powerful for ultraportable best rated laptops, combining sleek looks with a 1.83-GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor, bringing plenty of speed to this 3.8-pound system. Ideal for daily computers, this system has a built-in optical drive and a 0.3-megapixel webcam integrated into the system.

The SZ170P's standout feature is the built-in dual-layer DVD±RW optical drive-a rare find on an ultraportable. With a grey-blue tint on the carbon fiber chassis, this is definitely a classic and sleek Sony design.

The hybrid graphics system lets you choose between the nVidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics (for better performance) or the integrated Intel GMA 950/945GM graphics chipset (for better battery life) using a switch next to your keyboard.

Sony doesn't skimp on the security-based features. Between mouse buttons is a fingerprint reader with a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip connected, which authenticates and stores your passwords. TPM is usually safer than storing passwords in the operating system. Prices range from $1,479.99 - $1,939.99.

10. HP Pavilion tx2500z

The tx2500z Entertainment tablet laptop rocks an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core Mobile Technology Processor, ATI Mobile Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, and a noteworthy 12.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen LCD Display that is Touch-screen and sports a unique panel that rotates 180° and folds flat.

HP Pavilion TX Laptop

With a touchpad and active digitizer, you can use your finger to navigate or use its accurate and responsive pen. The tx2500 inherits the very sleek design elements of the tx2000.

It has a high-gloss HP Imprint Finish, called the "Echo", which is really quite chic but can be vulnerable to smudges. With that said, the Imprint Finish is also remarkably durable and resistant to scratches.

The tablet is solid and weighs about 4.23 pounds with the standard 6-cell battery. In tablet mode it gets a tad bit heavy to carry around, but it does come packed full of media-rich features not found on other tablets (you can also substitute a weight saver in place of the optical drive).

It comes equipped with a media remote and Altec Lansing speakers: so watching movies or listening to music is as simple and straightforward as on any notebook. Prices around $1,049.99.

We hope that you found this list of the best rated laptops helpful and that you find the laptop that will best serve you for years to come.

 

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