Gateway MD7801u

In terms of bang for the buck, experts and users say that the Gateway MD7801u is tough to beat. It features impressive components for its price, including an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM and a big 500 GB hard drive -- one of the largest available in a laptop in this price range. With integrated graphics, game players will want to look elsewhere -- and budget much more -- but multimedia playback is fine, even if the built-in speakers lack some punch. For work and most business uses, all say that the MD7801u delivers the goods. The MD7801u comes in black, but the identical laptop is available in burgundy as the Gateway MD7818u (*Est. $600). If your budget is smaller, the HP G60-230US (*Est. $550) and the similar HP G60-235DX (*Est. $500) offer a little less horsepower under the hood, but deliver good performance, as long as expectations are reasonable. If the Gateway MD7801u's 7.7-pound weight is a little too much to lug around, the Gateway UC7807u (*Est. $700) is no ultraportable, but it's still a cheap, lightweight and reasonably capable traveling companion.

The Gateway MD7801u and the identical save for color MD7818u are extensively reviewed. In terms of completeness, it is hard to fault the report at NotebookReview.com. Though the site rarely makes explicit recommendations, it makes an exception in the case of the MD7818u. CNET also sings the praises of the MD7818u, naming it one of its favorite retail notebooks. The Gateway MD7801u receives good and worthwhile reviews at Laptop Magazine and ComputerShopper.com.