The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and
identifying the best Cheap Laptops. See our ratings criteria
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| 1.
Notebook Review.com
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Notebook reviews
Contributors to NotebookReview.com
As of Mar. 2008
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This enthusiast website features professional laptop reviews and owner notebook computer ratings that are more comprehensive than typical professional reviews elsewhere. Most of the reports include photos, and performance testing results are illustrated in a comparison chart with other models. About a dozen laptops are reviewed every month. Cheap laptops are tested alongside other types -- and this publication covers more budget laptops than other review sites.
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Notebook Check.net
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Laptop Reviews
Editors of NotebookCheck.net
As of Mar. 2008
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This German website offers incredibly comprehensive laptop comparisons, but some of the reviewed notebook computers aren't available in the U.S. Each model is rated in a dozen subcategories, including workmanship, keyboard, mouse, connectivity, weight, battery, display and more. Then the notebook computer is assigned a weighted average rating. Though many of the reviewed laptops fall outside the range of what could be considered "cheap," we still found a good selection of low-priced choices.
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Laptop Magazine
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Laptop Reviews: Budget
Editors of Laptop magazine
As of Mar. 2008
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Laptop magazine reviews a good number of cheap notebook computers, and even though the magazine uses several reviewers, most have extensive reviewing experience. Reviews are occasionally comparative, and all products are rated. Testing is frequently referenced, but test data isn't published online. Furthermore, the reviews focus a bit too much on appearance. Laptop is the rare reviewer to select an Editor's Choice among cheap laptops.
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Computer Shopper
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Top 5 Budget Laptops
Editors of Computer Shopper
As of Mar. 2008
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Computer Shopper ranks five previously reviewed laptops in this chart. Computer Shopper reviews a handful of laptops each month, including some budget notebooks. While products aren't directly compared, each is assigned an overall rating. The most recent top five list posted on the magazine's website includes a couple of discontinued models, but the page titled "Notebooks - Less than $700" indexes other reviews of current models.
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PC Magazine
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Service and Reliability: Notebooks
Editors of PC Magazine
Sept. 13, 2007
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Thousands of readers respond to PC Magazine's annual service and reliability survey. In the 2007 survey, Lenovo earn the best ratings among owners while HP and Compaq are below average. Dell has the highest percentage of laptops needing repair.
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PC Magazine
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Cheap Laptops
Cisco Cheng
As of Mar. 2008
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PC Magazine regularly reviews new laptops and directly compares them to others in their class. Coverage of cheap laptops isn't extensive, but in recent months, the magazine has begun reviewing some very inexpensive models. Laptops are given editor's ratings, so it is easy to evaluate where laptops rank compared to each other. The best choices in PC Magazine's eyes are acknowledged with an Editors' Choice recognition. Testing is competent, most reviews are satisfactorily balanced and ratings vary enough to make it easy to see distinctions.
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Consumer Reports
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Laptop Computers
Editors of Consumer Reports
Feb. 2008
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Consumer Reports tests and ranks eleven 15.4-inch and six 14.1-inch budget Windows laptops. Each computer is reviewed with roughly the same core configuration. Testing and information is helpful, but the magazine provides little information about individual models. Except for battery life, Consumer Reports doesn't reveal any specific test results. Description is limited to a couple of sentences about the Best Buy selections.
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Cheap Laptops Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.
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| 8.
Consumer Reports
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Tech support
Subscribers of Consumer Reports
June 2007
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Consumer Reports conducts an annual product reliability survey. Last year, the magazine surveyed satisfaction with tech support from computer manufacturers and third parties. Satisfaction with all computer manufacturers is poor, but brand differences are significant. Consumer Reports says laptops need more repairs than any other products it tracks.
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Which.co.uk
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Laptops
Editors of Which.co.uk
Jan. 8, 2008
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Like Consumer Reports and PC Magazine, British consumer magazine Which? conducts an annual support, reliability and satisfaction survey. The Which? survey has the smallest number of responses. Lenovo and Sony owners are the most likely to recommend the brand to a friend (Acer and HP/Compaq owners were the least likely). Toshiba has the best tech support, while Acer (13%) and Compaq (11%) hardly satisfy anyone with their tech support.
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PC World
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Top 10 All-Purpose Laptops
Carla Thornton
Feb. 1, 2008
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This chart ranks ten previously reviewed non-specialty laptops. Few of these laptops were reviewed in sub-$1,000 configurations, and some are discontinued, but some others are now available in budget price ranges. The chart links to individual reviews and test reports. The short reviews don't offer much substantive comparison, but the testing process is admirable and provides much basis for comparison.
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Trusted Reviews
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Notebooks: Latest Reviews
Andy Vandervell
As of Mar.2008
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UK website TrustedReviews.com regularly reviews new laptops, but many of the reviewed laptop computers aren't available in the United States. Reviews are helpfully illustrated with photos; benchmark results are published. All notebook computers have high ratings, but the reviews are balanced. More than half of reviewed models earn "Recommended" awards.
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XBitLabs.com
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Mobile reviews
Alexander Britvin
As of Mar. 2008
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Enthusiast website XBitLabs.com regularly reviews new laptops. Some cheap laptops are reviewed and receive ratings. The lengthy reviews cover all a reader would want to know -- but there are no rankings. Alexander Britvin shows enthusiasm for all reviewed laptops. That reduces X-bit Labs to being an excellent secondary review site, useful only for exhaustive information about models you are already considering.
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Notebook Forums.com
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Notebook reviews
Contributors to Notebook Forums.com
As of Mar. 2008
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This forum website has fewer and considerably less detailed reviews than NotebookReview.com, but some are very good. Many of the members are college students. The quality of the reviews is variable, but NotebookForums.com is useful as a backup source once you've already narrowed down your options.
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PC World (Australia)
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Reviews: Hardware: Notebooks
Jesse Sutton
As of Mar. 2008
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PC World (Australia) reviews many laptops, including a number of cheap laptops, but not all models are available in the U.S. Some reviews are thorough, and complete performance test results are published, but much of that information isn't published on the magazine's website. Another downside is that reviews aren't very critical, and there's not much of a range of ratings.
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| 15.
CNet.com
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Cheap laptops: Less than $1,000
Michelle Thatcher
As of Mar. 2008
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CNet.com offers reviews of a decent selection of cheap laptops, but doesn't always do so in a meaningful way for the budget buyer. For example, the Gateway P-171S, which starts at $800, is reviewed in a $3,000 configuration. No cheap laptop is selected as an Editor's Choice, but the single ratings do have variation. The write-ups aren't terribly long or detailed, but a few charts compare each laptop to similar models.
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CircuitCity.com
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Notebook Computers
Contributors to CircuitCity.com
As of Mar. 2008
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Circuit City sells a vast selection of cheap laptops. About half of the models sold have accumulated more than ten user ratings or reviews. However, almost all laptops have overall average ratings between 4.0 and 4.5. The $480 Acer Aspire AS4720-4721 stands out with a 4.7 average rating, as does the HP Pavilion dv2710us at 3.9. Customers are thrilled with the Acer's value. Poor reliability lowers the HP's rating.
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About.com
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Top 5 Budget Notebook PCs
Mark Kyrnin
Oct. 17, 2007
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In this article, About.com Guide to PC Hardware Mark Kyrnin provides summaries and links to reviews of what he considers to be the top five budget laptops. The short reviews evaluate mainly specifications and features. Not addressed are brand reliability, ergonomics, heat, noise, display quality and real-world battery life. (Note that ConsumerSearch and About.com are owned by the same parent company.)
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Cheap Laptops Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.
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| 18.
laptopadvisor. blogspot.com
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Notebook and laptop reviews
Anonymous
As of Mar. 2008
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This odd foreign blog site is difficult to decipher. Whoever operates it provides no information on the identity of its reviewers or their expertise. While acknowledging that some of these reviews are better than some at sites we rank more highly, and that the quantity of reviews is usually very good, we can't rate this site more highly without knowing more about its authors.
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Newegg.com
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Laptops/Notebooks
Contributors to Newegg.com
As of Mar. 2008
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Newegg.com sells a vast selection of laptops -- including cheap laptops -- from many brands. The company's typical customers are sophisticated and opinionated computer users, which often makes Newegg.com a good site for consumer reviews. All models with more than ten reviews have average four- or five-egg ratings. Asus laptops dominate the ratings.
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Amazon.com
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Notebooks
Contributors to Amazon.com
As of Mar. 2008
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Amazon.com also gives visitors the opportunity to rate and comment on cheap laptops that they own. The site has some advantages in that it is easy to navigate and there's a fairly broad selection of cheap laptops available. However, few cheap laptops are reviewed by more than a couple of owners. One exception is the Asus Eee PC 4G, which has over 120 ratings and very positive feedback.
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Cheap Laptops Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.
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| 21.
Consumer Guide.com
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Laptops Reviews and Prices
Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
As of Mar. 2008
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Consumer Guide reviews three current cheap laptop computers. Reviews are short and reflect no hands-on testing. Editors evaluate specifications and features. Although there's a section for a "performance" rating, no documentation is provided to show that it isn't just based on specifications. The site shows a lack of understanding of the laptop market by citing the lack of a widescreen display as a con of the Lenovo 3000 C200 (and the only one it cites). In fact, that's a rare in-demand virtue. These factors contribute to reviews with minimal credibility and value.
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