There's nothing flash about the LG E300, but it's a light, solid notebook with some good connectivity and a good price.

Although the Satellite A200 is a fairly good unit, its competitors often provide faster network connectivity at similar prices. For a healthy mix of cheap pricing, good size and plenty of hard drive space, the A200 is a solid choice.

The BenQ Joybook R45 balances attractive design and lots of features against weak speakers and palm rests with heat issues. What tips the scales in favour of this notebook is its low price.

If you don't need to run the latest games and you aren't after a notebook to be the heart of your home entertainment setup, then the Toshiba Satellite L300/L02 is a decent choice. It won't excite you with its specs, impress you with its size or wow you with its design, but it performs well enough at basic tasks and it's hard to go wrong at this price — especially once you take into account Toshiba's cash-back offer.

Although this device offers a wide variety of expansion options and features a modern and alluring design, the ineffective CPU is a major deterrent.