Sony's VAIO FZ17G is a great multimedia notebook which offers a HDMI output and couples it with solid performance and a nice array of features.

There's no doubt this unit is ultraportable and it did well in our battery testing, but with a $5499 price tag it's just too expensive.

A great laptop well worth the price point. A longer warranty would be nice.

If you’re looking for a desktop replacement with processing power, plenty of storage, an excellent screen and great connectivity options then the Dell Studio 17 (1735) is a hard product to beat.

Acer's Aspire 4920G is a good all purpose notebook. It doesn't excel at any one thing, but for users wanting a little gaming, movie watching and general desktop PC activities, crammed into a stylish package, it is a strong contender.

All up, the S430 is an inexpensive option for users who want to run simple tasks. Its performance was sluggish in our tests, and we found the keyboard to be a little hit-and-miss, but it's a suitable unit for browsing the Web and working on not-too-CPU-intensive office documents.

The VAIO is an excellent option for anyone after an ultraportable with good performance, solid battery life and an excellent design.

We couldn't find a weak point - and believe us, we put the Acer through its paces. With a WorldBench score of 90, it'll breeze through most tasks. If you're looking for something powerful with great entertainment potential then look no further than the Acer Aspire 9504WSMi.

This mid-sized widescreen has plenty of power and a sizable, speedy hard disk, and it's backed by a three-year warranty.

Focused improvements and better useability make the Tecra S3 a good pickup

It looks good, has good processing power, and it's well-suited as a notebook for everyday tasks. However, it's not really a great unit for high-definition video endeavours, as it lacks a Full HD screen and a Blu-ray drive.