A powerful desktop replacement notebook, which doubles as a media centre with a Blu-ray player. It needs some refinement, but as it stands, it's a functional unit for productivity applications and entertainment endeavours.

If you don’t mind your laptop attracting more attention than you, the HP DV5-1010TX_01 is a fast but heavy unit that comes with a built-in TV tuner and Blu-ray player for a reasonable price.

If you’re looking at $5000-plus high-end notebooks, then the HDX9313TX should certainly be considered. This laptop is maxed-out in most respects and it caters to those who need serious grunt. As an entertainment and gaming notebook, it will definitely do the job.

It might not be fast, but it sure is affordable. At under $700, this 15.4in notebook is ideal for students, workers, anyone really, who wants a basic machine for perusing the Web and typing up documents, or even for viewing and storing digital photos.

Lenovo thrills us with many useful features on this IdeaPad Y710-200, but it fumbles the ball a little in its implementation of the 'Game Zone'. It's also let down by a lack of Gigabit networking and a digital TV tuner.

Although there's a notable premium on the solid-state hard drive and ultra-portables don't often come cheap anyway, this is a good little buy. It's got enough power to handle the most basic tasks and its implementation of flash memory should please those wanting to be on the cutting edge.

If you've got the money to spend, this notebook is a great replacement for a desktop PC. The large screen doubles well as a TV and computer screen and the included HD-DVD player is a nice addition.

It's not the kind of notebook you want to carry around with you everywhere, but it's a powerful desktop replacement that will provide plenty of entertainment.

You're going to pay extra for the flamboyance of this notebook, but if you're willing to pay for it you won't be disappointed. The ASUS Lamborghini VX2s has plenty of power, good battery life and looks stunning.

There's a lot to this notebook, and while it works great for the most part, it could still use a little refinement, especially with regards to its video input ports. Overall though, it's a great media centre notebook and it does have tremendous storage capacity.

If you're looking for top comfort and full features in an ultraportable, you'll find them all in the XPS M1210.

Overall, the Lamborghini VX2 is solidly constructed and has good features and speed for everyday tasks, and some gaming. The Lamborghini styling is a real head-turner and, ultimately, it's what you're paying for.