Despite its somewhat dull appearance, the Compaq Presario V3832TU (FE061PA) is bursting with verve and functionality. With the exception of hardcore gamers, it should satisfy all types of users.

For users wanting a home entertainment centre or a powerful desktop replacement to work with, the dv9800 is a very strong contender.

The HP Compaq nc6400 performs well with exceptional battery life.

Though it's not the fastest notebook you can buy and its battery life was dissapointing, the media center functionality and the price of this unit makes it a worthy purchase.

Outstanding battery life and solid performance make this an excellent choice for mobile professionals. If you don’t want to play games, this is an ideal machine.

With the nc8430 you get what you pay for. While it may cost a little more than some other dual core machines, it offers great performance across both desktop tasks and gaming, and has all the features you'd expect to find in a high-end business unit.

HP has done a nice job at creating a good all-round user experience with the Entertainment PC range and this machine is no exception. The performance is much better than the dv2000 family we've looked at earlier but the battery life could do with a boost.

If you need a machine with a 17in display that will play your movies, download your photos, store your music, play games and has connectivity that will work both on the road and in your living room, the Pavilion dv9018TX will do a good job.

Although the HP Compaq 6710b is not at the top of the game, it's a good value for money option. The included software could have been a little more comprehensive, but this simple notebook still does what it needs to do reasonably well.

Although the notebook itself is good, it doesn't offer as much as its competitors in terms of features or value.

The Hewlett-Packard Compaq Nx6320 is a good choice for business users due to its great performance and impressive battery life. It is also rather lightweight as well, so it won't become a hassle to carry around.