The HP Pavilion s5180a punches above its weight and provides a welcoming entry point for a starter or low-end upgrade system.

Slim and stylish, this isn’t the most powerful quad core we’ve seen, but it’s by far the cheapest.

Slick looks and astonishing battery life make this the pick of the bunch for travelers, especially for the business person on the go.

A huge 18.4in widescreen, Blu-ray drive and a big hard disk make this a great entertainment laptop

A startling achievement: a highly capable mini-laptop for under $700. Only mediocre battery life mars its appeal.

Acer’s Aspire one makes a splash. A great keyboard, a fine screen and a keen price make for a superb mini-laptop

A great desktop replacement thanks to the huge screen and dual 200GB hard disks, but its price is too high.

Poor image quality and no DVI port make this one to avoid

Sony’s new laptop sports a Blu-ray writer and one of Intel’s latest Penryn processors, but it’s overpriced.

Our pics and first impressions of the hotly anticipated ultra-cheapie, and yes, it's better than the Eee in several ways.

Disappointing ergonomics, but the blend of power and battery life makes it very good value.

This notebook is the winner of our Light Laptops roundup. It's solid in every area rather than outstanding in one, and very attractively priced.

Blu-Ray notebooks are the next battleground, and the good news is they're slowly getting cheaper. ASUS is staking a claim with this monstrously powerful behemoth.

A great desktop replacement thanks to the huge screen and dual 200GB hard disks, but its price is too high.

A retrograde step from its predecessor, but a super low price makes this dinky PC very desirable

A huge screen and an affordable price, but it doesn’t rival a desktop PC where power is concerned

A superb package for the price, with plenty of power. Only the unambitious battery life lets it down.

A very-well designed alternative to big beefy computers which make a lot of noise.

A decent notebook but too expensive for the features on offer.

The easyStore is basic, but it’s good value and its iSCSI capabilities give it an edge over the competition