Laptops group test (under £400)

At one time notebooks were seen simply as business tools, but they’re quickly becoming the essential computers for everyone. The latest models offer close to desktop performance and nigh on as much storage to boot. However, when it comes to choosing a budget notebook, don’t simply choose the cheapest and hope for the best. A little research will reveal plenty of bargains to choose from.

Think how you’ll use it and whether portability is important – do you simply want as much power as possible for the price? A typical notebook should have a 15.4-inch screen, budget dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM but still have everything you need, included DVD rewriter and plenty of storage.

If you simply want to surf the internet and do simply things, possibly a netbook – a new class of notebook designed for the super-budget market – will suit instead. We’ve brought together what we think are the best notebooks and netbooks currently out there, all of them with one thing in common: a great asking price!

Asus Eee PC 1000

Asus has released more netbooks than any other vendor and with each release it’s learned from its mistakes and raised the bar. The result is the Eee PC 1000 and its impressive spec list, including three USB ports, SDHC slot and VGA-out port. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi allow you to wirelessly connect to other devices or the internet, and you’ll find it surprisingly quick for surfing. However, the winning ticket is the amazing battery life, which we found to be over five hours without cheating by turning the brightness down – a feat which can’t be matched by any other model out there.

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Go to the Asus Eee PC product page >>

MSI Wind U100

MSI has put together a great mini-laptop in the Wind. It’s light, easy to use and because it uses Windows XP, you can load up all your favourite applications. Connectivity includes standard Ethernet as well as built-in Wi-Fi. It doesn’t have a DVD drive, but with three USB ports you can add an external drive, and the VGA-out port even allows you to connect it to a larger external monitor. If you’re looking for a second laptop, something to carry around with you or simply for surfing the web when sat on the sofa, this is a great choice.

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Go to the MSI Wind U100 product page >>

Toshiba Satellite Pro L300

If you’re looking for dual-core performance on a budget, this is one of the better machines around. You’ll find it handles most tasks with ease and with Windows Vista you have the latest OS on the market and a large degree of future proofing. The battery life is better suited to use at home than on the move, but it’s portable enough to take with you if needs be. Of the budget notebooks we’ve seen, this offers a better long-term investment that will satisfy students and home users alike.

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Go to the Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 product page >>

HP 530

HP has created a notebook of two halves. On the one hand, the build quality and usability are top-notch and weighing 2.7kg, it’s portable enough to carry around. However, it’s not the most powerful of machines. Still, being a full-sized notebook you get everything you’d expect, including built-in DVD rewriter, Wi-Fi and Ethernet fitted as standard. You’ll also find two USB ports and VGA-out, for connecting to a projector, peppered around the case. We really like the 530; sure it needs a higher spec, but when you’re using it you never feel as though you’ve made the wrong choice, as it simply feels great.

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Go to the HP 530 product page >>

Acer Aspire 2920

Acer wants you to believe this is a multimedia machine but it only half-succeeds – the screen is great but the sound quality is rather poor. The plastic looks cheap in places but it’s thick and feels tough to the touch. What matters here is that performance is great for the price and on that level it certainly delivers. It has everything you need, such as Wi-Fi and a DVD rewriter, and will make a great first notebook – just don’t expect it to deliver more the basics.

Click to read the full review>>
Go to the Acer Aspire 2920 product page >>

PriceRunner recommended
Asus Eee PC 1000

Click to read the full review>>
Go to the Asus Eee PC product page >>

Note: This group test covers the popular category of laptops under £400.

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