Editor's Note: On January 31 Intel appear that information technology had halted shipments of its recently unveiled 6-series chipset, code-named Cougar Point, that accompanies its latest Sandy Span processors due to a flaw that can affect access to a hard-disk bulldoze, optical drive, or other SATA connected devices. The decision is likely to filibuster shipments of new laptop models at least until March and thus nosotros've decided to concord off an update to our guide for the time existence.

We should add nonetheless that AMD's Fusion platform is gaining backers amongst calculator manufacturers for bringing solid operation and graphics to sparse and light laptops without having to sacrifice too much battery life, so y'all can expect to run across some or their latest blueprint wins in our daily news coverage also as in the forthcoming update of this guide.

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When shopping for a new laptop it's important to know beforehand how you plan to use it. Whether you want a multimedia or gaming powerhouse that will but motion from your desk-bound occasionally, or something that hits the sweet spot between performance and portability, there are plenty of good options if you know what to look for.

To help ease the hassle of going through countless product pages and bookmarking the ones you like, the TechSpot Laptop Buying Guide consists of a regularly updated list of our favorite notebooks in each of vi categories: Thin and light, concern or general purpose, desktop replacements, gaming, value/upkeep offerings, and netbooks.

Hither are our highlights for this quarter, nosotros've included a quick description under each laptop to offer some communication on what you should be looking for and what makes it special. That said, if we've overlooked your favorite system feel complimentary to share information technology in the comments.

Ultraportables

Thin and calorie-free notebooks serve every bit a bridge between netbooks and full-fledged laptops, offering a smooth blend of performance, portability and battery life.

 Business

Business notebooks offer a combination of mid to high end components with an emphasis on durability, data security and bombardment life.

 Desktop Replacements

With the most complete set of features and functioning, desktop replacements often forgo battery life and portability for extra horsepower.
Gaming

Serious gamers will always lean more toward desktop PCs for their flexibility and sheer power, but if mobility is also a priority, there are some solid choices in this category.

 Value

Laptops in this category are commonly hot sellers in the back to school season as they offer a good remainder of price, features and portability.

 Netbooks

Netbooks are perfect as travel companions or secondary systems. Nigh of them feature ten- to 12-inch screens and an most identical combination of hardware under the hood.