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The days when notebook computers were under-powered and over-priced seem to have gone. While there has always been a performance gap between notebooks and desktops, it would appear that this gap is narrowing. These days the desktop replacement notebook has the ability to challenge its deskbound cousins, while adding portability into the equation.

What’s more, these improvements seem to be winning over consumers. Gartner figures released earlier this year reveal that while PC sales still remain relatively moribund, demand for notebooks has been quite strong.

The concept of the desktop replacement notebook isn’t a new one. All along, the idea has been to offer a level of power and features that is comparable to a conventional machine. However, until very recently these notebooks still had some weak points, most notably the lack of the type of graphics cards that make PCs ideal for gaming and other intensive multimedia activities. The arrival of mobile graphics chips has meant that notebooks are now being considered as serious multimedia machines. The advent of widescreen notebooks, pioneered by Apple, has also added something new to the mix and illustrated some of the innate advantages of the format. For example, while few may see fit to watch a DVD movie on a desktop, the portability of a notebook may make it practical to do so while on travelling.

So what should you look for in a desktop replacement machine? A big screen is a must and most of the machines on review had at least 15in displays. Processing power is also important and these days, machines with chips running at 2.66Ghz and upwards are well within most budgets. Similarly, at least 256Mbyte of memory is required for decent performance. On the graphics front, the latest mobile graphics solution from ATI or Nvidia will make a big difference to the quality of gaming and multimedia applications.

Dell Inspiron 5150 — EUR1,949

This machine from Dell offers everything we’ve come to expect from the company, with a huge array of features packed under the hood and offering decent value for money as well. While not the flashiest of machines on review, the Inspiron came out tops in terms of performance. A 3.06Ghz Intel Pentium 4 processor meant a level of processing power not seen in many desktops. Backing this up was 512Mbyte of memory, a 60Gbyte hard drive and an Nvidia GeForce FX Go5200 graphics card with 64Mbyte of memory.

Another nice extra is the addition of a DVD+RW combo drive, which allows for the writing of DVD discs as well as CDs. Other features include a 15in display, two USB 2.0 and one FireWire port, along with integrated wireless networking.

Dell machines have begun to look a little funkier in recent years and this one is finished in grey with a blue lid. Naturally all of this power means it’s a little on the heavy side and also heavy on the wallet. The machine under review came to EUR1,949, although given the customisable nature of Dell machines, buyers could scale back on some of the features to save on the price.

Acer Aspire 1315LM — EUR1,149

With a simple grey finish, this model from Acer wasn’t the prettiest of the bunch, but it put in a solid performance nonetheless. Powered by a Mobile Athlon XP 2500+ processor, which runs at a clockspeed of 1.8Ghz, the Aspire is no slouch, but not the fastest of the bunch. A 15in display means a generous viewing area while 256Mbyte of RAM and a 40Gbyte hard drive also give enough room to play. The inclusion of a rewriteable DVD ROM drive was a strong point of this machine.

It was also the only machine on review to retain a floppy disc drive. Connectivity was well catered for, with two USB 2.0 ports, two PC card slots, one FireWire, and Parallel and Serial ports. Graphics weren’t as powerful as on some other machines. The Aspire features a chipset-integrated S3 Graphics ProSavage8 AGP 8x graphics core, with a default of 32Mbyte shared memory. Having said that, a price of EUR1,149 was on the lower end of the scale and the machine may attract the interest of those on tighter budgets.

Apple iBook — EUR1,693

While Apple may be renowned at present for the achievements of its PowerBook line, the machine sent in for review was an iBook. While this may be partly due to the price attached to the PowerBook line, the iBook looked a little underpowered compared to some of its PC cousins in the lineup. Simple design is the hallmark of this machine. The all while casing looks quite neat and the weight of 2.7kg means that it’s fairly easy to tote around. However, a 14in display and a 900Mhz Power PC G3 processor with 256Mbyte of RAM means that it isn’t up there with the best of them as a multimedia machine. The DVD/CD-RW combo drive is a nice touch, and the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics chip with 32Mbyte of memory was decent enough. However, at a price of EUR1,693 one can’t but get the feeling that non-Mac loyalists might get better value elsewhere.

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo D-8830 — EUR1,699

Another solid contender came from Fujitsu Siemens. The Amilo D-8830 is a very attractive looking silver finished machine. At 3.66kg, it’s heavy enough for notebooks of its ilk, but it packed enough in to justify the weight. Power comes from a 2.66Ghz Intel Pentium 4 processor. This is complemented by a 15in display, 512Mbyte of memory and a 40Gbyte hard drive. It did well in the graphics department, with an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 chip and 64Mbyte of on-board memory. Other features included a DVD/CD RW combo drive, two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire, and legacy Serial and Parallel ports. Priced at EUR1,699, this machine offers a lot for those looking for a powerful notebook.

Samsung X05 — EUR2,199

This very slim, very light machine impressed us when we took it out of the box. The only problem was that it doesn’t fit in terribly well with the rest of the lineup. Desktop replacement it ain’t. The Samsung is powered by an Intel Centrino 1.5Ghz chipset, which includes built-in wireless networking. The inclusion of 512Mbyte of memory and a 40Gbyte hard drive, means that it’s no slouch in that department. A 14in display is pretty generous for machines of its ilk. Specifications are rounded off by the inclusion of one PC card slot, one FireWire and two USB 2.0 ports, although there are no legacy ports available. The Samsung X05 can also be fitted with an optional Bluetooth module.

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