Laptop Club

CyberPower specializes in hulking gaming desktops—some of the most advanced systems known to mankind—but its Web site also houses a line of gaming laptops that are worth a gander. The Gamer Xtreme M1 ($2,150 direct) is a bare-bones chassis jammed with an assortment of the most popular mobile gaming parts. There are better-looking designs out there, such as the Editors' Choice Alienware M17 and the Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q725, but the M1 is a good fit for gamers who are nursing an already depleted bank account.

• Price as Tested: $2,150.00 Direct
• Type: Gaming, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600
• Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 9.6 lb
• Screen Size: 17 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 CrossFireX
• Storage Capacity: 250 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW DL with Blu-Ray

Of all the 16-inch media centers—laptops with 16-inch widescreens—the Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 ($1,299 direct) is easily the least burdensome on your back. It's an alternative for those who don't want to spend the money or make the switch to an Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Dual Graphics) but salivate over its lightness. The Y650 is designed with mobility in mind when others (ahem, other Windows laptops) with similar screens are at least a pound heavier. Yet it can also fill the void left by an old desktop. Part for part, though, the Y650 is a bit overpriced; there are better values out there. Then again, you can always wait around until there's a good Lenovo sale.

• Price as Tested: $1,299.00 Direct
• Type: General Purpose, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600
• Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
• RAM: 3 GB
• Weight: 5.5 lb
• Screen Size: 16 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Integrated Intel GMA X4500HD
• Storage Capacity: 320 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

The ultimate gaming laptop needs something more than the fastest processors and the most blistering 3D graphics cards, and ASUS is well aware of this. The ASUS G71G-Q1 ($2,000 street) is close to the bleeding edge, packing features like an Intel quad-core processor, a Blu-ray reader, and cavernous hard drives. It's almost the total package, but it falls short on the one thing that matters most to gamers: graphics. Although the Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS card it comes with is considered a very good gaming card, there are systems that deliver higher frame rates for about the same price.

• Price as Tested: $2,000.00 Street
• Type: Gaming, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
• Processor Speed: 2 GHz
• RAM: 6 GB
• Weight: 9.1 lb
• Screen Size: 17 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9800M GS
• Storage Capacity: 640 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW DL with Blu-Ray

Hard-core gaming laptops were once thought of as sticker-shock items, but they've changed sharply of late in both looks and price. In their new incarnation, they're acting as big-screen media centers and desktop replacements, now that prices for the fastest parts have plummeted to a level that makes them affordable to the masses. At $1,800 (street), the Gateway P-7808u is aggressively priced for a gaming rig, with a mobile Intel quad-core processor and a powerful Nvidia graphics card built into a light 17-inch platform. Though its looks could use a huge splash of imagination, this hard-core gaming laptop is a terrific deal no matter how you look at it.

• Price as Tested: $1,800.00 Street
• Type: Gaming, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
• Processor Speed: 2 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 8.9 lb
• Screen Size: 17 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS
• Storage Capacity: 5400 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q725 ($2,699.99 direct) is probably not for you. Its outlandish design, which conjures up images of fiery balls of flames striking a bloody canvas, seems fit for those who crave bragging rights for their systems. Within this 9.2-pound beast sits a mobile quad-core processor and an Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTX graphics card—parts that will set you apart from casual gamers. Performance, overall, lived up to expectations, but there is a cheaper alternative that turned in better gaming scores.

• Price as Tested: $2,700.00
• Type: Gaming, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
• Processor Speed: 2 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 9.2 lb
• Screen Size: 17 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9800M GTX
• Storage Capacity: 384 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL