The Toshiba Satellite L505-ES5018 is about the cheapest dual-core laptop that you'll find, and it provides a predictably basic feature set, but boasts competitive performance, respectable battery life, and zero bloatware.

The Asus K60I-RBBBR05 is a well-built budget laptop with enough power for most mainstream users. It has a decent battery life, a huge hard drive, and roomy 16-inch display. You get a lot for your money, but buyers will have to wade through a sea of bloatware.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible Netbook tablet is priced to compete with the iPad, but underwhelming battery life and unpredictable touch response mar an otherwise sharp-looking portable.

The versatile HP Mini 210 adds best-of features from other HP laptops, but the HD video card requires a still-in-beta Flash update for streaming Flash video.

The versatile HP Mini 210 adds best-of features from other HP laptops, but the HD video card requires a still-in-beta Flash update for streaming Flash video.

While the Toshiba Satellite A505-6025 has a rock-solid combination of computing power, graphics, and battery life, its price and bulk may be hard to swallow.

If you don't mind its massive, distinct case, the Asus Essentio CG5275-AR003 offers a compelling set of features and enough room inside to satisfy upgraders. Hard-core media hounds can spend less on a competing HP system, but few systems challenge Asus in single application and multitasking performance, making it an easy recommendation.

People who would rather have a big screen instead of great battery life will be happy with the HP dv7-3165dx.

The Dell Inspiron i1564-6980CRD is a good, but basic, laptop.

The HP Pavilion p6320y earns its place with respectable multithreading performance that takes advantage of its powerful quad-core processor. Although it falls slightly behind the competition in single-core performance, it's still quick enough to earn our recommendation for the average light-duty user.