Toshiba might not be the first name that pops into your head when you think about high end PC gaming (much less high end laptop PC gaming) but having recently given its latest Satellite gaming laptop a drive around the block, I think it's safe to say that's about to change.

The Design and Chassis: It's pretty darn classy, if you're a little bit more mature about your gaming and would rather not be seen walking around with a laptop that looks like it's a leftover prop from some bad 90's B-movie, you'll appreciate the P105's simple sleek curves and distinct lack of gaming bling. If it needs to it can actually look surprisingly normal, you can whip it out at the local Starbucks and manage not to look like the ultimate geek. There's no ugly chrome, no weird and extraneous cheap plastic attachments, just an understated sense of verve in the form of a soft blue glow from the systems front mounted speakers. Keys and shortcuts are conveniently and intelligently laid out with ample space so things rarely feel cramped. I say rarely because the touchpad is perhaps just a little small to be completely comfortable, and because it's offset to the left which kind of gets a little inconvenient during a heated gaming session. That said, the special tap activated backlight is quite useful, as well as the quick access provided to a number of software driven shortcuts, with options to quick-launch the web browser, volume control as well as activate various applications and multimedia functionality.

Read the rest of the review, after the jump!

Many enthusiasts of the PC and those who have come to be (reluctantly?) reliant on Bill Gates' money grabber are probably waiting for Vista's release this coming January 30 with a bang.

Some of you have your eyes pretty much set on the upgrade versions of the editions coming out, huh? Remember the good ol' days when you could use your trusty upgrade key to start a completely new installation? All it took was an authentic installation CD of a previous version of Windows and voila! You don't even have to have the previous version installed to start the new OS setup. Now you remember? Well that is now all GONE.

Yep. The ol' misers of Redmond thought it would be best to stick to one machine licensing even after addressing armies of customers having quibbles about the difficulty they undertook to upgrade their machines and reactivate Windows XP every step of the way (well, not really, but hey, it feels like that sometimes).

Microsoft's Knowledge Base info (KB930985) specifically states that "you cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista." Why? Well that's because the all-new, all-powerful Vista has revealed its first Achilles' heel: compliance checking.

That said, it would be wise for all those customers hoping for a smooth upgrade from their old Windows to the new Vista to simply order a license to allow the user to make a clean installation. Maybe it's a tactic to get everyone to shell out money for the Ultimate edition, since it does not have this limitation. The editions that the limitation does apply for are:

• Home
• Home Premium
• Starter
• Home Premium 64-bit
• Home 64-bit

Way to dampen the spirit, eh?

Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
Processor Name: Intel Celeron M 380
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Storage Capacity: 100 GB
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 GM
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Wireless: 802.11g
Screen Type: diagonal widescreen XGA Display
Weight: 6 lb

When you look at it, the Toshiba Satellite A105 looks thinner than it really is. That's because the front is thin and becomes thicker towards the rear for the laptop's components such as CPU,GPU, fans, hard drive,etc. The keyboard has full features, with the standard QWERTY keys and a numeric keypad integrated into the keyboard which is especially useful for those who use Excel and whatever applications that involve numbers (yech).

The top cover features a flat gunmetal like grey, giving it a sleek-looking design. The screen is 15.4'' wide, which is perfect for the multimedia enthusiast who likes viewing pictures and videos in his/her notebook. However, the arrow keys are a bit squished into the right shift key, so you might need to adjust to that.

According to the Laptopsd reviewer, he found it hard to type with the keyboard. Aside from the right shift key being smaller than usual, he found the notebook skipping keys every once in a while. The touchpad is also a bit too small, especially for its size, but still manageable nonetheless. The touchpad has a special tap mode that enables the backlight to turn on. It also functions as a volume adjuster, eliminating the hassle of looking for the volume knob.

All in all, Laptopsd hails the Satellite A105 as one of the best-looking laptops there is on the market. Despite its minor flaws such as the cramped arrow keys in the shift key and the skipping keys, it's still worth the $940.00 to $1,995.00 you wilh have to shell out.

Back in May, Acer introduced a line of Italian sportscar-inspired notebooks - one of which is the Acer Ferrari 5000 which features the the latest AMD-made engine. But just like the Ferrari, the notebook is reserved for the privileged few - those willing to pay a king's ransom for a brand name slapped on a high-end machine. Yeah, we're just turning green in envy and red in rage just cause we can't afford one!

But if you have lots of exta cash to spare, Reg Hardware's review of the Acer Ferrari 5000 might just come in handy.

As should be expected from a Ferrari, the design alone will definitely get a lot of heads turning. But looking beneath the surface, the Ferrari 500 is one powerful machine. With Turion 64 X2 twin-core providing horsepower, it simply screams top of the line. It comes with a 2GB of 667MHz DDR 2 memory configured in dual-channel mode - something that previous AMD processors have not been able to support.

The Ferrari 5000's 160GB of space is enough for saving loads of multimedia files. If for some reason the huge capacity isn't enough, you can always turn to MMC, SD, xD, MemoryStick and MemoryStick Pro cards, as Acer made sure the machine has a multi-format memory card reader.

Other features include an integrated Wi-FI, Bluetooth, web camera, DVD super-multi dual-layer drive, and HDMI output. That's pretty much everything you need for the ultimate multimedia experience.

Here's Reg Hardware's verdict:

The Acer Ferrari 5000 is an impressive machine, but there's that little matter of cost. At around £1,699 this laptop's anything but cheap. It is an exclusive model with top of the range features - and don't forget that sportscar marque - but the price still seems a bit on the high side. If you are, or you want a laptop that makes you feel like you have something rather exclusive, the Acer Ferrari 5000 is worth taking out for a spin. It's very expensive, but you get a lot of laptop for your money.

The Averatec AV2260-EK1 is one of the most user-friendly laptops in the market, that is if we're talking about price. At $1,079.99, let's face it, owning one is a cinch. But of course, for something so inexpensive, you'd have to be wary of its performance. If you're just not yet ready to part with your hard-earned cash on a "questionable" laptop, perhaps PCMag's review of the AV2260-EK1 will help you decide which ultraportable to buy. There's quite a lot of them in the market.

The AV2260-EK1 is considered a borderline ultraportable at 4.2 pounds. It's said to resemble the Lenovo 3000 V100 in design, as both are built around plastic casings. But really, casing is more of "non-issue" when looking for affordable ultraportable, though it does play an important role when you're choosing between two similarly-spec'd laptops.

The 12.1-inch screen is transflective, so they work reflectively when external light levels are high, and transmissively in darker environments via a low-power backlight. This just means color saturation on photos and videos will look better than on an ordinary matte screen.

The innards are downright plain, save for the 1GB system memory. It's pretty much a standard entry-level ultraportable. The AMD Turion 64 MT-32 (1.8Ghz) is still no match for the new dual core processors that power other laptops, but that's not to say it's not competent enough. It is, but it's just up against better competition. Adding to the list of "disappointment" is the all-too-important battery life. With only 1 hour and 42 minutes to get the laptop going, you wouldn't be encouraged to bring it along on long flights. If you want extra battery life, prepare to shell out an additional $99.

PCMag's verdict? 2.5 out of 5. The AV2260-EK1 gets the job done, that is if you're job is simply to get online, run some word processing programs, watch a DVD or two - just about what normal laptops can do. It doesn't have much value added features that'll make you want to scream for joy.

[H] Consumer have reviewed and tested 3 laptops that have 'Windows Vista Capable' stickers on them. We've all seen these stickers on PC's and Laptops in order to boast the specs and show that these system will be able to handle the next-generation of Windows Operating System - but what does this actually mean?

Here's a list of the laptops that H consumer have tested and their specs:

• eMachines T3418 - AMD Sempron 3400+ processor and 512MB of RAM
• eMachines T6528 - Athlon 64 3500+ processor and 512MB of RAM
• Compaq SR1800NX - Intel Celeron D 346 processor @ 3.06GHz and 512MB of RAM

All of these 3 laptops had the Vista capable stickers attached to them and have been tested using Windows Vista Beta 2. As those who keep up to speed with the latest Vista developments know, Windows Vista requires a lot of hard disk space, processing power and eats up RAM like there’s no tomorrow. The interesting thing is, each of these systems only have 512Mb of RAM; and with the high-spec benchmark being around at least 1GB these days, will how will they face up to the might of Windows Vista?

Click Read to find out!

In the battle of business mobility laptops, Gateway chimes in with their M255-E, a notebook suited for the mobile professional that demands performance. Utilizing Intel's new Core Duo technology, this laptop seems to pack a punch. Under close inspection, however, there seems to be a few flaws and this reviewer catches them all.

Gateway M255-E Features:

• Processor: Intel Yonah Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz/2MB L2 Cache)
• Hard Drive: 60 GB SATA @ 5400RPM (manufactured by Fujitsu)
• Screen: 14.1" WXGA Ultabright Widescreen (1200 x 800)
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• RAM: 512MB DDR2 SDRAM @533 MHz (2 x 256MB)
• Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 a/b/g
• Weight: 5.47 lbs
• Dimensions: 1.39" (H) x 13.38 " (W) x 9.76" (D)
• Ports/Slots: 1 IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 4 Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0), 6-in-1 removable memory card reader, 1 Type II PC Card Bus Slot, VGA monitor out port, S-video out, RJ-45 Ethernet LAN, RJ-11 modem, headphone/speaker jack, microphone connector

The review is fantastic as the laptop is put through the paces. It's benched against a few well-known tools and the outcome can be surprising. Using the Intel Core Duo CPU, the notebook faired well in CPU tests, but due to shoddy onboard video, the laptop failed miserably at 3D benchmarks. Due to the way the CPU is integrated into the laptop, it does get fairly hot on one side and this may also be the cause of the keyboard's unresponsiveness. Overall, it's a great laptop but upgrading to an 8-cell battery would be advisable if you need more life out of it. Mobility users will enjoy its lightweight and small size while power users will enjoy the performance it delivers, though a RAM upgrade is advisable.

In the battle for desktop replacements, Sager usually reigns supreme. With quality parts, excellent service, and solid warranties, Sager usually wins a lot of customers over. Their latest 5760 laptop offers some impressive power for the gamer on the go and for the person looking to get rid of their desktop. Boasting an Intel Core Duo, nVidia 7900 GTX, and loads of other features, this laptop will easily play any game out at incredible framerates.

• Processor - Intel Core Duo T2500 2.0GHz Processor (Yonah / 2 MB L2 Cache / 677 FSB)
• Core Logic - Intel 945PM chipset + ICH7M
• Memory - 2048 MB DDR2 (667 MHz) Memory (1024 MB x 2) (Max RAM 4GB)
• Hard Drive - 100 GB Hitachi HDD (7200 RPM) SATA
• Display - 17" (16:10) WSXGA+ (1680x1050) Glare (Glossy) Type Display
• GPU - nVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX 256MB GDDR3
• Built in mic, card reader, speakers, and webcam.

This is by far one of the more in-depth reviews on NotebookReview. Since it uses a lot of powerful hardware, the notebook was put through several extra benchmarks. These include Super Pi, PCMark, 3DMark 05 and 06, Oblivion, FEAR, and Battlefield 2. There are loads of pictures and screenshots for your viewing pleasure. If there's anyone out there looking for a desktop replacement, it would be ideal for them to think about Sager and this review.

The good folks over at Laptop Logic have put Lenovo's ThinkPad X60s through its paces. They've found the X60s to be one smooth, powerful notebook that's more than a bit on the expensive side, but is well worth every penny.

The X60s is a dual-core laptop that's relatively small, considering the heat it packs. Units can weigh 2.89lbs, 3lbs or 3.46lbs depending on which battery variant is chosen (one of three), and the machine never gets any thicker than 1.1in - nice and very portable. The test unit came equipped with the Core Duo Low Voltage L2400 CPU (1.55 GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache), 512 MB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a/b/g Wi-Fi, WWAN and an 8-cell battery - a heavenly mouthful! The machine's snappy performance, superb build quality, excellent keyboard (it's spill-resistant, of course), terrific battery life and unique ThinkLight (a little LED light for the keyboard) all endeared it very much to the editors.

The X60s is far from perfect of course. The reviewers didn't like that the palmrest gets a little hot, that there's no touchpad (just an UltraNav pointing stick), that there's no DVI on Ultrabase, that the lower-end systems only come with 512MB, and that the laptop's expensive - the test unit is $2,299, out of reach of many a road warrior. Still, those observations couldn't make them love the X60s any less. "There's certainly better value to be had elsewhere," the reviewers said, "but you truly get unparalleled, uncompromised mobility, quality and performance." The proof of that? The X60s just won Laptop Logic's Editor's Choice Award.

(Oh, and at the time the review was written, Lenovo decided to sweeten the pot a bit by offering $200 mail-in rebates on two of the lower X60s models. Sweet!)

Asustek has been flooding the market with a range of laptops carrying the Asus brand - Ultramobile PC, a tablet PC, and even the Lamborghini-branded model. Continuing its foray into the high-end PC products, the company has released its desktop replacement laptop - the Asus W2Jb. Before you part with your hard-earned $2,200, it's best to check what users have to say about it. If you don't know anyone who has it, then PCMag's review can be just as good.

With TV-recording capabilities and 17-inch widescreen display, it's quite obvious that the W2Jb is designed for the hardcore media enthusiast. It's powered by Intel Core Duo T2600 running at speed clock 2.16 GHz, 2GB of RAM. It comes with ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 3D chip, which PCMag didn't find all too impressive when pitted against nVidia graphics. It's 120GB hard drive may not be enough to store all media files, but you can easily burn DVDs using its DVD+R DL drive. Battery life is at 2 hours and 42 minutes, quite the standard for 17-inch desktop replacements.

The verdict? PCMag gave it a 4 out of 5 (very good). Now, the only thing you need to do is find a reputable online retailer as Asus does not sell its laptops directly.