HP Pavilion ZD7140us Laptop (3.0 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM)

At a comparatively sizable 14.25 by 11.59 by 1.8 inches and 9.3 pounds, the Pavilion zd7140us may be a bit too cumbersome for those who commonly carry their notebook on their daily journeys. Yet HP has put that space to good use, loading the system with a power package that leads off with Intel's blazing 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor. Sporting a 533 MHz front side bus and Intel's new Hyper-Threading technology for increased performance during demanding operations such as complex multitasking, this is a potent CPU. HP has added 512 MB of RAM memory (half that of the Pavilion zd7180us but still perfectly acceptable) and a very respectable nVidia GeForce Fx Go 5200 graphics controller with 64 MB of dedicated video memory. With no serious bottlenecks anywhere in the processing pipeline, the unit will efficiently manage all but the most demanding tasks, including many of today's most popular 3-D games -- a real rarity in the world of notebooks.

You'll want to keep the Pavilion zd7140us nearby even after the business day ends. Sporting a massive 17-inch WXGA+ WVA TFT display (in widescreen format and supporting resolutions up to 1440 by 900) and built-in Harman/Kardon speakers, the unit is ready to lend impressive sound and visuals to everything from 3-D games to the latest DVD movies. Furthermore, its data handling options are solid. You can store oodles of programs and files on its generous 60 GB hard disk, and burn audio CDs, backup information and play the hottest DVD movies on its CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive.

With the Pavilion zd7140us, future connectivity is assured. The system features no less than four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for linking with external peripherals such as scanners and optical drives, one FireWire port for fast transfers with high-tech toys such as digital camcorders, an S-Video TV-Out, and an integrated 5-in-1 Digital Reader for transferring data from today's most common memory cards. Communication facilities are thorough, including a v.90 dial-up modem, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, and 54g Integrated 802.11 b/g Wireless technology for those times when you just can't plug in.

HP has bundled a wide range of pre-installed software, including Microsoft's new Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft's Works productivity suite, and a variety of multimedia and online utilities.