Desktop Replacement Notebooks

A desktop replacement notebook proves that you can, indeed, take it with you: These powerful portables sport big screens, spacious hard drives (or two), multimedia prowess, and graphics and processing power to spare. With weights approaching and surpassing 10 pounds, you won't want to take one along very often-but a desktop replacement is still easier to tote than a minitower.

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What Are Desktop Replacement Notebooks?

A desktop replacement is a notebook with a 17-inch screen or larger. While panels that size in a portable were unthinkable a few years ago, they are now commonplace-and some laptops have 19- and even 20-inch LCDs. With such a screen as the centerpiece, most desktop replacement machines focus on the video, multimedia, and gaming experience. 

Who Are They For?

Desktop replacement laptops are ideal for buyers that don't travel often, if at all, with their notebook, so the portability is more of a convenience-to shuttle the machine from room to room or to a weekend place-than a necessity.

A desktop replacement is also ideal for smaller quarters (a bedroom, kitchen, or small apartment) where a full-size desktop/monitor/keyboard (and the accompanying cables) are too cumbersome, or where you want a machine to serve multiple purposes (PC, TV, audio system, etc.).

What Can You Expect From a Desktop Replacement?

• High-res screen (often HD-capable)
• Optional high-def DVD player
• Core 2 Duo or optional Quad Core GPU
• 240GB+ hard drive capacity
• Optional TV tuner (internal or external)
• Optional high-end GPU

Simple Buying Tips

• Consider HD options. Though it adds hundreds of dollars to the price of the machine, consider a setup that combines a high-def DVD drive (either HD DVD or Blu-ray), a 1080p-capable screen, and HDMI output. This lets the notebook function as a self-contained HD home theater, and the HDMI port lets you connect it to a full-fledged home theater system to make the most of your investment.
  
  
• Grab lots of drive space. If you will be using the machine as your multimedia hub, get as much hard drive capacity as you can afford (desktop replacements usually offer the option of a second hard drive). Paired with the maker's internal or external TV tuner option, you'll want that disk space to record TV programs.
  
  
• To game, or not to game? If you aren't into 3D gaming, you can save some coin and opt for a mid-level GPU solution (you'll still need graphics horsepower to help with DVD and HD video decoding and playback). If you are a gamer, be prepared to shell out for a dual-GPU solution from nVidia (SLI) or ATI (CrossFire).