Notebook Hunter

The Acer AS5750-2314G50Mnkk for $799 has a Sandy Bridge Intel Core i3 processor, but there are regular specials on alternatives for around $700 that are much better value for money. If you can find this notebook for under $700 you're getting a great deal, but for the RRP it's not especially competitive.

The specific processor is the Intel Core i3-2310M (2.1GHz), which while a bit slower than the Intel Core i3-370M (2.4GHz) seen in many other allrounders has one major advantage. That advantage is the onboard Intel HD Graphics 3000, which can run newer games smoothly at low settings. That’s comparable to the discrete graphics cards featured in other Intel Core i3 allrounders, but without the drain on battery life.

The other specs are as good as the processor, including 4GB of RAM and a hearty 500GB of storage. A 15.6in (1,366x768 resolution) screen is always welcome, as it is easily sufficient when watching movies, playing games or just running productivity applications. The AS5750 weighs 2.6kg, and measures 33mm thick, 251.4mm deep and 381mm wide.