The Compaq Presario CQ62-410 is simplicity done well. With 2GB of DD3 (expandable to 8GB) memory and a 250 GB hard drive (7200RPM) it isn’t going to wow in the specification department but it’s got enough power to get through the basics with little fuss. With a 15.6 inch screen and 4.5 hours of battery life it’s a solid all-around performer that will get you through your school or workday without breaking the bank. The fingerprint-resistant coating is easy to grip and lends the CQ62 a bit of style, as well.

The ASUS Seashell 1215N is one of a class of netbooks that trades a bit of portability for a leap in performance and power. With a 12.1 inch screen and built on the dual-core Atom D525 processor, the Seashell 1215N-PU17 is really more of a mini-laptop than a large netbook. In that vein it also sports 2GB (expandable to 4GB) of memory as well as a 250GB hard drive in a 3.5lb package. The 1215 makes a great media machine on the go, perfect for travel with 6 hours of battery life as well as HDMI output. The 1215N might be a bit underpowered as your sole machine, but it’s more than capable of being your companion on the go to stay connected, get your work done and, with NVIDIA ION-powered discrete graphics, it’s got the ability to get you your HD gaming and video fix as well.

For those looking for just a little more power than what’s afforded above (without the token bump in price), the Lenovo G560 is a great option. With 4GB of memory and the dual-core Intel Pentium P6100 processor, the G560 is going to get through just about anything you’d like to throw at it, whether that’s as an enterprising office machine or as a multimedia travel companion. It’s got a nice 320 GB hard drive that should be plenty for most and enough battery life at 3.8 hours that you won’t be desperate to find a plug everywhere you take it and sports a full numpad on the keyboard, making numeric entry a breeze. With a wallet-friendly price and a solid spec sheet the G560 makes for a great overall work PC.