Though budget and surprisingly affordable laptops are all the rage lately, there are still quite a few high-end models out there that aren't exactly cheap. Even so, many of these "high-end" laptops offer far more for the money than ever before, making for potentially compelling buys for people looking for big screens and superpowered processors offering desktop-replacement-level performance.
Our high-end laptops from this year's 2010 back-to-school retail roundup are actually a pretty affordable bunch, including an $829
Editors' note: See our roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges.
Check out details of each system below:
The bottom line: Toshiba's Portege R series has always impressed, and the new 13-inch Portege R705 is close to a perfect balance of design, price, and performance.
The bottom line: At a hair less than $1,000, the Sony Vaio F12A is an attractive desktop replacement laptop that provides Blu-ray and basic gaming performance; it also includes some bonus free software.
The bottom line: Apple slightly revamps its basic MacBook with improvements under the hood, but keeps the design and price the same, which makes the new MacBook tough to beat as a back-to-school laptop.
The bottom line: Toshiba's 16-inch Satellite A665-S6070 desktop replacement offers plenty of performance for just under $1,000, unfortunately wrapped in a dull plastic case.
The bottom line: Sony's high-end Vaio F126 laptop is fast and feature-packed; however, for the money, we wish it had a true HD display and better battery life.