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CNET Labs' top performers of 2010 (photos)

The top-performing products in 2010 as determined by CNET Labs.

Eric Franklin
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
Julie Rivera Former Associate technology editor
While taking psych and theater courses in college, Julie learned her mom overpaid a PC technician to...lose her data. Thus, a tech geek was born. An associate editor for CNET Reviews, as well as a laptop testing analyst at CNET Labs, this wayward individual has maniacally dissected hardware and conquered hardware/software related issues for more than a decade. Just don't ask for help on her time off--she'll stare at you quizzically, walk away, and make herself a drink.
Joseph Kaminski Senior Associate Technology Editor / Reviews
During my almost twenty years at CNET, I handled benchmark testing/methodologies for both Mac and PC systems and, sometime after, integrated testing for micro-mobility (e-bikes, electric scooters and EUCs), which is a passion of mine. Transitioning from a BMX background to this field was seamless. Despite testing numerous products, each new one brings the same excitement as my first.
Eric Franklin
Dong Ngo
Julie Rivera
Joseph Kaminski
Maingear.JPG
1 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Maingear F131

Price: $269

The Maingear F131 includes an Intel Core i7 950 processor overclocked to 4.2GHz, 6GB of DDR3-1,333MHz RAM, and two Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 graphic cards, all for $2,499, making this system a tester's dream. The Maingear was not only the best performer this year in our Labs, but it also included some of the cleanest internals, with plenty of room for expansion.

Read more.

Caption by Joseph Kaminski

Macbok_Pro_Core_i7_1.jpg
2 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Core i7 (Best-performing high-end laptop)

Price: $1999

The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch included the best battery life we've seen on a 15-inch laptop--nearly 6 hours--and the fastest and most seamless switching between integrated and discrete GPUs.

Read more.

Caption by Julie Rivera

Linksys.jpg
3 of 13 Josh Miller/CNET

Cisco Linksys e2000

Price: $99

When it comes to throughput speeds, the Cisco Linksys e2000 is by far the fastest router among the 2.4GHz class.

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Caption by Dong Ngo

Imac.jpg
4 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple iMac summer 2010

Price: $1919

With its 27-inch screen, the iMac has one of the largest displays of any all-in-one currently on the market. Under the hood you'll find more than enough Intel and ATI-based horsepower to impressively power its 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution.

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Caption by Joseph Kaminski

5 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung ML-2525W

Price: $74.46

Though it's not the flashiest printer on the market, the ML-2525W sets a lofty pace among monochrome lasers. Its 20-pages-per-minute pace across text, graphics, and PowerPoint presentations are impressive, to say the least.

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Caption by Justin Yu

6 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Origin EON18 (Best-performing gaming laptop)

Price: $4499

This massive 18.4-inch beast is just that, a beast. With the exception of battery life, the Origin blew every other gaming machine/desktop replacement out of the water in our performance tests. The EON18 rendered multiple high-resolution images in 90 seconds flat and capped to nearly 300fps in our gaming benchmarks.

Read more.

Caption by Julie Rivera

Dreamcolor.jpg
7 of 13 Josh Miller/CNET

HP DreamColor LP2480zx

Price: $3519

The DreamColor is the first and only (so far) RGB LED monitor we've tested. That fact alone gives enough cause to expect world-beating performance, and it's not until you see its 10-bit, IPS panel in action that you can truly appreciate its abilities.

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Caption by Eric Franklin

8 of 13 Josh Miller/CNET

Synology DS410

Price: $481

The DS410 is a superfast network storage server that maintains its speed even during heavy loads, and its throughput speeds are consistently comparable with that of USB 3.0 external hard drives--no small feat. Also, it has by far the most responsive user interface we've yet seen.

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Caption by Dong Ngo

9 of 13 Josh Miller/CNET

Dell UltraSharp U2711

Price: $999

We first reviewed the U2711 way back in January. Thanks to its excellent color reproduction and high 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution, that initial impression has not dissipated.

Read more.

Caption by Eric Franklin

10 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung Q430-11 (Best-performing budget laptop)

Price: $829

With a Core i5 processor and the Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics chip, the 14-inch Samsung Q430-11 was the best-performing budget laptop in our benchmarking tests in 2010.

Read more.

Caption by Julie Rivera

Origin_Genesis.jpg
11 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Origin Genesis (Intel Core i7 920)

Price: $4998

We tested the Origin Genesis in early 2010. Cut to year's end and it still holds top honors in performance. Thanks to its two ATI Radeon HD 5970s, abundance of RAM, and fast Intel CPU, this system can beautifully run any game on the market today.

Read more.

Caption by Joseph Kaminski

12 of 13 Sarah Tew/CNET

Lexmark Impact

Price: $75

Efficiency is the name of the game with the Lexmark Impact. As budget printers go, the Impact delivered a print speed unrivaled by its peers.

Read more.

Caption by Justin Yu

13 of 13 Josh Miller/CNET

NEC MultiSync PA271W

Price: $1552

The NEC PA271W's 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution and 10-bit panel are reason enough to get excited about this professional monitor. However, its the monitor's depth of calibration options that powers its performance into the stratosphere.

Read more.

Caption by Eric Franklin

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