When laptop computers are billed as "desktop replacements" this often just means a laptop that will handle most applications at desktop speed. Well, HP's new Pavilion dv9500t is a laptop computer that will make you forget about your desktop PC entirely.

This series of powerful, sharply designed notebooks offers excellent performance capabilities for handling everything from all of Windows Vista's bells and whistles to 3D games and recording television. Even the default processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 with twin processing cores operating at 1.8GHz each. And HP starts these laptop computers out with a healthy 1GB of DDR2 memory (and currently offers an upgrade to 2GB for a very reasonable price).

This laptop line features HP's new Radiance design with a gloss black cover and silver accents--it'll definitely turn some heads when you pull it out of your notebook bag. The impressive 17-inch widescreen display means you won't be missing your old desktop monitor, either. The native resolution is 1440x900, so onscreen details are sharp, and you can bump the resolution up to a whopping 1680x1050 for even sharper contrast.

Hard drive storage starts out at a respectable 160GB in a 5,400rpm drive. But as we said, this is a desktop replacement system, so it has room for two hard drives. You can easily double the capacity--nearly a third of a terabyte--or opt for twin 100GB drives operating at 7,200rpms to give you faster data reading and writing and an overall performance boost.

The optical drive is equally impressive. It's a Super Multi DVD writer that supports Double Layer media, letting you store up to 8.5GB of data on a single disk. And HP is currently offering a free upgrade to a LightScribe drive so you can imprint professional-looking labels to the upper side of compatible CDs and DVDs. You can even opt for a Super Multi DVD writer that can also play High Definition DVDs, although this upgrade will run you over $400, as HD as Blu Ray DVD players are still new to market.

The multimedia features on the dv9500t series include HP's QuickPlay with a remote control, so you can watch DVDs and listen to music without fully booting up the system. There are even two headphone jacks so both you and a buddy can listen in private. You can add a TV tuner to these systems, turning them into a personal video recorder of all your favorite television shows.

The core graphics start out as integrated by default, but these laptop computers support NVIDIA's GeForce graphics. For example, you can add a GeForce 8400M GS graphics card with 128MB of dedicated video memory for under $80, turning your dv9500t into a robust gaming machine or boosting its CAD performance.

Other customizable options include a webcam, a fingerprint reader and Bluetooth, but the dv9500t laptops ship well configured at the baseline price of. Their only drawback is the scale weighing in at 7.7 pounds, but that goes with the desktop replacement territory. If you don't mind the extra weight on your shoulders, the HP Pavilion dv9500t is one laptop computer that can truly replace your desktop.


Pros: Sharp design, beautiful screen, powerful performance
Cons: Heavy

Warranty
1-year limited