HP Compaq nx7400

For the less-demanding business, the nx7400 still holds some charms. It is, after all, £200 cheaper than the Dell D620 and is good value for money if you don't need or want the Dell's extras; namely, the TPM chip, fingerprint reader and Gigabit Ethernet. Besides price, the only area where HP outdoes the Dell is the screen, which is larger by an inch, but even then it can't compete with the Dell's higher resolution.

We take the warranty on the Dell a little more seriously too - three years on-site compares favourably to the HP's one-year collect and return, and it's largely for this reason that the Dell remains our business laptop of choice. The glossy screen on the HP won't be to everyone's taste either, nor will the fact that there are only three SKUs of the nx7400 compared to the dozens of different options and specifications available on the D620 range. But the nx7400 is nonetheless a well-executed and excellently built workhorse, with a good specification for the price.

Author: Dave Stevenson