"Overall, we were pleased with these five machines, which range in price from $1,458 to $2,599. All performed well on our benchmark tests, with the standout being the Mayhem. If you need a relatively lightweight notebook that has the power to muscle through the latest 3D games, the Mayhem is your best choice.

The construction of some of these laptops was questionable, with manufacturing shortcomings such as flimsy keyboards and chassis in some instances. Other notebooks, however, fused sharp style with slick creature comforts. The award for most posh machine goes to the W2V, with its brilliant 17-inch display and impressive multimedia capabilities. This wide-bodied portable isn't small, but Asus' solid engineering results in a notebook that's both sleek and handsome. Durability accolades go to the Durabook, whose moderately rugged chassis is designed to survive the occasional drop or spill.

On the downside, the manufacturers tended to provide skimpy support, at least when compared with mainstream vendors. The most common offense: Many of the companies do not provide phone support around the clock. Instead, you'll need to catch the manufacturers during their limited business hours, which are typically between noon and 8 p.m. (ET). Also, don't expect to find an option for onsite service. Only one company, ABS, included onsite coverage as part of its standard warranty. Without it, if something goes wrong with your notebook, you'll have to box it up and ship it back to the repair depot yourself."

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