Review: Three 17-in. laptops provide big screens for low prices

When most people think "laptop," they think of a device with a 12.1-to-15.4-in. screen, which is really a bit cramped for extended use. 17-in. notebooks, on the other hand, provide a nice, large, desktop-size display. And unlike desktop computers, they still allow some mobility.

In the past, widescreen 17-in. notebooks sat near the top of the digital food chain, with high price tags. Now, however, many are surprisingly affordable and are challenging budget machines on features and value.

To examine the latest trends in reasonably priced larger notebooks, I looked for 17-in. systems from major vendors that sell for $850 or less. I got my hands on three models: Acer's $750 Aspire 7738, Dell's $829 Inspiron 1750 and Toshiba's $700 Satellite L555. Those prices are about what you might have paid for a budget business machine with a 15-in. screen a year ago. Clearly, a lot has changed.

"It's amazing how much notebook $850 buys these days," says John Jacobs, director of notebook market research at display research firm DisplaySearch. "17-in. machines used to sell for twice that or more. Today, they're one of the biggest bargains."

With all that space at their disposal, these systems deliver more digital amenities than can be squeezed into smaller and lighter machines. On top of offering a full-size keyboard, about 25% more viewing space than a 14-in. screen and twice the computing power of the typical budget notebook, a 17-in. system has the room and cooling power for lots of RAM and a high-performance hard drive. The Aspire 7738 even includes high-end graphics and HDMI ports.

These are not anemic ultraslim systems that weigh less than 3 lbs. and can't compute their way out of a paper bag. No, these behemoths of the notebook world weigh about 7 or 8 lbs. and are meant to replace a desktop PC, especially when you need a large display to edit images, screen a movie or present to a group.

While they can travel, even the smallest of these systems will cover an entire airline tray table, so forget about having a drink while in the air. In fact, they're more appropriate for going from the conference room to a cubicle or from the kitchen to the family room than for trips from Seattle to Chicago.