MSI CX640-018UK

The combination of excellent performance, long battery life, vibrant screen and solid build in the MSI CX640-018UK makes this a fantastic all-round laptop that will suit a variety of tastes and users. Most importantly, it will handle anything you care to throw at it.

That's thanks to its Sandy Bridge Intel Core i7-2410M and a potent Nvidia GeForce 540M graphics card, which mean that it handles multimedia and gaming just brilliantly. There's also a power-saving mode, meaning that it's got excellent battery life to boot.
Even when multi-tasking with several applications, there's no slowdown. A dedicated Nvidia GT 540M graphics card handles photo and video editing, and you can play the latest games if you turn down the graphical detail.

Benchmarks

Battery life: 333 minutes
MobileMark 2007: 255
3DMark 2003: 13,143

Only the Acer and Sony provide better multimedia performance. If you're doing more basic work, such as browsing the web, the graphics card shuts itself down to preserve battery power.

The resulting battery life is excellent, stretching to five and a half hours. If you want a laptop for the daily commute or to take on trips, this is a great option. The 2.6kg solid chassis is a little bulky, but still fits into most large bags.