With a grand in your pocket, you can get yourself a very nice PC these days. Laptops continue to carry a slight price premium over equivalent desktops, but there's more variety and more quality available for three figures than ever before.

All the reviews of the laptops in our top 10 come from our partner title What Laptop, and can be read by clicking on the product title. Note that the price given is at launch. We've tried not to favour any one particular type of laptop over another, but have rather looked at how good each one is at what it's trying to be, and of course the value for money it delivers.

In the end, it left us with a rather surprising result, and one we truly weren't expecting. But we're prepared to stick by it, controversial though it might be.

10 Acer TravelMate 6463WLMi £795

The main difficulty in recommending the 6463WLMi is its Windows XP operating system. But this business-orientated laptop makes up ground in other areas. Battery life means it can be used for long stretches on the move, and it's comfortable to do so too. Good security features round off an above-average corporate offering. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz (processor) * 80GB (hard drive) * 1024MB (memory) * Windows XP Professional (operating system) * 15.4 in (screen size) * 3.2kg (weight) *

9 MSI Megabook S262 £999

The smaller notebooks are the more they tend to cost, but here's a well-specified offering from MSI that keeps the price under four figures. Vista may not be included, but an awful lot else is, and performance is excellent. A highly portable mobile companion. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 2.16GHz * 100GB * 1024MB * Windows XP Professional * 12.1in * 2.1kg *

8 Toshiba Satellite A100-998 £999

If you can get over the lack of Windows Vista, you'll find the A100-998 to be a very competent entertainment laptop. Nvidia graphics combine with Harman Kardon speakers, plenty of storage and a good 15.4-inch display to give you rather a lot for your money. The main downside is the average keyboard. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz * 200GB * 2048MB * Windows XP Media Center * 15.4 in * 2.9kg *

7 Hi-Grade Ultinote A9900 £890

With its dedicated graphics card, 17-inch screen and powerful processor, this is a hard-hitting media laptop. Not surprisingly given its size, it's not really intended for large amounts of travelling, so battery life isn't great. But its multimedia performance is very impressive for the price. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2GHz * 100GB * 1024MB * Windows Vista Home Premium * 17in * 3.3kg *

6 Dell Latitude D630 £939

It may not set the pulse racing, but this business laptop does an awful lot of things right. Well built and comfortable to use, with fantastic battery life and solid performance, it's exactly the kind of reliable workhorse you want by your side. Professional and capable, this is an excellent mobile companion. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 1.8GHz * 80GB * 2048MB * Windows Vista Business * 14.1in * 2.5kg *

5 Asus F3Jv £949

Look at its specification and you may wonder what makes the F3Jv so special. But these key specs only tell part of the story, and the Asus impresses on all fronts. It's an excellent all-rounder and if you can live with components and an operating system that isn't cutting edge, you'll be getting the kind of all-round excellence that you seldom find at this sort of price point. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz * 120GB * 1024MB * Windows XP Pro * 15.4in * 2.8kg *

4 Hi-Grade Notino D7000SR-2200 £899

You always get a lot for your money with Hi-Grade, but even by those standards this is impressive. It's not the best looking, and can be a little noisy, but that's all overshadowed by its performance and value. It has plenty of media-friendly extras too, and is sure to be money well spent. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz * 160GB * 2048MB * Windows Vista Home Premium * 15.4in * 3kg *

3 Samsung Q70 £899

This Samsung as all about exceeding expectations. It makes all the right noises for a mobile workhorse, but throws a bunch of multimedia extras into the bargain, then seals the deal with superb performance. It looks great too. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2GHz * 160GB * 2048MB * Windows Vista Home Premium * 13.3in * 2.1kg *

2 Acer Aspire 5920 £799

This latest Aspire shows that it's not just Apple that can make distinctive laptops. Its BMW-designed lines enclose some serious technology, and its mid-range Nvidia graphics help the 5920 deliver excellent performance. And at a shade under £799, it undercuts most of the opposition here. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2GHz * 160GB * 2048MB * Windows Vista Home Premium * 15.4in * 2.75kg *

1 Apple MacBook 13.3-inch £999

It says something about how the computing landscape has changed in recent years that apart from its OS, the MacBook is able to be compared on an equal footing with its rivals. The result is the MacBook can go toe to toe with any similar laptop, not just on power and performance, but on price too. In our review model, it's taken on a black casing but of course it's available in the traditional white too. Either way, it's got all the style associated with Apple, and its weight and battery life make it an excellent laptop. We weren't expecting to see top spot go to Apple, but the MacBook deserves it, and in this spec is now cheaper than when we reviewed it. Key specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2GHz * 120GB * 1024MB * Mac OS X * 13.3in * 2.3kg *

Also read....Top 10 budget laptops