The HP Compaq Presario V3000T delivers an impressive blend of style and portability for just $879 ($100 rebate). Like the dv2000 systems, this one has a whole new look, with a shiny, brushed-silver finish on the outside and a sleek, black resin finish inside. You'll also be quick to notice the sporty grille above the keyboard, which houses the Altec Lansing speakers. Some may prefer the dv2000t because of its built-in webcam, but you won't find a better (or better-looking) budget dual-core notebook than the V3000T.

At just 5.4 pounds, this one-inch thin system features a stunning 14.1-inch widescreen display with BrightView technology and a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. When viewed in bright lighting conditions, the screen's glossy coating gives off some reflective glare, but otherwise the picture is sharp, and the viewing angle is ideal for watching movies.

The full-sized keyboard is framed by a brushed black wrist rest with an embedded touchpad controller that maintains the screen's 16:10 aspect ratio and provides four-way scrolling. The Altec Lansing speakers mounted above the keyboard are sufficient for low-volume music and movie playback but lack the power and bass response to handle loud music without distorting it. We love the blue-backlit, soft-touch media control buttons between the speaker enclosures, and that you can view movies and photos and play audio CDs without booting Windows, thanks to HP's QuickPlay 2.1 software.

The V3000T offers plenty of connectivity options, including three USB ports, FireWire, VGA, and S-Video outputs, and an Expansion port connector. There's also a 5-in-1 memory card reader, but you're stuck with an ExpressCard slot instead of a PC Card slot (for which there are a lot more available peripherals). Our configuration featured a Super Multi 8X dual-layer DVD burner, but for an additional $75, you can have the notebook outfitted with a LightScribe drive for creating laser-etched media labels. An IR sensor, wireless switch, and LED indicator share space with the microphone and headphone jacks on the front bezel.

The V3000T is powered by Intel's 1.6-GHz Core Duo T2050 with 512MB of DDR2 memory. A MobileMark 2005 score of 208 with Wi-Fi enabled is just average for this class of notebook; a bump up to a 2-GHz chip and another 512MB of RAM will provide a significant performance boost but will set you back an additional $200. Also, multimedia enthusiasts will likely find the 60GB hard drive too small for storing lots of digital audio and video files.

Wireless throughput was decent, with the V3000T averaging 12.7 Mbps at a distance of 15 feet from our access point, and 11.7 Mbps at 50 feet. You get decent endurance for your dollar; the battery-life rating of 3 hours and 45 minutes was good. Intel's GMA 950 integrated graphics controller managed a 3DMark03 score of 1,383, which is good enough for most multimedia applications but not quite up to the task of running today's 3D titles.

The V3000T ships with a nice selection of software applications. You get HP's Wild Tangent Game bundle, Muvee AutoProducer DVD Edition with Burning 4.5, Microsoft Works 8 and Money 2006, Intuit Quicken New User Edition 2006, HP PhotoSmart Premier, and Sonic Digital Media Plus 7.0. The notebook is covered by a one-year parts-and-labor warranty that includes 24/7 toll-free telephone, e-mail, and real-time chat support. Two- and three-year warranty plans with Accidental Damage Protection are also available starting at $249.

There are certainly more powerful notebooks out there, but the stylish HP Compaq Presario V3000T offers solid performance and some cool features at a price that won't break the bank.