We’re finally starting to see some action in the laptop market after a few stagnant months as manufacturers awaited the latest hardware to become available. Intel officially launched its Ivy Bridge architecture back in April, but it wasn’t until around May and June that the first laptops equipped with the new Core i chips started rolling out, bringing improved performance and battery life.

When choosing the right laptop it all comes down to what you are willing to spend and what you plan to use it for. This guide will help you navigate through the countless options out there. As usual, we've narrowed down our favorite notebooks and grouped them into five different categories: ultraportables, business and workstations, desktop replacements, gaming, and budget-oriented machines.