Asus Stylish X83

Dedicated graphics chip in a budget laptop; 4GB of RAM.

Unreadable labels on touch control buttons; smaller hard drive than similarly priced laptops.

Asus' X83VB-X2 is a pleasant surprise for casual gamers -- a generic-looking budget 14-inch laptop with discrete graphics.

Great bang for the buck; GeForce graphics deliver good 3D performance; HDMI and eSATA ports; solid construction; LED-backlit display delivers bright, vibrant image; quiet operation.

Stiff mouse buttons are annoying and loud; no multimedia shortcut keys; no Bluetooth despite Bluetooth button.

The Asus X83VM-X1 is a well-rounded 14-inch mainstream laptop. It boasts a pleasing design (aside from the stiff, loud mouse buttons), and excellent application performance and 3D graphics performance for the money.

Excellent performance for the price; HDMI and eSATA ports; solid construction; LED-backlit display delivers bright, vibrant image; quiet operation.

Glossy keys don't provide the best feel and are loud and clacky, and the gold lettering on the keys is hard to see in low light; stiff mouse buttons; no multimedia shortcut keys; no Bluetooth.

A poorly designed keyboard and stiff mouse buttons prevent a higher recommendation for the Asus X83VB-X1, which is an otherwise well-built 14-inch laptop that delivers chart-topping performance for a low price.