It’s pretty safe to say that tablet devices are pretty much dominating the portable tech/computer world right now. However, there are some times when you’ve got to admit that you just want a good old laptop to take around with you. They’re pretty stable hunks of tech that you’ve probably known your way around for years. It’s hardly a niche product, though. There are literally hundreds of different laptops you can choose from, all with confusing names like Raioeuio Mega-book DF-101HD. How can you possibly know what’s what? Well, here’s a handy run-down of the best laptops that have hit the market lately:

Apple Mac-book Pro

Apple Mac-book Pros are one of the most well-known and best selling laptops on the market right now. As they’re both Apple product, and designed for professional use, they come with a high price tag. The third and latest generation Mac-book Pro is the Retina model, released in June 2012. Here’s the run-down on both models:

The MC975 is the cheaper of the two at $2,199. It’s got a 2.3Ghz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 Processor  which is more cores than you’ll ever need. It’s got 8Gb RAM, and 256Gb flash storage. What is flash storage? It’s like a hard drive except not a spinning disk. It’s what USB pens use. It’s a lot more secure  as there’s less to go wrong.

The more expensive MC976 at $2,799 has a 2.6Ghz processor, and 512Gb flash storage. Both models boast a 7 hour battery life and NVIDIA Ge-force GT 650M 1Gb Graphics  which I assure you is very good.rn In all honesty the MC976 is a little bit overkill. The best feature of the 976 over the 975 I would say is the doubled amount of flash storage. But you could always invest in external storage if that’s really your thing.

It should also be noted that second generation Mac-book Pros have also been overhauled recently, and are much nicer on the wallet. The new versions are the MD101-04. The four versions are a mixture of spec and screen-size, with the cheaper MD101 ($1,199) having a 13.3 inch screen, 2.5Ghz Dual-Core, 4Gb RAM, and a 500Gb hard drive; and the most expensive MD104 ($2,199) a 15.4 inch display, 2.6Ghz Dual-Core, 8Gb RAM, and 750Gb hard drive.rn All of the Mac-book Pros come with Mac OSX v10.7 Lion, but through Apple’s Up-To-Date program can be upgraded to v10.8 Mountain Lion for free.

Vizio’s latest Ultra-book

Vizio’s latest Ultra-book, the Thin & Light CT14-AO, may not pack the tech punch that some other of the latest laptops might be able to, but that’s because it’s designed for sleek and portable use above all else. The thing weighs 3.4lbs, and is 0.67 inches when closed. That’s tiny. The screen is still 14 inches, though, and it’s still got a pretty nice Intel i3 Dual-Core processor. It may only have an 128Gb memory, but it’s solid state  the sturdiness of which is ideal for a super-portable laptop such as this one. It comes with 4Gb RAM right out the box, but it can fit 8Gb maximum if that’s not just quite enough. It’s $899.99 RRP, but if you look around you can get a pretty good deal on this thing. It’s perfect if portability is your thing. Comes with Windows 7 installed  which is debatably the best Windows OS.

HP Envy 6 Sleek-book

The new HP Envy 6 Sleek-book is cheaper at $699.99. It’s got a 1080p 15.4 inch wide-screen display. It plays blu-ray. It has a designated graphics card. It boasts 9 hours battery life. It has 4Gb of RAM, and a 500Gb hard drive. It has HP CoolSense technology to prevent overheating. The specs are great, and the price is very competitive. I had a quick look around and managed to find it some places for as little as $599.99. It seems well-built, and good to go. And, of course, it runs Windows 7 right off the bat.

ASUS N56VM-AB71

The latest ASUS, the N56VM-AB71, is a bit more expensive at $1,149.99  but some places seems to be selling it for as little as $899.99. It’s pricier than some of the latest laptops out there, sure, but it’s a bit of a powerhouse. It’s got an 2.3Ghz Intel i7 Core, 6Gb RAM, 750Gb hard drive, a 15.6 1080p screen, and an NVIDIA graphic co-processor. If you want a laptop with a lot of bite, then this is it. Windows 7 OS.

HP Pavilion

Finally we’ve got the HP Pavilion. It’s no Envy 6, but it’s even more affordable at $499.99. It’s got a 2.7Ghz AMD Dual-Core Processor. It’s got 4Gb RAM, and a 640Gb hard drive. The screen is 15.6 inches. It claims to have a battery life of around 7 hours, too. If you’re just looking for a cheap-ish laptop that will be able to perform pretty well for a few years, then you should really look not further than this.rnrnHP seem to have the most competitive pricing right now, and boast some pretty nice specs for it, too. Vizio’s ultra-book seems to be the most ultra-portable option. ASUS offer a pretty powerful laptop that’s a bit more more expensive. Apple’s Mac-book pros are a big price jump from most of the other laptops around at the moment. Whether you think they’re sailing on their Apple sails a bit far or not, it doesn’t seem like they’ll ever become any less popular. But whatever it is you’re looking for in a laptop, there’s certainly enough variation to be able to find what you want on the market pretty easily.