Which 17-inch monster laptop?

So you want a 17-inch monster of a laptop and you're prepared to pay for the privilege. Which of the top giant-screened machines should you choose?

For home cinema duties, the Qosmio comes bundled with a huge range of AV cables that let you record live TV and play it back later. It's not a laptop in any conventional sense of the term, though -- you'll break your back lugging it around town.

For graphic designers, video producers and musicians, a natural choice is the 17-inch Apple PowerBook. Its gorgeous widescreen display, FireWire 800 ports and slimline chassis make it perfectly suited to an afternoon scriptwriting on the beach at Cannes.

For gamers, the Dell Inspiron or XPS are both hardcore Half-Life-ready machines. The XPS pushes good taste to the limits with its neon blue backlights and obscene boy-racer styling.