Black Friday Deals: Laptop computers

Laptop prices have been going down over the years, but they can still be costly. Some of the models on electronics stores' Black Friday lists could save you quite a few bucks. Here are a few of our favorites.

• You'll find a 15.6-inch Toshiba laptop at Best Buy for $350. It includes a dual-core AMD processor, 3GB of memory, and a 320GB hard drive.
• In a doorbuster deal, Best Buy is selling a Sony laptop with a Blu-ray drive for $500. It includes a Blu-ray video, a subscription to a security software package, and a laptop bag. To take advantage of this early-bird deal, you need to pick up a ticket at Best Buy (they'll be doled out starting at 3 a.m. Friday morning), and quantities are limited to 10 per store.
• Office Max will offer a 15.6-inch Acer laptop for $500, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive.
• Staples will have a 17-inch HP laptop with an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive for $500. Staples' flyer warns these are in limited quantity; the sale starts at 6 a.m.

Find more information on laptop performance and Ratings (available to subscribers) at Consumer Reports Online. And if you're in the market for a desktop, here are our top Black Friday deal picks.

—Donna Tapellini