This Toshiba Satellite Pro C850 laptop packs a lot of punch for a sub-£400 device. Available at Dabs with free delivery, it is powered by a third generation dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, a 3210M model clocked at 2.5GHz (with a turbo-boost speed of 3.1GHz) and 3MB L3 cache.

There’s also a single 4GB DDR3-1600 memory module (with one free slot and expandable to 16GB), a 500GB hard disk drive (with a 5400RPM spinning speed), a DVD writer, a 15.6in 1,366 x 768 pixel LED backlit display powered by an Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics subsystem, a webcam and two speakers.

Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a numeric keypad, GbE, a 48Whr battery with a battery life of 5.5 hours, two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, VGA, HDMI and a card slot. Toshiba has also thrown in an array of applications ranging from its own Eco Utility and PC Health monitor to Nero 12 Essentials and Intel App Up Center.

The laptop is powered by Windows 8 64-bit and although it is light at 2.3kg, it is 33mm thick, which is thicker than what we’d expect.