We're in the process of looking for a new laptop right now, and it's a fascinating thing. My brother whose job is computers said to buy anything except a Dell, which I have heard from many other people. However, some people are happy with Dell. I've heard too much negative, so we're avoiding them.
Also it's interesting to note that the actual manufacturers of motherboards are not the names that most people are familiar with, such as HP, Dell, etc. Those are companies that assemble pretty computers.
I'm looking at Asus, because they are one of the few primary manufacturers of most of the computer parts, so my instinct tells me they will work better - they can't blame a third company for a failed product, as it's their own product. The thing is they're not necessarily as pretty or well known as an HP etc. Because of that (and the fact they're cutting out a middle man who is building the computer) their prices tend to be better than a more well known brand. You get more bang for the buck.
JMO, of course. Everyone has different experiences!
