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Haven't bought one of these in 6-7 years, and the last one was one from Dell. Don't care for it too much (and now it's literally falling apart) but don't know **** about newer ones.

I'm guessing stuff like HDMI outputs and maybe even blu-ray players are becoming the norm nowadays, but not sure.

I'm looking to spend about $500-$1000 tops. Debating on the ultrabooks for their battery life, although there are only a few models out there. Also would prefer a 15" or bigger screen, but it seems the ultra's only come in a 15-15.6" (at least the ones on bestbuy.com.) I'd prefer to get it on BB.com because of the no interest but would debate on other places.


I also don't know which of the brands are decent anymore (HP, Dell, Gateway, Samsung, Toshiba, etc) and I'd prefer not to build my own.... unless the money saving really is worth it.



I can rip a car apart and put it back together without an issue but when it comes to laptops, I'm lost.

Macs are always good. Although I personally don't like them based on personal preference.

I have a newish Dell XPS 15 and I love it to death (I say this because it got redesigned about 6 months after I bought mine). Its a little more than your budget (around 1300 for mine) but its got plenty of memory, good graphics, and great sound. I bought mine with an extended battery, which I don't know is an option still after the redesign, and I'll get six hours or more depending on what I'm doing. Its a powerful enough laptop that I can run CAD software on it without slowing down. As far as outputs goes. Mine has 3 usb slots, ethernet, HDMI, Digital audio out, and two headphone jacks.

My personal suggestion would be to go to a best buy and talk to them, even if you don't want to buy it there. Nowadays you can pretty much customize any computer from any number of companies and make them the same. Only thing I push for in my laptops is Intel Processors and NVidia graphics cards. I've had AMD processors and ATI graphics cards, which are the other two big competing brands, and haven't liked either one.

If you can, I'd wait until Windows 8 comes out, as it will add years to the lifespan of your purchase as far as obsolescence goes. Dell's Home/Small business section usually has some pretty good bang for the buck offerings.

I am an apple guy, but it may be a few $$$ above your budget. I have had my current Macbook Pro for over 3 years and it still runs well. I find the quality of apple products are excellent. Their warranties are good too.

BB is doing a deal right now that with a laptop purchase, you can get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 when it comes ou.

This. As far as brand/model preference, I've never had an issue with the Toshiba Qosmio laptops. Great performance/specs for work (app coding/graphics/video) and play (rpg/rts/mmos), and I do use it for both.

Anecdotal story time!

Just over three years ago I purchased my first Apple product, a 13" MacBook, a black one...I bought it used for around $700 I think.

Specs:

2.16 GHz processor, Intel Core 2 Duo, 4gb ram and 160gb hard drive.

Well, I've essentially used it non stop since and it hasn't ever been turned off for more than a week and it rocks out like a beast on the daily.

The only problem with it is the battery is spent (easily fixed.)

I'd buy another in a heartbeat, probably the 11" Air since 95% of the time I'm hooked up to 23" of widescreen HD and I like to travel light.

Consider a new Dell. I just bought one from Costco for about $799 two months ago and am pleased with it.

I bought a decent Hewlett Packard about four years ago, also from Costco. It was about $700 and was one of the best they had at the time. While it is a bit long in the tooth and acts up from time to time, it has served me well - so well that many of the keys have the white letter rubbed off of them and my "Q" actually fell offf!

My intent is to pass it down to my son (in high school now) in a few months from now and then use my new Dell as my 'regular' system. I have a 10-year-old Dell desktop (remember those?) that still works, albeit slowly by today's standards.

Costco gives you a two-year warranty and their "concierge" program at no extra charge. Additionally, as an executive member, you get points back for everything you buy. Since I bought two sets of tires and a laptop - among other things from time to time - my membership ends up being "free" and they send me a check every year!

The only bad thing about Dell is that their customer service people are the pits - and many don't seem to speak English very well. I hope they have changed this, however, as it has been a few long years since I had to call them for anything. Ironically, when you call them to BUY SOMETHING, you get a person based in the USA. Doh!

I went thru this about a year and a half ago. I bought a d-hell, one of the worst decisions of my life. It was bought direct and was one of their business models with their service plan It was a piece of junk and D service was a total joke. It had problems in the first two months. I called them a hundred times, each time I had to explain the same problem over again even though I had a case number and the techs can barely speak English.

I sold it and took a loss. This is when I bought my first MacBook Pro. It has been wonderful. Zero issues. I did call apple early on because I had a transion (from PC to Mac) question. They talked to me like a human and got me going. Speaking of transition, it is very minor and easy. Only some of the hot keys are slightly different.

I now am a Mac convert. Well worth the money.

Do yourself a favor...get a Lenovo. Most times the best deals are on newegg.com or provantage.com. Go with either a Lenovo Thinkpad or Thinkpad Edge...Lenovo blows away all the other brands. Thats all I buy for the company I work for and it's what I always recommend when my friends and family ask for advice...I'm a sys admin.

Years ago It was required that the Techs carry laptops for certain control panel upgrades. Most were buying refurbished ThinkPads, and I got all the guys to write them off as 'tools' on their taxes. Sorry these were P4 ThinkPads years ago. Look at off-lease laptps for a good price.

You can't get any better than a ThinkPad! The ThinkPad Edge is the second best thing- not as good as the ThinkPad, but still head & shoulders above the other brand's laptops. I would not go with the lower model of Lenovo laptops like the ideapad, etc, as they are lower quality "consumer" level and are about the same as all the other brand's offerings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkPad

For me, i had Dell for years, but it just seemed cheap. It was adequate, but the build quality did not match the price. So, 2 years ago, i went all out and bought a Sony Vaio (VPCF11JFX/B | VAIO® F Series Notebook PC | Sony | Sony Store USA). Yes, it is a little bit more expensive than the Dell equivalent, but the build quality is clearly superior. The key strokes feel solid.

So, for me, Sony Vaio gets my vote.

these things are commodities now

check in this order
price
screen/keyboard look/feel
and ask yourself is the battery readily available a couple years down the road ?

maybe buy from Costco for the return policy and extended warranty

I agree, parts availability is important...another reason to go with a Lenovo Thinkpad or ThinkPad Edge...Lenovo/IBM has been around forever and parts are easy to acquire even on very old models.

Only drawback is, you'll likely not be able to see it in person before buying, BUT buying on 'Net you'll get a much better deal/much more bang for your buck AND probably won't have to pay sales tax.