I have a Lenovo Ideapad. Almost got a Think pad, but just didn't quite like the look. I use it for gaming, internet, and while I was in school. I love it. I've had it for about a year and a half.
Have both a Macbook pro and a Thinkpad. If you just stick with the Macbook and get used to the UI, you will save yourself so much time just doing basic things.
Pretty any workhorse computer you see at major retailers is fine. The computers on the low end (~$300 or so) should do the trick, since you're not doing any hardware / software intensive stuff. In my experience, Gateway computers are at the low end of the spectrum - I wouldn't recommend Gateway to anyone. Desktop nor laptop. Sony and Apple are great (but Vaio and Macbooks tend to be pretty pricey.) Can't go wrong with HP either, and Toshibas are decent.
I've been looking at a lot of HP Envys and a couple Pavilions. Also a coupke touchscreen Acers I like. And there's a Dell XPS that got my attention. Anyone have personal experiences with those?
I have the Acer Aspire I enjoy it got it cheap and it has a nice graphic card for the gaming I do, touch screen and all. I know that Acer gets a bad rep sometimes but I have no complaints.
Sweet laptop. How's the boot time? The main things that I'm looking for are, in order of relevance: Performance, Reliability, Boot Time, and Light Weight. I'm coming from a big Toshiba with an extended battery so pretty much everything will feel light to me I'd say. I'd like at least an I5 processor and at least 6GB of RAM. Trying to decide between another Toshiba, Acer Aspire Touchscreen, HP Envy or a Dell XPS.
I have never used another laptop outside of an Asus, but I've certainly come across many Dells, Macs, Sonys, etc. and none of them compare tbh. Asus is (imo) by far the best laptop brand out there in terms of quality and consistency across products, but so the majority of its focus is around the 700-1500 price range. However based on their products I have full confidence that their lower-end models are just as good. If you can get a refurbished or used Asus laptop for $500, I would go for it.
Aside from the shorter warranty period, they are a safe bet. I have used several refurbs in my lifetime without issues. Most come looking brand-new without the retail packaging.
