Very helpful. My laptop when I bought it was a $2500 laptop and I got it for $2000. Very awesome at the time.. But, I can't do something that massive again at this time with other expenses and trying to save more money. I also don't want the cheapest laptop 'cause I know there's no point to it.. if it runs cheaply as well. So, you provided helpful information. The thing that confuses me the most is the brands, as has always been my case. What brands are most reliable? Then, next after brands... what models?
my vote is for HP first, Acer 2nd (although I've never seen an Acer with dedicated video RAM). I'd buy a Dell, but never found a deal that worked for me.
interestingly ... there's one kind of Dell (I think the D430 or something) that has a dock with two VGA ports ... multiple monitors are hot
we have HP's at work, and they are always breaking. IBMs are a nice balance between sturdiness, and perfrmance. i really like the lenovo think pad r61. i have no experience with dells, but i have always heard that they suck.
anyway, if you are looking for the most "reliable" laptop, you have to go with mac. they are the best. no viruses, sturdy, fast, and they are so sexy looking.