DrFoamy on 29 June 2008
The most important quality in a laptop is durability. It isn't like a desktop where you can replace most of your parts if one goes bad.
Historically the most reliable PC laptops have been ThinkPad and Toshiba. Dell is supposed to be OK too. I don't know about Asus.
Avoid Compaq, HP, Gateway, and even Sony. Sonys have a lot of features, but they just don't hold up.
This is based on a Consumer Reports article a couple of years ago and my own experience. You may want to look and see if they have newer data. Consumer Reports is as trustworthy as you get.
