Laptop ?

[nidge]

Macbookpro any time. I bought my first about 6 years ago and i have just upgraded it to a 17". Soon after i bought my first one i also bought an iMac, once you use an operating system other than windows you realise how bad windows it. Now if I have to use a windows machine it feels like going back to my old ZX spectrum.

[meadish_sweetball]

While a high price is no absolute guarantee of high quality, it does increase the probability. Conversely though, you can be absolutely certain that the low cost models are cheap because the manufacturer has been cutting corners in some way. Typically with Taiwanese and Chinese brands (and rebranded machines from other brands which are made at the same factories in China and Taiwan), the low cost models look appealing because they offer good performance specs compared to more expensive units, but the problem with them is that the build quality is often substandard, the plastics used break easily, the keyboard stops working properly or the screen hinges or ports break even after very little wear and tear. Build quality wise - a Toshiba or Lenovo midrange to upper range model will not let you down in that respect. If you can afford an upper range ASUS you will also end up with a good computer that offers both great performance and good build quality. Personally I would not buy HP/Compaq (HP made quality machines until they partnered with Compaq but went downhill since) or Dell (my friends and family have had bad luck with them) or Fujitsu. MacBooks are also good, but depending on your work it is inconvenient to leave PC land as Mac does not always offer the same specialized applications you need (while they are better within some areas, so do your research). Bottom line, don't be afraid to spend money if this is a work tool.

[TimeBandit2]

Buy one with decent product reviews and a good graphics card, like a GTX460, HD5850 or similar.

Actually come to think of it I've seen MSI laptops with such cards. I don't touch laptops but if I did I'd probably get one of those.

[meadish_sweetball]

The problem with product reviews is that too many people make positive reviews as long as they get a free unit. I fell for that with my previous laptop, the reviews were all positive and did not mention the flimsy plastic, substandard screen hinges or bad speakers. It had great specs and one of the best graphics cards available at the time, but it wasn't a good work station. A super spec graphics card is great if you're a gamer or into video editing etc. but not necessary for a lot of other tasks...