Coincidentally, 2 of our 4 desktop computers are in pieces at the moment.

My daughter wants a laptop for her birthday.

I haven't really shopped for laptops. I don't want to spend more than $400-500.

Help?

Tom, what does she plan to use the laptop for?

It seems like Best Buy is always running ads for laptops. Costco, I think has pretty good prices.

Unfortunately, I'm not up to par on how good they are.

Tom, consider this one .

John, your link went to a generic Dell page.

I just purchased two Dell computers, an XPS 9100 for the office and an XPS 17 for remote shooting, and have been comparing and eying the field for months waiting till I was ready.

Two points which may or may not be of held:
- One, is that I often saw computers in Best Buy's flyer that weren't even on sale... there was no mention of "$X" off

- Two is that when I was ready to purchase, I Googled "Dell Coupons" and found my way to check out codes that saved a total of $350 off the two computers.

I don't have enough first-hand knowledge to make specific recommendations in that price range, but hopefully will save you some $$ with the above comments!

I need a new laptop in the same $$ range, too. Any eggheads have some recommendations?

I'd take a look at newegg.com they might have something that will work for you.

Thank you for the conversation and recommendations, guys.

John, I had already identified the Core i3 as a good processor choice, and I think 15" is the current sweet-spot for size and value.

I had checked at Newegg; I just don't know which of the many brands might be better reliability-wise. HP, Lenovo, Asus, etc.

I won't have a chance to check at Costco until next week (swim meet the next few days). Our 10% sales tax rate sometimes dampens my enthusiasm for local v. internet purchasing.

Techbargains often has good coupon deals, especially on Dell.

I hate those bastards at BestBuy. I suppose it's not entirely their fault, but I'd just rather not give them business.

Sean, she's not a gamer. So, it's basically academic/business applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.), web browsing, streaming, iPod integration, etc. If I could find one WITHOUT a web cam, that would probably satisfy my parental inclinations.

Hey Tom,

This article looks at reliability. I bought a 16" Toshiba about 2 to 3 years ago, that gets a consistant 8 hours of use per day. Except for the battery being pooched, it has been ROCK solid.

Within that same article, was this even better one.

As a side note, I had a ThinkPad before the Toshiba that was a tank as well. The only problem was that the new ones were crazy expensive - hence the Toshiba to replace it.

If you wait long enough, Microsoft may invade your home and turn your dining room into a laptop store.

I've had very good luck with Dell Outlet. Refurbs are often better than new because if a part failed and was replaced, chances are nothing else will ever go wrong. There's usually stuff starting right around $400.

ACER brand could be a good choice as well. I've been using mine now since December 2010 and it's been flawless. Rabbit quick with wifi with rather good overall quality. Start up pricing is reasonable but look to spend more with memory upgrade.