Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with laptop and notebook

What lightweight but powerful laptop should I buy?

bkudria — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:36:10 -0800

Which light-weight yet powerful laptop should I buy? I like the Sony Vaio Z, followed by the MB Air and the Thinkpad X200. Am I missing any models? I'm looking to replace my current work laptop - I use it for web development, so I need to be able to run Apache, MySQL, PHP, and some other stuff. I also use Chrome pretty heavily, and of course I watch a DVD every now and then, play music, etc. I don't run an office suite or play any games.

I carry my laptop to and from work every day, and my current HP is pretty heavy, so I am looking to buy the lightest laptop possible that still has a real CPU (e.g. no Atom, ULV, etc). I don't want anything at all resembling a "netbook". What I'm not considering at the moment is price - I'm happy to pay extra for a nicer, lighter, laptop.

At the moment, the best option I could find is the Sony VAIO Z-series. It weighs 3.3 pounds, not the lightest on my list, but it has a nice CPU (a T9900 @ 3.06 GHz). The MB Air is 0.3lbs lighter, but the CPU clocks in at 2.13 GHz and as expected does slightly worse in benchmarks. The Z also has a higher-res screen. I use an additional external monitor, but it is a nice extra. The Lenovo Thinkpad X200 and X200s are lighter even than the MB Air, but have even smaller screens and slower CPUs.

(Note: I am aware of the Z's in-BIOS VT block. I have no problems with patching the BIOS to work around this. I don't consider it a downside.)

Additional details: I plan on running Linux, so gross Linux incompatibilities are a no-go, but I think I can handle anything merely pedestrian. Also, I plan on swapping out the HDD with an SSD some point in the future, so if that has any bearing on anything, I'd love to know. I'm still in the research phase for that.

In short: I want a light yet powerful high-quality workhorse laptop. The VAIO Z looks to be a good balance.

My question: Am I missing anything in my analysis? Do any of these laptops have any glaring flaws? Are there any other models that have solid build quality and similar or better specs?

Thanks!

What Bay Area stores carry the Dell Adamo?

Susan PG — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:32:58 -0800

Where can I see a Dell Adamo (not the new XPS, but the one that was released last year) in person, in the San Francisco Bay Area? Frys doesn't seem to carry it, and I don't know who else would. I'm considering buying one, and want to handle it and check out the keyboard, weight, etc., in person, before making a decision. Thanks for any help you can provide :-)

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling

Afroblanco — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:31:20 -0800

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling. Priorities are durability, lightness, and battery life, in that order. Performance is not too important, but it must run Windows 7 like a champ. Willing to consider netbooks. Can spend up to $2000, but obviously I would like to spend no more than I absolutely have to.

Stolen macbook - hard drive data safe?

shivohum — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:58:54 -0800

Someone stole my 2009 macbook pro. I doubt they can guess my password. Given that, how likely is it that they can access my hard drive's data (I didn't do anything special beyond the default to encrypt it or anything)? Can my Applecare plan transfer to a new laptop? Anything else I can do to help destroy the value of the computer? I don't need any advice about police reports, etc. - but Apple-specific advice welcome.

Help me buy a netbook, camera, and bike.

LSK — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:18:04 -0800

Help me buy a netbook, a low-end digital camera, and a bike. These are all admittedly disjunct requests, but I'm looking to get these at around the same time when I make the excursion to the local mall (Iowa City isn't so great when it comes to these, but I'd rather buy this sort of item in person.)

Netbook: I'd like to get a small and sturdy netbook. It doesn't need to have an amazing amount of storage; battery life and sturdiness are the high priorities. I'm looking to spend no more than $400, and preferably far less, before taxes. What brands/models do you recommend, and is there anything else I should know?

Camera: I'm not looking for anything much, just a digital device to take photos with. The only photo-taking feature I'd make a decision on is the ability to set exposure length, which I know some cameras don't have. Again, though, sturdiness is the top priority.

Bike: It's probably harder to recommend bikes over the internet, but I'd like to know what to even look for in a bike. I'm looking to use it to make both short excursions and to travel between Iowa City and Chicago when classes are out of session. I used to own a bike, and can still ride one competently, but I can't remember what features it had.

Looking for an attractive laptop sleeve.

ishotjr — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:18:47 -0800

Seeking recommendations for durable and attractive laptop jackets (the kind that you leave on when the laptop is in use). I have a Dell Inspiron laptop, 14.1" screen, about 1.5" thick, 13" wide, and 10" deep, and am looking for a laptop jacket that I can leave on the computer when it's in use. The Shoreline ones are the first kind I saw of this type, but I'm interested in something a little more interesting-looking than their offerings, if anything like this exists. Shoreline used to have other colors of neoprene sleeves, I thought, but I can't seem to find any I like anymore. Of course, protectiveness is my #1 priority, as well as decent heat dispersion ability. Going too big to be safe isn't really an option, because something too big won't be able to stay on the laptop via the elastic corner straps.

The main constraint I've found with the "cool" laptop jackets is that most of them (such as the Isis Dei ones I saw mentioned in a previous thread) are designed for slimmer Mac laptops, and certainly not for laptops with the extended battery in the back I contacted Isis Dei, since I liked some of their options, but they basically said their products are designed for Macs, and they can't guarantee that any of their stuff will fit a computer like mine. Since I don't want to waste time with having to return stuff by mail, I decided to pass on their products. I haven't really found anything else similar. Maybe us PC users are just too boring and lame with our thick computers to get the cool goodies like Mac users. ;-)

Does anyone with a similar laptop have a jacket that they really like that is under $40? Suggestions for retail stores in Austin, TX that sell a variety of laptop jackets (including ones to fit PCs) are also appreciated since I can't seem to find any myself. If I can't find anything interesting-looking, I'm not averse to getting a plain one, but I wanted to check with the Hive to see if you savvy folks knew of anything more fun.
Note: I have definitely read all the previous AskMe threads on similar topics, and spent way too long googling various search terms (including "laptop sleeve," "laptop jacket," "laptop sleeve" "while in use," etc.).

New laptop - help me choose!

aimeel — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:53:39 -0800

New laptop choices - Fujitsu? Sony? Dell? HP? I know what I want in a notebook, but trying to figure out which maker will best meet my needs. I'm an English and Theatre teacher soon to move to Norway and I don't think my old laptop will last much longer. Looking for a Core 2 Duo and up, a 4-500 gig hard drive, Nividia or ATI graphics, a decent amount of RAM about a 16" screen. As a teacher, I have about 60 gigs right now of documents and photos, another 60 of music, and I do a lot with music, photographs, and not a lot of gaming. (That could change she suggests unrealistically). I do a lot of work on the internet and usually don't travel around much with the laptop. If I weren't headed to Norway I'd probably get a desktop, but there it is. It would be nice to be able to help my students with editing short films on my laptop, but not vital. And oh yes, can it be a dependable machine?

Big note- I am an old school typist. I like to feel definable keys under my fingertips. And I hate the whale-snot, smear magnet surfaces of most of the laptops I saw when I went to Frys. I did like the texture of the keyboards/touchpad on Sony and Fujitsu. I know it's cosmetic, but I like a clean deck. Suggestions? And am I better off buying through Frys, Best Buy, online through ?? or manufacturer? I'll have to live with it for a long time so I want to make a good choice. And I thank the hive mind in advance - you guys are the best.

Other good gaming laptops under $1000?

wastelands — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:30 -0800

Under $1000 laptop: I have my eye on a particular model; am I missing any others in my research? I'm finally replacing a Dell desktop that is truly too slow, noisy, etc. I've been doing the research and I like this model: MSI GX620-001US.

Things I like about it / criteria:

It's within my $1000 budget

Decent graphics card so I can use it as a gaming system

Has a fairly trim/thin body

Plain/not overly colorful or curvy body. I love those Lenovo laptops for the same reason; they're minimalist and not flashy. (I don't think Lenovo has gaming capable lappies, though, at least not in my price range.)

Decent reputation/reviews overall. Second-best rating on NewEgg.

15.4" screen size is perfect for me. I need to fit it side-by-side on a table at home that holds a big monitor (I'll be using both displays at once with VGA out) as well as have enough useable screen space for doing stuff like Ableton Live on the go.

I've looked at Dells. They're thicker and more expensive than the MSI on a specs basis. Buuut... they do have that nice LED backlighting.

I took a serious look at Apple stuff. That aluminum unibody is hot. But paying an extra $150 for a even refurb 13" screen model, and getting used to new UI and programs (I'm used to Windows)... meh.

Are there any stores and/or particular laptop models that I'm overlooking that fit my criteria?

I've heard Sager notebooks can be good, I and found I could get a $900 model that has a bigger battery but slower processor compared to the MSI. But there aren't a ton of reviews out there on Sagers, so that plus the slower CPU makes me want to pass.

Pixels not included.

_dario — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:02:44 -0800

I'm at my wits' end trying to find a suitable LCD monitor to use as a secondary screen for an oldish Toshiba laptop. I have an laptop, a Toshiba Satellite A30 with an intel 82852-GM graphic chipset. I would like to buy an external monitor to use it (mainly) to watch movies. My size and price requirements direct me towards a 22" flat panel, so I looked into the market for those. Speakers are not a requirement since the audio output from the laptop is hooked to a hi-fi system, and the input port should be the classic VGA.

First disappointment: I saw an LG panel that looked great, (WG2234, apparently not marketed in the US) but - turns out - the laptop is not able to drive the panel with its native resolution (1680x1050). A little research on forums pointed out that there are many laptops with that same problem - apparently all those that have that graphics chipset which - besides Toshiba - was used by Dell, Acer and others.

A possible solution that was presented would be to download a developer kit from Intel and compile a custom driver for the resolution/frequency of that specific monitor. I don't want to do that, since success is apparently not guaranteed and I'd need the monitor anyway to make tests, etc., with a sizeable chance (I think) to damage it or void the warranty by feeding it the wrong res/freq values.

Browsing the list of resolutions the graphics card is capable of, turns out that no 16:10 resolutions are supported, while 16:9 resolutions as 1920 x 1080 are, so I turned my search into 16:9 screens, such as this Samsung 2233SN (apparently marketed as SW in the US), which looks good and has the right resolution.

Second disappointment: I had the monitor ordered from the store and took my laptop to check if everything matched, just to be sure. Despite numerous attempts by me and the guys at the store, there was no way to have the laptop and the monitor hook up correctly: even when the laptop resolution on the secondary desktop was 1920x1080, the monitor would have two black lateral bands, and all icons and such would be horizontally compressed, so in the end I had to leave it at the store.

My only hunch is that the 1920x1080 res. from the laptop is actually a lower resolution, which is then supposed to be stretched to a 16:9 factor by the display, but other than that, at this point I'm out of ideas. Can you suggest alternative models or - preferred - a way to have the (Samsung) monitor work as expected?

I haz a Macbook, now what?

nmaster64 — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:56:36 -0800

Got a new Macbook, but not sure where to go from here... So I just purchased a new Macbook, as I'm planning to go into iPhone application development soon. However, I am completely new to Macs. It's really strange, because for years I've always had a sort of filter on my brain to ignore any stories and articles I see about Mac stuff (and jeez is there a ton of it), and now all of a sudden I start to care. So after years of blocking out all of the Mac stuff on Digg, Lifehacker, and other tech sites and whatnot, I feel I'm kind of behind. I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions for things to look at for helping me get started with it, learn some of the helpful tips and tricks, and point me to some of the great free software available for it. Thanks for any help.

(Also, if it's helpful for any reason, I own a XP desktop and Vista laptop as well. I'm just finishing up my degree in Computer Science, so I'm pretty tech-savvy, just not-so-much with Macs.)

Help me understand Li-ion laptop batteries.

iamisaid — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:13:38 -0800

I'm about to purchase an aftermarket Li-ion laptop battery on eBay. However, I'm quite confused about the differences in specs for mAh and number of battery cells. Which is more important and how are they related? This is for a Lenovo 3000 V100 laptop, which from what I gather has a notoriously bad factory battery. At the moment the factory battery won't hold any charge whatsoever.

On eBay, there's a couple of pages worth of third-party replacement batteries. However, I'm really confused by the differences between them.

There are batteries listed that are both 6-cell and 8-cell, as well as some that don't mention the number of cells. On the Lenovo site, they sell a 6-cell and a 3-cell. To my way of thinking, the more cells, the longer the battery life. And that's always the case, right?

However, the mAh rating is what really throws me off. Some of the 6-cell batteries are listed as 4400 mAh, while other 6-cells are 4600 mAh. But the 8-cell batteries also show 4600 mAh.

So is the mAh rating as important as the number of cells? How exactly are the two specs related?

I've googled this a bit, but can't find an adequate explanation.

One cheap laptop with everything, please.

lunasol — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:10:34 -0800

Cheap, lightweight(ish) PC laptop with an optical drive? Or should I just spring for a MacBook? Yes, this is another cheap laptop question. And it might be that what I'm looking for is unreasonable. But here goes:

I need a new laptop. A small one. I don't want to spend more than $600. Normally I would just buy a MacBook, because I prefer OSX to Windows, but the budget is pretty tight and so I'm exploring my other options.

I was all set to buy a netbook (an eee PC 1000 or Samsung NC10), until I realized that they don't have optical drives, which is important to me (I like to watch DVDs on my laptop). Boo.

Other than that, I'm your standard Word/Excel/internet/mp3 computer user. Nothing fancy.

So here's what I'm looking for:

- Under 6 lbs
- Screen under 14"
- Optical drive
- at least: 120 GB Hard drive
- Under $600 (under $500 would be even better - I really don't want to go any higher unless it's a Mac)
- Long battery life would be nice but is not essential.
- No Dells, unless I can be persuaded their machines and support have improved drastically since 2004, when I had a disastrous Dell experience.

I've been stalking fatwallet, slickdeals, etc etc and I have found lots of computers with some of these things under this price point: Netbooks that are small and light but have no optical drive, larger notebooks with all the bells and whistles but weighing closer to 10 lbs. The closest thing I've found (from this question) is this HP dv5t, but it's a bit big for my purposes.

If it turns out it's impossible to find a small, light, fully-functional notebook for under $600, I will just suck it up and buy the MacBook, but if it's possible to save some money, that would be great!

And if you want to say, "it sounds like you really want a Mac," you're right, but $1000 is pretty steep on my current budget.

A laptop lock that can't be defeated by pens or pennies

Ky — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:27:57 -0800

Is there a good $50-ish laptop/notebook lock out there that *can't* be opened by a toilet paper tube, ballpoint pen, penny, or other common item? I'm not looking for a bullet-proof solution, but I do remember the famed news some years ago about using common Bic ballpoint pens to open the Kryptonite bike lock and Kensington/Targus locks (I think that particular news peaked in 2004), and the latest bit I found was a 2007 blog article noting how to open a Kensington Microsaver with a penny (the blog doesn't actually tell you how, only that someone else found out how and published it--the comment about PIN numbers is also great).

Unfortunately, I haven't found a handy list of all laptop lock models that have somewhat ridiculous security flaws like those noted above. I prefer to use a key instead of a combination since that's one less thing to remember...

Should I get a new battery or a new laptop?

bluefly — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:10:31 -0800

Should I buy a new laptop battery or a new laptop? I've been using my trusty Thinkpad T41 for ages. The battery is now completely dead (I know it's not my computer's problem, because my friend's battery charges quite nicely). A new battery from Lenovo costs $159. I've been looking at all of those netbooks that have come out that are ~$400. Their specs are all better than my Thinkpad (which has a 40GB hd and only 512 MB ram).

I use my computer to write, surf the web, occasionally watch a DVD and do email. For work, I usually connect remotely using putty. I don't need anything fancy. The Thinkpad still works great for me (although the fan has become a bit noisier), but do I just not know what I'm missing? Is it worth spending money for a new battery or should I look for a new computer? How much longer can my Thinkpad last?

Is my new (aftermarket) power adapter safe for my laptop?

leticia — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:21:52 -0800

Can I damage my laptop by using a power adapter that has a slightly higher wattage than the original adapter? The original adapter was 65W, and the aftermarket one is 70W. The voltage is switchable. My original adapter had a voltage of 18.5V, this one says that if I need 18.5V, I should choose 18V. Any chance of damaging the computer by using this one? The computer is a few years old -- it's an HP Pavillion dv1040us model.

Also, one additional detail -- I bought it in the US but now am living in Europe. I've been using the US plug with an adapter end for the EU socket. This one I bought here will automatically have the EU plug. That doesn't make any difference right?

Thanks for any help/answers. I've tried to research online and I think I'm safe, but I really don't know anything about electrical things, so some expert confirmation would really be appreciated.

Middle click on the new MacBooks?

stopgap — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:05:26 -0800

I find myself unexpectedly in the market for a new laptop, and I'm considering switching to a Mac. I know the new MacBooks can finally do a proper right-click, but can they also do a middle-click without some awkward key combo? On my current laptop I just tap in one corner of the trackpad to middle click, and I can't imagine browsing the web without middle clicking. Bonus question: My current computer is a Dell Latitude X1, which is essentially a rebadged Samsung. If I don't go with the Mac, are there any similar ultraportables? It looks like Samsung finally started selling their own computers in the US, but they're all bigger than what I've got now. The X1 is about an inch thick, weighs 2.8 pounds (less than the MacBook Air!) and has a 12" screen. I don't want to give up the portability I love about this computer but it seems like the ultraportable category has disappeared in the last few years, leaving a hole between too-big 13.3" screen computers and too-small netbooks.

WSXGA+ LED, where art thou?

knave — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:16:08 -0800

LongshotFilter: Does anyone know if any 15.4" WSXGA+ panels with LED backlights are coming to market soon? As far as I can tell, no one is selling a 15.4" laptop with a WSXGA+ (1650x1080) LED-backlit screen (I'd love to be proven wrong!). I know it's unlikely, but does anyone out there have any idea if there's one in development or coming to market any time soon?

My current alternatives are basically 1440x900 LED or 1650x1080 CCFL, and I just can't make up my mind between the two.

I want a laptop, not a craptop.

gnutron — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:32:46 -0800

Laptop Battel! Help me decide which manufacturer deserves my hard-earned money. I've narrowed it down to Dell vs. Toshiba vs. Lenovo. Also, RAM: 2gb or 3? So I'm shopping for a laptop. I have read the other posts on the topic.

I know what I basically want: 14" screen, 2/3gb RAM, 100+gb HDD, nice screen, reasonably portable, less than $1K. I have narrowed it down to three choices: Dell Inspiron 1420 or Toshiba Satellite Pro S300M or Lenovo ThinkPad R400

These all meet my basic requirements and ballpark around the same price. Since they're all about the same price, my main concern is quality, durability and reliability - I want it to work well as a secondary/travel computer for 5+ years. I have read that Toshibas are prone to overheating problems. Any recommendations or warning on these specific brands?

And regarding RAM... I understand that Vista is hungry for it, but it doesn't really use more than 2gb anyway. I won't be doing anything particularly intensive with the machine. Still, I'd like my computer to run well and continue to run well 5 years from now. Will spending a little extra money on another gb of RAM actually make a difference?

I'm a PC

jak68 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:04:58 -0800

mac purchase advice: I'd like to pick up a used mac laptop on ebay for under $400. What specs or models should I look for that will give me the least buyers regret? ie, how fast a processor do i need? Should I choose a g3? g4? intel processors? how much memory do i need? etc.

I dont need usb 2.0, i dont need pc card slot, just wireless and a cdrom drive.

Mainly my concern is to not pick up something that is dog slow. I guess i'd like it to be able to run the latest OS (is that possible on older macs?)

I dont know diddly about macs by the way. I"m a pc guy all the way (and will remains so ;) but I want to experiment with macs a bit to prepare for a school-related project that will involve some macs.

Help me find an affordable gaming laptop

Kudos — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:24:02 -0800

Cheap gaming laptop recommendations Catering more to the cheap side than the gaming. I'd like to be able to run hl2/orange box, spore, and eventually starcraft 2, and maybe some wow. I've been looking at the dell xps m1530s, and the configuration would be around $1,300. Is there something of equal power that i can get for cheaper? I've had little luck. Thanks.

Ultra comfy laptop usage

zaebiz — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:46:36 -0800

How can I get a suntan on my back and use my laptop at the same time comfortably? I guess I'm looking for some contraption that lets me comfortably lie on my stomach while having my arms and neck free to type and view. Also interested in indoor options which allow laptop use lying face down. Comfort enabling options for other postures also welcome.

Best keyboard skin for Mac Air? Best shell?

jeffmacintyre — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:11:59 -0800

Best keyboard skin for Macbook Air? Best shell case (not for carrying)? I've used keyboard skins in the past but gone away from them because I'm lazy and hate whipping them off before closing the unit. When I don't, the covering can smear the monitor of my old Powerbook. (Duh.)

With my new Air, is there a next-gen keyboard skin that avoids this problem? I plan to resell this Air if Apple introduces a Penryn model next month, so I'm invested in keeping this unit in mint condition.

Also, is there a shell case people recommend that doesn't present overheating complications?

What's a light, but not lightweight, laptop?

Newbornstranger — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:18:08 -0800

Can you recommend powerful, yet light notebook computer for my injured mother? My mom has carpal tunnel and arthritis in both wrists, and can't use a computer keyboard. She's been using Dragon Naturally Speaking at work for voice recognition, and she loves it. Now she'd like to buy a laptop so she can use it at home.

So basically, we're looking for as light of a laptop as possible, that comes close to these recommended specifications: CPU: Intel Pentium / 2.4 GHz processor (1.6 GHz dual core processor) or equivalent AMD processor; Memory: 1 GB RAM; L2 Cache: 1 MB), Microsoft Windows XP/Vista. Bluetooth ready. DVD-ROM drive.

I'd love it if the EEEPC or one of it's subnotebook cousins could handle it, but I haven't seen any that quite match those stats. Macbook Air is an interesting option, but that's a little above our budget. Any recommendations?

What accessories do I need for a macbook?

donajo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:52:15 -0800

First-time laptop buyer: What accessories do I need? I'm buying a MacBook in a few months, my very first laptop, and I'm trying to figure out what kind of accessories and peripherals I will need. I know I need a wireless router and a wireless mouse, but what else should I be thinking about/budgeting for? I'll be using it at home 90% of the time, but I'll also be using it occasionally at research libraries and on vacation. I already have a backpack with a built-in laptop sleeve.

Is there anything else a lifetime desktop-user needs to know about owning a laptop?

Trying to find a laptop that doesn't suck

mr. creosote — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:18:55 -0800

Which brands/models of used laptops should I be looking at if I want (A) something that won't easily break, and (B) to avoid proprietary parts and chipsets? I'm planning to buy used since I'm not doing any gaming, Bluetooth, or any of that stuff... just email, writing work, and the occasional old school game like Civ 3. Since many of you own the kinds of laptops I'm shopping for, maybe you can recount your opinion of your own computers or share some shopping wisdom.

To explain further:

A. Something that won't easily break

Are any brands or models known for being fragile? Two of my old laptops fizzled because of video problems: one was a LCD lamp that went out; the other was the internal video connector that eventually broke from all the opening/closing of the lid. Maybe that's common. I'd also like a well-designed power supply connector that won't split or break. My wife is a Mac user and is constantly pissed at her power supplies getting damaged from regular use... I'd prefer to avoid this kind of problem.

B. Avoid proprietary parts

I once had a Fujitsu notebook that would not accept ANY hard drive except the manufacturer's replacement. I also had HP and Dell laptops that had highly proprietary video, sound, modem, and ethernet drivers which could only be obtained by doing a full OS install from the rescue discs, or by going to the HP/Dell website and getting old, poorly documented drivers that often don't work with newer OS releases. With my last computer, a Dell M50, my rescue disc disappeared and after I lost the original OS I was never able to get the dialup modem working again, no matter how hard I tried. I want no more of this.

I'd also like to not get ripped off on accessories... I'd like to pay $40 for a replacement power adapter, not $110, and maybe have a laptop that uses a quasi-universal type of battery that's easy to find and cheap. Maybe I'm asking too much.

So any ideas on what laptops I should be looking at? Is there a review website that looks at things like this and doesn't just spout performance specs and parrot the manufacturer literature? Also models/brands to avoid would be welcome if you can provide some details.