Well I'm undecided on what my major is going to be so right now I'm not really worrying about that. At this point I've ruled out Dells based on the comments so far as well as alienware because that exceeds my price range heavily. Thanks everyone for the input so far!

This one looks to be a good contender.

 

http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=217

If your computer savvy you can always put together yourself a Hackintosh computer with great specs. :rolleyes:

Dell? I never thought people would SUGGEST Dells as good computers..

 

I have an Asus ul30-vt. It's a mobile laptop that weighs about 3.3 pounds. It's really light so it's great to carry around campus (I would never carry my Dell around because it was too bulky). Best $800 I've ever spent on a laptop. You can even play newer games like l4d2 on it, if that's your thing. It doesn't have a CD-drive, but I believe you can get the ul80-vt, which is heavier but has a CD drive.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XZLURC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0032FOKXS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GMZAC9J84HABX23D1GZ

The Asus looks really cool. Could you guys post a few neat laptops from them for around the price of $1000? If I can't find one from there then I'll go with the suggestion of Hobgoblin.

The Asus looks really cool. Could you guys post a few neat laptops from them for around the price of $1000? If I can't find one from there then I'll go with the suggestion of Hobgoblin.

 

 

Asus, Acer and MSI are well known for producing subpar computers - quality is lower and customer service minimal. Recently I have had excellent luck with HP computers like the one listed Here and Dell computers; aside from premium brands like Sony & Apple both HP and Dell do quite well in building quality computers.

How can you name Asus in there? I know Acer and MSI are subpar, but having an Asus laptop myself and multiple Asus parts in my desktop, I find them to have extreme quality, even after 2 years the laptop still seems to have kept the quality, even almost all the battery life. HP does make pretty good computers, but you have to watch out which model you choose, some are known for overheating, and I won't talk about Dell, I've seen too many people have bad luck with them.

How can you name Asus in there? I know Acer and MSI are subpar, but having an Asus laptop myself and multiple Asus parts in my desktop, I find them to have extreme quality, even after 2 years the laptop still seems to have kept the quality, even almost all the battery life. HP does make pretty good computers, but you have to watch out which model you choose, some are known for overheating, and I won't talk about Dell, I've seen too many people have bad luck with them.

 

In both my personal purchases and in large business buys I have never had any significant problems with Dells. That said, every manufacturer occasionally produces a defective product. You may simply have been unlucky. Regarding your battery, all lithium ion cells are made by the same two or three companies, so their performance should have no bearing on the relative quality of the attached laptop.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=asus+k60+best+buy+vintage+brown&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= (Click the first link.)

 

Bought in April 2010, been having no problems what so ever.