Anybody know where I can find some fairly objective reviews on laptop performance by brand? I'm shopping for one for my daughter for college, and the word of mouth I hear from people is all over the board. I'm not particularly thrilled with HP, as I've had two of their desktops fail on me within two years of purchase, but I'm open to considering other brands. I'm looking in the under $800 range. Your thoughts or ideas on where to look would be appreciated.

I'm not sure about reviews, but I've had good luck at Microcenter, for finding quality computers, knowledgeable help, and reliable service.

http://www.microcenter.com/

They're located off Hwy 100, by the Burlington Coat Factory near Excelsior Blvd.

I got a Compaq laptop there almost 3 years ago, and it's been great. It did get infected with a virus once, and I had to take it in and get it totally wiped clean, but then it was good as new again (though I lost all my files, music, and pics...that's my fault for not backing it up). My Compaq was around $800.

My sister and roommate both have and swear by their iMacs. They're pricier, but everyone I know who has one loves it.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Dora. My spouse is crazy about Macs/Apples, but I can't justify the huge price differential at this point. I'm leaning towards a Lenovo, a brand I wasn't familiar with but gets rave reviews. It's also less than half the price of a Mac.

++ to Microcenter. Very knowledgeable crew, but sometimes they have a very limited selection. I highly recommend browsing for reviews On Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/

You'll also be hard pressed to find a better deal on a laptop even when you factor in shipping. Newegg's return policy is also the stuff of legends.

As always, I highly recommend Acer laptops. If you're getting something with Windows XP, it's worth the extra little bit to get XP Professional rather than Home or Media Center. If you can find them in your price range, it would be a "Neet Trick(tm)" if someone out did Lenovo as far as quality of hardware goes.

If I had $500 right now, I would buy this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115482

Twice now I have purchased Acer laptops in the $500 range and twice now I have been satisfied with performance and longevity in the laptops. That particular keyboard may be a bit of getting used to. Might check with your daughter to see if it's something she might like. Maybe Microcenter has a display model she can test drive.

Edit:
Oh I see you've already heard of Lenovo. They are the manufacturing division of IBM. So basically you're buying a ThinkPad. Excellent machines. I'm using one right now actually.