Just don't go for Vista or HP just because of the name.

A really good person to contact - if you can track one down - is a place that repairs ALL kinds of computers, and isn't owned by one of the big manufacturers.

That person could give you really good feedback on what companies have certain problems in their machines.

Sometimes paying for a name-brand is good; sometimes you are paying for the name only and could get a much better machine for less $$.