Originally posted by carson blocks
I used to hate Acer as I worked at a repair depot years ago and saw nothing but the problems, but when it came time to buy a beater laptop for work a few months back, I just couldn't argue with the value. If I was buying a $1500 laptop, I might lean towards a
'reputable' brand like
HP, but for a cheap laptop, just get whatever matches your needs and budget.
For $415ish, I got the Acer 4739-6483 with a Core i3-370M, 6GB RAM, and 640GB HDD. It's main purpose is to fly with me and get abused in my checked luggage as the airlines I fly with don't allow carry-on. I've seen my laptop bag take a tumble from above head height while loading and it survived for whatever that's worth. As a bonus, it's got a cheesy diamondplate finish that doesn't scratch (or show scratches) too easily.