It seems to me finding a Quality built laptop from anyone these days is a difficult thing. Sure we can throw some names out there that most of us seem to associate with quality (What comes to mind is Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo). Unfortunately all of these companies seem to put out 100's of different models, some of which have a dozen variations of the same model. I feel like its a crap shoot when purchasing a laptop on whether it is designed to last. It used to not feel this bad, but with the current inexpensive cost associated with mobile computing, it seems like everyone and their brother is making laptops. Anyone know of a good place that reviews the designs of laptops and their value and quality of build. I know that their was that one website that broken down the new MacBook Air and said what they believed its worth and ease to repair was. I'm trying to find a way to determine a laptops reliability without just simply reading other users reviews or hoping for the best. Even the brand names I mentioned above have had a slew of troubled machines that totally detracted from their otherwise attractive builds.
Anyone come across a certain brand and model that they believe is rock solid (not just a brand in general). Looking for the most part to stay $800 and below, nothing ultra high performance, just a good everyday web surfing, video watching, office productivity, college student like Laptop.