Pretty sure Asus makes Dell's laptops, or at least they used to. Asus' actual models are definitely a step-up though. Main complaint on my Inspiron E1505 is the backlight on the LCD isn't nearly bright enough. Borderline unusable outdoors, totally useless without AC power. Lately the wireless craps out and can't be reset via driver. As for warranty, I just called Asus about replacing my mobo and their warranty/RMA service is definitely a notch down from pretty much every other company I've dealt with. No advance RMA, no option to replace, nothing.