In Your Opinion: What Determines a Good Mid-Ranged Laptop?

[Ultralight]

I have done a considerable amount of research on laptops lately because my daughter is going to the college in the Fall. The notebook she will need will be strictly for college/university work like research papers, homework, burning CDs for back-up files, plus web surfing and emailing. She does very little gaming.

Like desktop's I have found a myriad of opinions on what is a good laptop and who makes them, blah, blah, blah. It seems to be that there is the high-end desirable and then the rest. Are there any decent midrange laptops? Sure I'd love to give her a Thinkpad, but I can't afford a Thinkpad. So in your opinion based on experience and knowledge...

1. What designates a mid-range laptop cost wise?

2. Quality wise?

3. Who makes them?

 

[Brainonska511]

My views:

1. $1200 to about $1800
2. Keyboard should have little to no flex, screen quality should be excellent, some plastics used in construction
3. Anyone, each brand has it's high end and low end notebooks.

What's your budget? Something could be suggested based on that. You may consider getting your daughter a macbook, they seem to be the rage these days and I see plenty of people on campus with them. There are always other options too. I'd wait a few weeks to see what comes of Centrino Pro notebooks, because even if you don't get one of those, it will push the price of the current platform down and give you a chance to see what kinds of notebooks come out on the new platform.

 

[RedWolf]

1. $800-1500
2. Minimal keyboard flex, no laptop flex (you should be able to hold it by a corner and it shouldn't sag at all), lcd is good quality (little to no light bleed, even color/lighting), mouse buttons don't shift up/down when pressed, good quality paint job or plastic is dyed (paint wears off)
3. IBM, Apple, Fujitsu, and Sony seem to be at the higher end. IBM (lenovo) has some great quality models. They also have a line of value models as well. Those are a little thicker and heavier but good quality, too. Lenovo's keyboards are fantastic and a joy to type on. The keys don't fall off easily.

HP's latest laptops are very nice. Well built and look good. They are very good low/middle end laptops. As Brainonska511 said, you can find decent stuff from just about anyone.

 

[Parasitic]

I think $700-$1200 is a good solid price for a mid-range laptop.

If you checked Newegg they still have a R51 (I think) with a Pentium M 1.6GHz and somewhat loaded for only $680. That's a good starting point of a midrange computer.

Here's a link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146157

The "R" series from Lenovo is the "value" line of the Thinkpad series, but is pretty much mid-range.