What Laptop Should I Buy?

[Ash20]

I am in the market for a new laptop as I will be going to grad school soon. Others have recommended Lenovo and HP as reliable brands for students. I have had Dell laptops for the past 5 years and have experienced innumerable problems. The school has suggested a CD/DVD drive in the minimum requirements, but weight also matters to me as I will have to carry the laptop around most of the day. Would you suggest getting a separate/external CD/DVD drive? I am also not sure what the average storage capacity is on a student-meant laptop, so it is possible I chose one that was higher than necessary. Which brand would you say is the best bet in reliability (without breaking the bank)? Thanks.

What is your budget?
$1000

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Ultraportable (11 - 12-inch screen)
Thin and Light (13 - 14-inch screen)

What brands do you like or dislike?
Dislike: Dell

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
No

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Listening to Music, Video Chat and Conference, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Output Video to TV or Large Monitor

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places

How many hours of battery life do you need?
8

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Standard Resolution (1366 x 768)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 07/29/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
4 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
320 GB

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
No

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
DVD Burner

[domainflipper]

I would suggest you to go with any latest sony laptops, they are really cheaper and durable...i love sony

[Kuroi-Tsubasa]

Well, for starters, 768p is something you shouldn't find on a $1000 laptop (or anything near that budget). It's like getting a Corvette with a fuzzy windshield . Should aim for at least 900p or 1080p for that price range. External DVD drives not only add to clutter, but they're not very reliable as well (mine's not working after a few months use). Would be better off with just having the drive in your laptop. Average storage capacity doesn't have much of an application here; everyone has their own unique storage requirements. Myself, I have a 180GB SSD as my main drive and that's pretty much filled up with everything I have, minus movies and games. Those go to either my second laptop drive (160GB SSD) or my desktop (500GB HDD).

That said, I've had absolutely no problem carrying my almost-6lbs laptop around campus with me, even though this university is pretty hilly. So long as you have a comfortable backpack, there's pretty much no subjective difference between 6lbs and 4lbs (typical weight for 13"-14" laptops) or 3lbs (typical for 11"-12") if you ask me. Basically just amounts to the weight difference of a decently-filled binder or two, and at any rate your back won't notice a ~2lbs difference (unless you've injured it or something).

Anyway, since you're not gaming, I'd take a look at business-class laptops. At 12.5", the Lenovo Thinkpad X230 can be had with an IPS display (better colors, viewing angles, etc) for your budget (it's 768p still, but the PPI on such a small laptop makes it okay). Or check out the Thinkpad T420 with 900p. While you said you don't like Dell, you're probably talking about Dell Home (Insprion, Studio, XPS)? Dell's business lineup (Vostro, Latitude, Precision) is actually highly-regarded and I'd suggest looking at them as well. Just helped my girlfriend buy a Latitude E5430 with 900p display two weeks ago and after playing around with it myself for a bit, it's a very good laptop for the price ($580 for all stock config + 900p upgrade). You can also check out HP's Probook lineup, though they typically only have 768p displays and thus wouldn't recommend them (or any 13"-14" laptop with 768p).