Toshiba and Asus seem to have the best reputation these days. Look for something with NVidia or AMD Radeon graphics — avoid anything with “Intel HD Graphics” or ‘Intel GMA4500.” I’d recommend a 17″ screen for old folks like myself but for young eyes a 15.6″ screen would be fine. Plus the 15″ laptops fit into mid-sized bags and backpacks.
Here’s one that caught my eye while I was window-shopping for myself: Toshiba Satellite L755-S5255. Intel Core i5, 4GB DDR3, and most importantly discrete graphics. Runs about $700 and should be good for a few years, or until the Next Big Thing comes out … whatever that is.
