SupKumi,
I like going the refurbish/use route with laptops.
Ex: HP EliteBook vs Dell Latitude (concern rivals)
I will scoop out their current GEN models spec and then compare their last 2 GEN.
My driving factor will be:
1. budget
2. processor
3. graphic
I don't let the fancy/appearances or the additional hop-ups fool me.
Once narrow your list, start reading their reviews.
kinda like buying a car... lol