Personally, I would go with hp. I supposed i m a bit bias as my dad works for hp. I have had a GREAT experience with hp. My hp dv6 has served me well for 4 years now from lots of abuse. I got it when i was 10, so it wasn't exactly the cleanest. My 70 pound border collie even stepped on it and the case cracked, and the lid is dented. It still works perfectly fine. You can't go wrong with hp. That's just my experience at least. You might try the envy series of hp. My mom has one and its awesome. Even though its out of budget, what ever you do DON'T BUY ALIENWARE. Yes, the lights may attract you to it, but the specs are pretty low for what you get. My dv6 ($600) has about the same specs as a $1100 alienware. I just looked at the dell prices and they seem a bit high. Currently hp is also having a sale so things are cheaper and you might be able to get something better. Just my opinion though.