Best (in your opinion) Laptops?

[LynnWellin]

I'm going off for a year abroad so I had to let my desktop go and sell my precious gtx 970 strix
Now its time to move on to the laptop life for a while... *Sigh*

So let the search for the perfect laptop begin! Please, bring your opinions and your experiences! Lets hear about some of the best laptops out there

I don't need too much power, I'm mostly interested in speedy media viewing and some light excel work

Here are the general guidelines, but really, feel free to list any laptop you love!

Want (in order of importance):
i5 or higher cpu
SSD (doesnt have to be big, going to use an external HDD)
8 gb Ram
Warning: No AMD or RADEON (self explanatory)

Don't care:
Design
Size
Weight

Around $700 would be nice

 

[velo3100]

I personally would go for an asus laptop. Try and get one of their n series laptops, 17 inches if you can as you watch a lot of media. They have a good screen and generally perform well as long as you don't push them like I did.

The other option are macs which I know may seem weird but as you don't require many windows programs or need a lot of power, a macbook air may do the job nicely if you can deal with the small screen. I wouldn't get the pro as it is not worth it.