It's time for a new laptop.

Any opinions on this one? Seems cheap, but I don't know what it's missing that I would need.

http://www.amazon.com/Quad-Core-Process ... ovo+laptop

Uses: same shit as everyone, photo editing, iTunes, probably minecraft, maybe a little streaming.

I'm a huge Lenovo/Thinkpad fan, but their stock (Lenovo branded) wi-fi cards are terrible. I would see if you can build a similar model on their site with an upgraded wireless card. Or see if you can upgrade it yourself. Upgrading a Lenovo laptop is generally super easy.

That screen will probably be fairly useless for photo editing. I'd try to upgrade to at least a "full HD" screen at 15 inches.

Also, don't be fooled by the quad-core AMD proc. It's outperformed by some of Intel's dual-core i3s. It'll also kill your battery life. If you can find a dual core i5 in the same price range, I'd go for it.

Basically, I'd suggest spending $150 more on a machine with a full HD display and an i5. I wouldn't worry about RAM because it's so cheap right now and easy to replace.

Toshiba laptops are ugly as hell, but people seem to love them and they are generally cheap. I recently bought one of their Chromebooks and adore the thing.

if i go to costco, any brands to avoid or gravitate toward?

I figure they have asus, hp, dell, acer ... etc

I don't know if it's still an issue, but I've known multiple people to have issues with HP laptops where the screens stop working. Some defect where the connection comes loose over time.

I'd say Asus and Lenovo have the best reputations for laptops.

I think most Asus laptops at Costco now come with "1 Year Accidental Damage Protection", which is a pretty nice added bonus.

I loved my Asus when I had one. But I've gone with Toshiba since then and have not been disappointed.

I noticed "posting animated gifs" isn't on your list.

I may be in the market soon.

Looking for something pretty small, so leaning towards the MacBook Air. Does anyone have one? If so, thoughts?

I use an 11" MacBook Air at work sometimes. I've actually been surprised with its power. I can have it rendering vids and work on another Adobe app without it choking too much.

Also, the screen is nice despite not being a Retina display. Better than the IPS display on my Thinkpad, but not as good the Retina on my MBP.

It'd take the Air over the new Macbook.

"same shit as everyone"

Thanks! Yeah, I'm like 90% sure I'm gonna go with a MacBook Air. Anyone ever buy a refurbished Mac from the Apple Store? If so, any problems?

new issue: wife requests a touchscreen. That doesn't increase the price much, but I lose the CD/DVD drive. I'm not ready for that, but I see I can buy an external one.

Other thoughts on touchscreen stuff like this?

http://amzn.to/1Lrw1Jj