Hey Carrona,
Here are some of my recommendations.
Firstly, the Dell XPS 15 GZ mentioned (it's the l521x model BTW) is the successor to mine and is a nice machine. HOWEVER, it has some MAJOR WiFi reception issues and thermal issues resulting in severe throttling. Many reviews and forums are reporting this issue:
Review Dell XPS 15 (L521X) Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews (very detailed, comprehensive review)
AnandTech | Dell XPS 15 L521X: A Detailed First Look
XPS 15 L521X WiFi Test Results
That's enough to put me off it. It's lovely to look at and has a great screen but those issues are a problem. I don't know if they're fixed, but I doubt it, it's a design flaw IMHO.
Custom build laptops come at a premium but are normally nice. Many custom companies base their laptops around a Clevo barebones (
CLEVO - Products). In the UK their are two popular custom laptop companies,
CyberPower UK and
PC Specialist.
On the other side of the pond, their are some popular companies.
CyberPowerPC,
Sager Notebooks,
XOTIC PC are just some of them. Dell are also worth a look, I have had many a system from them. Not the best spec wise, but customisable and decent value. However, as mentioned, the new XPS 15 isn't great.
LilBambi - I think that Toshiba is the same laptop as Mike (Writhziden) bought to replace his Sony (feel free to correct me here Mike
). I wonder what he thinks of it, it looks nice.
A 15" machine is the best balance for portability and power, but they almost always only have 1 HDD bay. You would probably need to get a ODD caddy from EBay or something so you could put a HDD in the DVD bay.
The Samsung Series 7 Chronos is getting good reviews -->
Review Samsung Series 7 Chronos 770Z7E Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
