FWIW, I would choose a ThinkPad.
It's a reliable machine, you can buy a 10 years old Thinky with no worries about compatibility, and you can find'em for any prices, between $150 and $2000, depending on the age.
My 2007 Thinky W500 works really fine, and I can find some W500 for 150 bucks.
I would like to buy a W540, or even a P70, but since the W500 works really fine, I assume I won't buy another laptop before 3 or 4 years
