I've had quite a number of different brands of computer and by far my Sony Vaio is the best I've had. It is reliable, built well, and I haven't had a single problem with it in the 2 years I've had it. You do pay a little more for the Sony name, but can get a good deal if you watch the sales and the little bit higher price is well worth it. The added software extras and the built in features are great and make it a very flexible computer.