Outlaw Pete - what are you looking to use it for? I go to ozbargain.com.au to see deals and also to see feedback on PCs etc. I am in the market for something although may wait until next year.
From experience on your comments, I have had a Dell, Apple, HP, Asus in the past and now have a Dell for home and Lenovo for work. Apple is easy to utilise but I prefer PCs and in order would rank them as follows:
Asus - get good bang for your buck (my one broke physically due to my own fault but they're even better now
HP - nice laptops however mine had the heating issue a couple of months ago and the class action was only applicable in the US and in any case had lapsed.
Dell - used to be at the top for what they were but haven't advanced as much as their competitors. They usually have good deals on these if you're patient. Their Alienware machinese are awesome although they weigh a tonne.
Lenovo - maybe it's because they gave me a brick for work but it's pretty darn bad except for the fingerprint login feature which I like.
Next year though I am thinking of getting a Clevo Horize which has pretty good reviews.
At the end of the day most are about the same. I'd just recommend to go to JB Hifi and/or Harvey Norman etc. to test out the feel of the laptops - usually most on display aren't the top models. The safest option though is definitely the Macbook Pro. As I mentioned go to ozbargain - there's also a tonne of deals coming out from Dick Smith these days.
