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Compaq/HP make decent stuff. Best bang for the buck as far as power and features. Their cases are some of the best in the industry. Make sure to upgrade to the biggest battery you can (that goes for whatever you buy) because modern laptops suck juice like crazy. You can get better than Compaq, but you'll have to pay a whole lot more. The Toughbooks are a lot more durable, but then I doubt you'll be flinging yours around in a moving car or anything so I don't think you'd need that. The Alienwares have nicer hardware but the extra cost is simply insane.
A good, unknown lappy maker that's expensive, but not as expensive as Alienware, is Sager. They actually *make* Alienwares, and the regular Sagers are the same thing without the bizarre case. If you're willing to pay Sager prices, it's a damn good laptop. If you don't wanna go that high, go Compaq. Less than a grand will get you a very nice machine.
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