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I need to get a new laptop. I've been looking and I've decided I'd like something under $500. Preferably under or close to $400. What's something good for that range? I'm thinking at least an Intel i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB HDD. In that order of preference (I would be willing to downgrade the hard drive for a good processor). Would an AMD A6 be a suitable replacement for the i3? I'm just looking for something utilitarian, so installed software (including the OS) means nothing to me. What are some good brands?

i would get a used laptop on craigslist

Go for I7 processor second generation, higher graphics/video card specs.  :)

yeah i was going to say take along a full-hd .mkv and make sure it plays smoothly... maybe with an hdmi out.

Sager is a pretty good company as far as laptops go, solid, aren't overpriced (mostly).

They use Clevo's platform for some (all?) of their laptops, and Clevo is an excellent make. Heavy though. I've got a laptop with an I7-980X and 12GB with two HDDs in raid 0 and an SSD - yep, a laptop! ;D

I would suggest going used. I always buy used laptops then install Ubuntu and never look back. In the last 5 years I have spent $175 on laptops ($35/year). When they die, I just get another one and with Ubuntu 1 all my files are restored. 
Not as high as the specs you mentioned, but I like IBM thinkpads.

Yes, they are pretty much unbreakable. IBM/Lenovo make good laptops.

I have an Alienware M11x that is absotively awesome.  I can play SC2, WoW, BF3, and pretty much any game on it, and it gets 6Hrs+ of battery life.  It's slightly bigger than a netbook so it's super portable.  But if I were to do it over again, I'd wait for the R3 version which should have a 2nd or 3rd gen i7.

SSD is the best/most important upgrade you can make in a laptop, IMO.  The standard 5400 rpm platter-based drives get so slow... Unless you actually NEED 500GB of space on a laptop (I don't - my desktop and server serve me fine with regards to storage space), I'd make getting an SSD your #1 priority.

+1

Also, SSDs seem to actually know when you are actively backing them up or not, and WILL FAIL if you do not back them up regularly. ;)
No backup == Dead SSD with all info GONE. No matter what brand.

Currently installing 6x Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB drives in a bunch of laptops. Seems to be a good SF-2281 based drive, and longest advertised MTBF of any consumer drive that I have seen. (2 million hours)

I second the Lenovo Thinkpad. As long as you don't mind looking like you're stuck in the 80s, they're fantastic. Excellent keyboards and screens, matte finish, durable, and (at least on mine) good battery life. Be warned though, the Lenovo "Ideapads" which are cheaper are nowhere near as good. I have an x220i, and love it. You can actually add a small SSD to boot from, and still have the standard HDD for storage (the SSD replaces the 3g/4g card. And I'm not talking expresscard, its mSata).

It might be worth trying to find a business who is upgrading their workforce's laptops, picking up a used one, and throwing the Linux flavor of your choice on it. Business class laptops FTW.

lenovo t410/t420
I have the t400, works great.

Toshiba is more tougher i guess.  :)

Agree  :)