I would highly recommend the Asus Republic of Gamers series. You get Alienware or better performance for much less. Sure the design is a bit different on the outside, but I'll trade that for the price any day.

In my opinion, HP is the best computer brand.

I really prefer acer, I got one and now every time I get a computer I refuse to get any other kind, they're really great honestly.

HP Is the best.I <3 it.

Custom build is the only way to go. Personally, the brands I like are Sapphire, G.SKILL and AMD. Don't get me wrong when I say I like AMD, it doesn't mean I dislike Intel, in fact, I would always suggest Intel to someone who needs performance at any cost. But for a budget minded individual, AMD is the only way to go.

If I were buying a laptop, I'd probably go with Lenovo. Pretty good build quality (Although I hear it's gone down quite a bit) and the only thing that I can't believe isn't a f***ing standard option on laptops: The clit mouse. Seriously laptop market, figure this one out, it's the only way to use a laptop without an actual mouse!

Best operating system is obviously Windows Vista. Just kidding! Just kidding! Windows XP is the best by far. My favorite computer brand is probably HP. I'm lucky enough to have an HP laptop with Windows XP.

The best is probably Asus. I am currently renting one and I'm very impressed. I had a Lenovo laptop, but it had some big problem with blue screens. I notified Lenovo Help and Support and they just wouldn't help me. Also, it was pretty cheap and flimsy, because the screen hinge broke after two years of usage. 

Acer have made laptops with a similar prossesing power as the alienware. They have certainly made PCs with better stats and cheaper. But to be fair I am comparing a PC to a laptop, and well all know that PCs are more powerful.

I must say the Dell Inspiron line is my favorite. Right now I'm typing on the 1501 model from 2006, and I'm quite surprised it hasn't blown up yet. Sure, I've had to replace the screen since it fell on a hardwood floor once, but dad was able to take the screen from his Inspiron 1501, on which the hard drive died, and transplant it onto this one. The keyboard is nice and responsive, and runs well for a computer this old. It's time to move on from this good ol' laptop, though. Yesterday I placed an order for a 17R, a VERY powerful laptop, which you can get with Windows 7 OR 8! It comes with a hard drive with 1TB of storage, and a powerful Intel processor. It'll serve me well for years to come!

I know that Apple is the best because it is super fast and doesn't get that many virus. Well, that is what I have heard, I just us a Microsoft Desktop which is pretty good, but can be slow at times.

I'd definitely have to go with Alien Ware, because I have to have to 
have really good PC stats in order to make my games.

There is no best brand. You get what you pay for.

A £200 desktop isn't going to be built as solidly as a £500 desktop.

I've seen cheap laptops with shockingly poor quality (I'd use other words for that but those would get me instantly banned). I've had laptops that indeed are a little more expensive, but I've had compliments about the quality of the casing and I can tell the difference instantly.

Tech support is another thing I've seen companies fail dismally at. Now I'm neither an idiot or a noob with computers like some people seem to assume just because I'm a woman. I actually used to play a game with computer salesmen called "how long until they spout utter bull and/or outright lies". I think my record was about 5 seconds and they always seem shocked when I call them out on it.

I'm doing a degree in Computing and IT so I know a few things about hardware, software, design, etc. I've stripped apart laptops to the circuit board and reassembled them successfully. I hated doing it because they're infamously so damned fiddly but I did it. Desktops are more fun to strip apart.

Some "support technicians" have gotten a (polite) earful from me because they try and fob me off and they soon learn that I'm probably more qualified than them. Others I've had very long arguments with and quite frankly, I'm just going to wipe the laptop in question and stick a Linux flavour on it for giggles once my other (university provided) laptop warranty runs out next year.

In general I prefer working with Apple computers, and Mac OS X. But over the years, I feel like you often don't get what you pay for when it comes to some of their products. (For example, Apple's Magsafe cords are $80-100 each, and I've had them completely break down after just 9 months of light wear and tear around my house.) And that they're preventing people from taking apart or customizing the newest model of Macbook Pro in any way makes me reluctant to buy another laptop from them when the time comes. I feel like they are price-jacking a lot their products beyond their worth to me, now. Next time I get a computer I am probably going to get a custom built PC, but run both Mac OS X and Windows on it. (:

Annette : Those factors put me off Apple hardware. I like being able to upgrade my stuff myself as and when I need to. I also like stuff that is actually durable and will last. I've had desktops last 8 years and still be fully functional, just that they no longer fit my needs so they get sold cheaply to a friend of dad's or put up for sale.

What I've not liked recently about laptop manufacturers is that the laptop battery is counted as a consumable and not as a functioning part of the laptop in warranties. You can imagine how naffed off I was when I found that out.

nzip :  

Well, I’m sure that just about every computer brand has its little perks, advantages, and disadvantages. For me, I have two computers a desktop, and a laptop. The desktop is a Dell. I bought it when I finally got off dial-up Internet several years ago and it really did the job. I have only have one problem in the years that I’ve used it, one time I was searching on Google for CD scratch remover and I ended up clicking a bad link which ended up giving me a Trojan virus.

 

I had to call Dell because as a writer I needed my computer in order to meet deadlines. If the computer was not a necessity for me, I would have waited. It cost me over $400 to have them direct connect to me in order to get the virus out. They did the job so I have no complaints. The only other time that I really had a problem with my Dell is, about a year ago I started getting blue screens. Instead of calling Dell, I decided to call the tech and have him come to my house. He opened up my tower and basically discovered that what was causing the problem was excess dust. It has truly been a reliable computer.

 

My laptop is an HP. I got it as a gift, because it seemed for a time that I might need it as it’s good to have it if you get credentialed to go cover sporting events in person. I haven’t gotten to go to events in person that much, at least in a journalistic capacity, but the laptop has made things a little easier as I can work on material in my bedroom and then do my edits on my desktop.

 

I have thought about getting a Mac eventually as I have heard that Macs are not like PCs and are in some ways more reliable. The problem for me though is I would really dislike it if I had to buy completely separate software than the stuff that I already have as it can be costly. I am all for anything that can make what I do a little easier and less straining. I do a lot of writing and after many years of that I have begun to have repetitive strain issues.

Most of the computers me and my family has is an Acer computer, so pretty much to my opinion, this would be the brand to get.

PurpleBlueRaven : I agree I'm currently running a HP Pavilion DV7T-7000 quad-core edition with a geforce gt 650m graphics card and 8gigs ram though I dumped windows for Linux mint 15 cinnamon, I like the freedom of it all and 64bit is awesome with linux

I can't remember too many brands of computers that I've used. The best one I've used so far though is the computer I have now, made by Acer. It definitely works a lot faster than any other computer I've had before.

I honestly like Microsoft and their PC's better than Apple and their MAC's.  That's just my opinion, though.