I don't know if you have a Aldi nearby, but when they release laptops, they're excellent. They're called Medion and are way cheaper than Dells etc, but have superb spec. My housemate has one alnd hers has lasted a good 5 years without any problems.
Unfortunately, they aren't on sale all the time, so you have to keep checking what's on sale each week.
Hope that helps a little. (I'm probably going to be ripped to shreds now by the ABers who know the slightest thing about computers for suggesting something from Aldi!)