Boo,
Bill is absolutely right about the storage issue but we differ I our philosophy about processor power and RAM. I have personally never regretted buying as much processing power as I could and making sure I had 8 gigs of RAM.

Also, resale value is better for the system I am describing.
Deane

Just stay away from the Atom processors. They are used extensively in the cheaper units and are under powered. I have had everything from Atom to i7 and wouldn't go below i3, preferably at least i5.

It is like maintaining head room in music; you may not need it everyday now, but you may want the extra later on.

Bernie is right on target. We never know for sure what we will do with our technology so why not go for the better choice if it is our budget.

Deane

Boo:

Deane is referring to Intel's line of processors. He is right. One thing I would advise, wait until after the new launch of Windows 10 which is scheduled to happen mid-summer if you can believe anything Microsoft says. (Windows 8... both versions, have been a disaster for people who use computers for serious stuff... other than apps or games.) If you cannot wait, look for a laptop with Windows 7... or spend more money and go for the latest Apple Operating System. Or, Option 3... be prepared for a steep learning curve and opt for a Linux Mint based system.

Windows XP was the most stable, reliable system Microsoft has ever built. The idiots could have spent more productive time by improving upon it and adding an App handler on the back end for the teenie boppers.

All the best,

Dave

My suggestion is a little different and comes with almost 20 years of IT experience with Laptops: Dont be fooled by huge specifications....go for quality proven brands every time. You can also pretty much ignore 90% of internet reviews because 9 times out of 10 they are by people or companies reviewing out of the box systems - the truth is, 12 months....and half a dozen OS updates later the laptop will be running very differently. Also people hardly ever post cooments online when they are happy, so a succesfull brand will always have more negative comments from owners.

First you need to decide what you want to do with your laptop because that will make a difference on certain hardware choices.

If you are going to be working with huge image files with multiple layers (and I mean HUGE as in billboard sized), video rendering or 3d gaming then you need a system with a suitable graphics chip - the pay off is battery life. if you are using it for internet, emails and word processing you do not need high end graphics - the benefit will be longer battery life. Or, if you want both (like me) I have a laptop with OS switchable graphics.

CPU power and RAM are similar to the above but with the following: If you are a person that likes tons of tabs and processes running at the same time the CPU and RAM need to be faster and larger, if your not into installing a lot of third party stuff and don't multitask much then you dont need to worry about having the fastest and the biggest!

For me and depending on your budget, it is better to get a more expensive lower spec computer, (for example a base model I3/I5 Thinkpad) than a fully loaded low cost I7 unit from a company that produces high volume, high spec, low cost units.

Boo,
Dave is perfectly right. I personally gave up on Windows computers and now own and use a MacBook Pro laptop, an IMac desktop, and also an IPad. I Keep one Windows Laptop to use with special keyboard related software that has no Apple version.
Deane

OP...under $600.00.......

Donny,
You're right. None the Apple computers would be anywhere near the $600.00 price range. However, have you looked at some of the latest Windows based tablets like the surface pro etc...? I think MS has decided if apple can overcharge and still sell products we can too.

Anyway, back to the topic. I still would take a very close look at what Asus offers in the price range.

Deane

But then they where wrong, as the ultrabook series microsoft put up against apple Macbooks are considered unsuccesfull, because people deem them to expensive..

Back on topic....

maybe Boo should tell us what he is considering to buy, its much easier to advise based on that... all brands have good and not so good laptops in their range..

Just post the 3 PC's you are considering and what you consider important in a PC and people will advise you... and even come up with a best buy outside of your 3 choices if they deem another one more fitting...