Compaq are owned by HP i think???
When i worked selling these machines, i noticed that HP could be made in any number of a few factories... And compaq made in some of the same and different, i noticed this with Acer Machines too...
In 2 years i worked for the company, i never seen or dealt with a Compaq return, but had plent of HP's, even though we did sell about 5 times more HP machines...
Acer i have found to be the worse in my personal experience. They offer bang for buck, but very very poor build quality...
From friends and family, i would stear clear of HP, Medion, Toshiba, and Acer...
I have had a T43 for a few months now, and can says its excellent... (LENOVO/IBM)... Dropped it endless times, left if on for stupid durations, my partner uses it all the time, and i use it for both work and study when i can get it...
My partner has a Dell one, which i hate, and by the use shes gives my T43, i am guessing shes isnt to keen on it either...
I am eyeing up a MacBook Pro right now, and even though i hate DELLS, i am thinking of one of their XPS laptops too... Will consider a Lenovo too...