we cant say really, the best would depend on what you're going to use the notebook for, if its toshiba, they have excellent hardware, thiniest hardware that ive seen,although same with sony,, i believe they even have the lightest notebook, acer has the latest ferrari 4000 series, has turion technology for processor,bluetooth optical mouse,so n so.. hp has a lot to offer, depending on what you are interested in too.but they are more into the business look for a notebook. sony has cool features too, their new viao is very versatile and weighs just about 2.75lbs for $2999.99, has free leather case, 1.5ram,has dvd+-r dell has a lot of varieties that you can choose from, though their lightest is around 4lbs it really does depend, you can call dell at their toll free 18009993355 they can configure a notebook for you. there isnt any best brand really, it will just depend on how its used and if its capable to hold on with what you are going to use it for, and of course the warranty, and service will serve as one factor if the notebook is one of the best, of course when you buy something you might want to buy the whole package, check all configurations and whats it going to do with your notebook, and if you dont really need it, then you can just remove it (if it can be removed) then add on what you like and what would be the most applicable component in your computer suitable to your needs. anyway.. choose wisely.=)