<p>michelec, they are -- Compaq is now the cheaper version of HP. However, I have no idea if they are worse at all.</p>
<p>OP, it depends on what you want. Dells are cheapest, then Toshiba (I think), and Sony is the most expensive. You have to compare price / features / tech support and all. What exactly do you want? (price range, tasks for it to do, portability / battery life)</p>