15 or 17 in., U.S., Budget less than $1K

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Country of purchase: United States

• Budget range: $700-$1000 (up to $1200 if it's a "steal" for what it's worth)

• Purpose (netbook, ultraportable, mainstream, gaming, desktop replacement, etc.): Mainstream; portability not important

• Screen size preference: 15 or 17

• OS preference (Windows/ Mac/ Linux): Windows, but I also like OSX. I just need Word to work extremely well, and I'm not sure the Mac version of Office can offer this.

• Gaming requirements (example games and desired fps/settings): Not necessary

• Performance requirements (video, CAD, etc.): None in particular

• Method of computer support (office supplier, college bookstore, self support): Mostly self-support, but in a dream world, I would like Genius Bar like support for a Windows machine (Microsoft Store??)

• Brand preferences and reasons (already owned accessories, familiarity, business compatibility): No brand preference

• Any particular style that you like (examples are great): I'd like something sleek, but heavy is OK because it will mostly used as desktop.

• Which of the following qualities would you prefer? (Choose one, the other, or balanced)

• Long battery life -vs- Low weight: Battery life

• Build quality -vs- Low price: Build quality

• Low noise/heat -vs- High performance: Balanced

Would you pay a premium for something that has:

• High resolution screen: Yes

• A great keyboard: Yes

• A great touchpad/mouse buttons: Yes

• Great audio: No

List any features that are critical: (e.g. Optical drive, USB 3.0, SD card slot, ethernet port, HDMI port, bluetooth, VGA port, removable battery, glossy screen, matte screen, etc.) Bluetooth

Extra note: While I will mostly do word processing and Internet browsing, I am very picky about performance. I have no patience for a computer with bloatware or slow load times.

I'm hoping to find something with an SSD or at least a hybrid.

Thank you!