There is nothing called a reliable brand.. When buying a laptop check for motherboard (is it intel, Amd etc), Check the max Size of Ram it can hold(the higher the better), Check speed of processor, Check size and type of hard drive(these days its SSD drives or 1TB or more HDD), Check how long the battery lasts, Check what type of graphic card it has (in case you are a gaming person), and whether the sellers have got a guarantee on the machine in case of problems... That should do it i hope.