Same principles still apply. My old MSI is still running, it now uses aftermarket battery and chager, it had monitor tape changed, headphone jack is broken and the exterior has cracks, cause I beat the shit out of it. Browse newegg or something, find something with most bang for your buck, avoid unreliable brands and laptops with only integrated graphics, avoid gimmicks like touch screen (if you really want such option, why buy laptop instead of tablet). also, ask seller if you can wrench on your new laptop without breaking warranty, or can they do it for you so it would not be broken, hell, ask if laptop you want to buy even has a slot for second hard drive.