Lsbcal
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
No research? You are missing out on all the fun ... and head scratching....(snip)...
So, with zero research I had him take me to Office Depot and immediately bought the i5 version of the Toshiba S55-A which was on sale for $450. I think that model was converted to the i7 because I don't see it available online with an i5 processor any more.
I am quite pleased with my new laptop.
I spent a few months looking at laptops and tablets before buying my Nexus 7. I went to the Apple store, Microsoft store, and Best Buy plus CNET, etc. on the web. My weird idea of fun and a good tech education. Not for everyone though.
One needs to understand one's usage model. For instance, tablets are really good when you are sitting on the can.