Asus are good depending on your budget, though I don't think you could get too strong of one for under 800. I like my HP, but there are some heat issues (which is only because I have a total metal case and not much cooling, DONT DO THAT)
i5 is ideal in a laptop, simply because though an i7 is faster, it lets off a SIGNIFICANT amount of heat, which can only really go well in a desktop where you can have good ventiliation.
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(you need an account to see links) - Acer and Compaq are HP now
Also, Dell is a bit more expensive than the others, as is Lenovo, however I only hear great things about Lenovo