[NoOne]

look up the ones in your price range. google the chip model#. intel and amd will have good info. google anything that's "greek" and you'll know whehter it's worth the extra $$$ to pay for. it's been too long since i shopped a laptop for someone, or i'd give more specific information.

one thing i try to look for is if the chips are in a certain price range but slightly different model#'s. then, i make sure to get the newest one...intel will have release date information on the spec sheet. don't rely on the seller's website spec sheet. go to the source.

ssd is definitely worth it. if you have some sort of media that takes up a lot of space, keep the old laptop for a quasi-NAS or get an external drive.

if you're not getting a 3d monster gaming machine, just check out newegg or whatever else is popular nowadays.

whatever you get, immediately wipe/format and do a fresh/full install of the OS. make sure you have what's necessary to do so, also. be selective of what you install and avoid the bloat of a big brand laptop.

you'll gett what you pay for... compare components once you narrow it down, if you are spending big bucks. don't pay for stuff you won't use, like an nvidia video card if you don't play 3d games.