I'm in the market for a good one in the new year. Budget of about £600, but if I can get what I want for £450-500 then great.

At the moment I have struggled through uni with a budget Compaq thrust upon me by some sleazy salesman in Currys and it's on its last legs: one of the hinges is nearly gone, the noise of the fan is beginning to really grate, and the battery also won't physically stay in the bottom of it so it's dependent on the AC supply.

These physical problems are relatively new though, the main issue with it is the complete lack of processing power (at least I assume this is the problem). iTunes, DVD's and Football Manager have always run incredibly slowly and are prone to crashing.

I want a new one which is quick, and preferably able to handle a couple of intensive programs at once without having a fit. Quietness is also a priority, but I don't need a massive hard drive as I use an external one for all my films and music.

Any suggestions/advice? I am trawling the internet but a lot of the info goes over my head.

If it looks pretty that's a bonus, and obviously it would be good to be sturdy, as I've pretty much destroyed this one in 2 and a bit years. Also, is Windows 8 better, worse or the same? Is it worth trying to avoid it? (I assume most new ones will come with it preloaded).

Any advice or recommendations?