New Laptop

I am not sure how to locate it. It was a while ago I saw the mention of 100 yuan I can not see it online now. Perhaps it was temporary, Prior to release MS was selling 8 for like 20 bucks world wide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8_editions#Regional_restrictions_and_variations
has a reference to the CN only edition, however the website offers upgrades for 1000rmb as you mentioned, I don't know how/where you can get a standalone download of Win 8 CN. Maybe from browsing the site with a XP machine.

Dropped mine on my tile floor recently; the floor won.  Lots of good advice here and many options.  But what brands, etc. should I stay away from?

Last time I bought a laptop, I went for a workhorse Lenovo, a y470p. Cheap, ugly, well-enough spec'd to run games on an external monitor and I never have to look at the thing itself. Step 1 is always "Change the operating system". The numbnuts in the Lenovo shop would have done it for me but they had to download the English version first--I was supposed to sit around in their workshop for two hours! AS IF HOMIES!

I think I might one day buy a Thinkpad Carbon X1. Don't know. Too many choices.

I just bought a refurbed IdeaPad with a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 Processor. Not sure how I feel about the touchscreen, but the price was great. $600 including US tax and shipping, whereas the new ones (with the 4th gen processor) are currently "on sale" for $900. The cool thing about Lenovo is that they're currently trying to expand their market, so in addition to their fugly gaming computers, the IdeaPads are much nicer looking and trying to appeal to a broader audience. The u410 is such a MacBook Pro ripoff it's almost impressive.

As far as other brands, I was recommended Samsung, Sony, and Asus during my hunt in addition to Lenovo. Asus is a bit cheaper, so depending on the techie you talk to they're a great deal or just more cheaply made. I've heard enough horror stories about Acer to avoid them, even though they are supposedly comparable quality to Asus. Given that the 4th gen Intel i# processors just came out in June, you may be able to get a deal on nicer computers that are still carrying the 3rd gen processor. I'm not sure what the retail situation is in China, though, so there may be some lag on that front.

If you're looking for a cheap netbook option, my Asus eeePC was fantastic. It survived 3+ years of use and abuse, including but not limited to: 2 months backpacking through Mexico, running programs it had no business running (i.e. GIS), multiple drops including a particularly harsh one onto stone tiles, and at least 1 spilled drink. I swear the thing was bulletproof, but it was also less than $300, which made me more ok with abusing it than I may have otherwise been. I know the Eee line is no longer for sale, but my experience has definitely instilled a confidence in Asus products, and netbooks in general. I did have to upgrade the ram from 2gb to 4gb in order for it to run like a normal computer, but that was a super simple maybe $30 upgrade.

Dropped mine on my tile floor recently; the floor won.  Lots of good advice here and many options.  But what brands, etc. should I stay away from?

Gateway is the devil. I seriously had one that didn't function properly from day 1, and the lady at BestBuy claimed I was making things up. Not a happy experience.

HP is ok, but overpriced for what you get. Not worth it.

Acer has a good reputation, but as I said, I've known a lot of people with bad experiences, so I wouldn't personally go with them.

I would personally go with: Asus, Lenovo, and mayyyybe Samsung and Sony. I have no personal experience with the last two, but a number of techie friends have recommended them.

As far as processors, I pretty much limited myself to the Intel Core i5 or i7, but I want to run a pretty hefty GIS program. I wouldn't go below 1.5Ghz if I could help it, and either 7200rpm, or 5400rpm combined with an SSD, for startup speed.

4gb of RAM is plenty to run most programs, and upgrading ram is EXTREMELY simple in most computers, (Lenovo u410 excepted, since it's trying to be a Mac), so I definitely wouldn't spend a lot of extra money worrying about the RAM. If it drives you nuts you can always add more later yourself, fairly cheaply.

nice advice Lovesasa - you have made your self a useful member of the saloon!

have a dram of (authentic, I swear, I got it in duty free) Scottish whiskey on me  

  Glad to help!

I just picked up a Toshiba p55 a5200.  So far I'm happy enough with the computer itself.  I'm not too happy with Win8 but I'm figuring out how to get a desktop on it while waiting for the upcoming 8.1 download which is supposed to restore the start button, among other things.  The main reason I don't like win8 is it forces you, at least until I find workarounds, to integrate your email with the computer itself and all kinds of software.  I hate being pushed into anything.  It's like a faster version of the old Aol system, which was the suckiest browser ever.  But as far as computer use, it's really nice to get a faster machine!  It's got a 3rd gen (I think) core i5 (newest is 4gen now) and 6g of ram which can be expanded, but not needed so far. 

I was originally thinking of getting a 13 or at most 14 inch notebook or ultrabook, with an eye to portability.  I didn't like lugging my 6 lb plus HP around.  Then I thought more about it:  the vast majority of the time my notebook is used as a desktop and I like having a bigger screen. I also like this one for the 1920 x 1080 resolution (it makes a big difference over my old 1280 x 800 HP).  For trips I'll probably drag along a cheap 7inch tablet/e-reader or make do with my ipod. I don't need a spreadsheet or wordprocessing program on the road usually, although I do like to write emails with a keyboard. I like traveling light with as few things as possible to worry about leaving behind or having stolen.

I never really considered Toshiba before but it had the best combination of features I was looking for in the price range I was looking for (it comes out to a bit over 700 USD in the US after taxes.)  The new Sonys are getting some praise and the Samsungs and Lenovos looked good as well.  I've had good luck with HP and my Asus eee netbook was good until it wasn't, but it wasn't good for home video or other intense tasks.  I'm sure my Toshiba will work just fine until I get to the airport to return to China. 

Sounds like a solid computer, roadwalker! I'm not too familiar with Toshiba, so I'll be curious how it works out for you.

Regarding Windows 8, I've found that I've adjusted very quickly. That being said, it's trying suuuuper hard to compete with Apple, and I worked in a Mac lab for 5 years. I've also been told that since it's designed for touch screens, it's much easier to operate with one. I've only accidentally been able to return to the desktop without using the touch screen feature, sooo there's that. If you really hate it, maybe try http://www.classicshell.net/ ?

What email program are you using? I'm not sure if this is relevant to your problem, but I got cranky when I was installing Skype because I thought I needed to go through the Microsoft store and sign up for an account with them, but it turns out I just needed to download the desktop version as opposed to the app.

Gateway is the devil. I seriously had one that didn't function properly from day 1, and the lady at BestBuy claimed I was making things up. Not a happy experience.

HP is ok, but overpriced for what you get. Not worth it.

Acer has a good reputation, but as I said, I've known a lot of people with bad experiences, so I wouldn't personally go with them.

Gateway is Acer, since 2007.

Gateway is Acer, since 2007.

That explains so much!

Yeah, I had to install the regular Skype since I couldn't put the metro-tile Skype on the desktop.  I use Hotmail already so it wasn't hard to get through, but I resent the way msoft tries to connect my life together into their equipment and software.  I am getting used to win8 slowly and I have the machine going directly to the desktop somehow.  I've also deleted a lot of the tiles I don't want- or at least hidden them.  Overall, I'm still in the honeymoon phase just due to a faster machine and better screen resolution.  Not to mention faster internet and less interference with video streaming.  So far, so good- but way too early to recommend this machine.

Well, I went and did it.  I always feel in over my head buying computers, but came up with a Toshiba L50 Series, 4G memory, 500G storage, 15.6" screen with an Intel I3 processor for $340. If this is bad, don't tell me.  Check that, tell me within 48 hours while I can still return it unscathed.

Sounds like a good value for a machine that isn't super powerful in the CPU department.

... for a machine that isn't super powerful in the CPU department.

Yeah, well neither am I.  So we're a match except I have less value.

That core i3 should be plenty for word processing, surfing the net and typical uses.  Beats the crap out of what I finally got rid of, I'm sure. And for half the price I paid for that piece of crap several years back.  (Of course when I bought it, I was so pleased at the speed and functionality of it.) Rising expectations...planned obsolescence.