My first laptop was a Compaq.... with an AMD Turion X2 processor and discrete graphics. 3gb of ram, and I think the processor was running at 2ghz on that one. I used to drop a DVD into the tray, make an ISO file out of it, then mount that and re-encode to an MKV file with H.264 video set to the highest quality settings as well as DTS audio when available or DD if not.
It would take on average 4 hours running full out, re-encoding files, and I did this non-stop almost every night for months to almost all of my collection. The rear plastic was discolored around the fan discharge outlet, but it never gave me a BSOD or any other issue at all. Battery life wasn't as good as my Acer but for what it was, it was decent.
There are lemons in every brand, but my Compaq ( HP ) was great to me.