i had an asus notebook at my last firm i was working for and they are great machines.
if all you're wanting to do is surf and do stuff online then do what i did and get a netbook
i just got mine on monday and its perfect for what i do -- everyhting online -- email, chat, bills, juventuz, etc..
and with google docs i don't need office or other tools loaded on my comp. i'll throw ubuntu on it here in a few weeks but in the meantime the pre-loaded windows xp works fine. the trick is to turn off auto windows updates which kill your comp
i have a 300gb external hd at home for all my media (i'll be investing in a 1TB external drive once the prices drop)
here's what i bought marcello --
http://www.juventuz.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1881379&postcount=24979