I'm looking for a new laptop and I don't know how to start looking. Which brands do you prefer and why? What should you look for in general when buying (processor, RAM, etc.)?
Asus!
Processor, RAM, graphics card and memory (hard drive). Best ne ssd
The rest of the odds and ends is subjective
And apple is filth!
My big favorite of laptops are the mac books from Apple. Because the new one has a good chip and is very fast. My the latest mac book 2020
Which brands do you prefer?
Lenovo business notebooks.
and why?
Good equipment, workmanship, enough connections and - should something be - repairable.
What should you look for in general when buying (processor, RAM, etc.)?
that it meets your requirements. For example, I would not order a device with less than 8GB RAM and without an SSD
I had a medion laptop and was 0 satisfied but now have one from acer and indeed the acer nitro 5 and love it! My siblings also have acer notebooks and are also satisfied so for me ACER!
I think you wanted to write that as your own answer and not as a comment under my answer.