I have a Acer Aspire 1690 three years old never had any problems other then being outdated now and software issues (my stupidly)! If I was ever to get another laptop on budget I would get an Acer! But only if I absolutely had to get a laptop for work or something.
Asus wins by a lot, imo. I've never known Asus to make a bad product. HP does make good laptops, and they are probably better for every range. Asus laptops are more high end, and meant for enthusiasts.