I bought my kids a couple HP dv8t "quad edition" i7/gt230 laptops for Christmas, they haven't had the first problem (granted they're still very new). Even with the 3 year extended warranty they were cheaper than any other (comparable) laptop I was able to find (I priced apple, dell, alienware, asus, msi and others). Even though the gpu is g92 based, the systems play everything I've thrown at them just fine(mass effect 2, battlefield2, wizard101) all at high settings (no fsaa on some of the tougher games, though). By the time (or probably before) these things are out of warranty, the cpu and gpu will be seriously out of date and need replacement anyway.
My only complaints are that battery life is low (although what do you expect with a gaming gpu and an i7 quad chip and 18" screen) and they wouldn't let me order them without paying for a windows license (I originally was considering linux for the kids).
I also own an HP EliteBook 6930p and an nc6400 for business use. I've had the nc6400 for three or 4 years now and have had no problems. The 6930p is almost a year old and also has had no problems. At the office I've got an ancient P4 HP kayak xm, and a few other HP's. The kayak is probably close to 10 years old. No problems with any of those systems, either.
I wouldn't consider a prebuilt desktop system from ANY company because they're just overpriced for what you get. For mobile computing, prebuilt seems to be the only option.
I guess my point is that in my opinion the reliability problems with hp are a bit blown out of proportion. I'll definitely keep buying HP (as long as their prices stay as good as they are).