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PC is dead, need help picking a laptop.

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Well my old faithful pc that i built about 4 years ago has decided to quit on me and i think i want to stay away from building a pc again because my needs require a little more mobility. the problem is that i have never really shopped for a laptop and i think i know generally what i want but i would like some input on it. so here are the genereal specs im looking for:

price: under $1000.00 USD (required)
processor: intel core 2 duo (unsure)
ram: either 1GB or 2GB, depends on the total cost at teh end
OS: Windows XP (required)
HDD: around 100GB maybe bigger if budget allows for it
screen size: not too particular on screen size, the bigger the better i guess
wireless: must have built in wireless
cd drive: DVD RW DL unless there is enough in the budget for a BD burner.

basically will only use it mainly for downloading and some light photoshop work, i dont really game anymore. and of course the lower the cost the better. thanx in advance for any input.

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http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4208
http://www.overclock.net/laptops-notebook-computers/293...
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread212385.html

Save up the extra $100 USD and grab the Gateway P-6831FX from Bestbuy.

read those 2 links and you will know why....

P-6831FX Base Specifications: (Best Buy Exclusive: Retail MSRP Price $1,099.99)(If it is still on sale)

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (32-bit)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5450 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)1
3072MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (1-1024MB & 1-2048 MB module)(Duel channel)
250GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive w/ 8MB cache2
17.0" WXGA+ Ultrabright TFT Active Matrix (1440 x 900 max. resolution)
FX Design with Copper Core Accent
Intel® PM965 Chipset and NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8800GTS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory
8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM featuring Labelflash™ Technology3
Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
HD Audio

The Gateway's a nice computer, but if you can upgrade the screen, do it. 1440 x 900 on a 17" screen isn't a very good mix. See if you can get a 1680 * 1050 resolution screen. Also, the laptop trades the CPU and hard drive speed for the very high powered graphics card. I don't have any suggestions that'll fit the OP's price range, so sorry if I sound like I'm just trying to shoot down ideas.

The Gateway's still a good computer though :D 
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You can get 4 gigs of DDR2 for about $85.

you should be ably to reuse you desktop XP license and dual boot it.

everything has built in wireless.

15.4" tends to be the cheapest size
most people want 17" for desktop use and 12-14" for mobility

get the best graphics you can. CPU Memory and HDD are all upgradeable afterward

Go to http://www.lenovo.com and check out the R series. Make sure you also GOOGLE for "lenovo coupons" as you can almost always count on getting 10-15% off. These are very well built laptops designed for the rigors of business travel so they hold up very well and they have outstanding keyboards. On the downside there is no option for bright displays and TV/2nd monitor connectivity can be somewhat limited.

you may want to consider a tablet with a wacom digitizer for photoshop work.
Gateway and Lenovo both have 14" versions.
I got a refurb gateway C-140x off ebay for less than $700. a loaded XL is about $1300 new.

teh digitizer has 256 levels of pressure sensivity, nice for photoshop
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