This laptop caught my eye on NewEgg...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6834147750

I'm a light gamer, but I'm big on sound... so it seems like a pretty sweet setup. However, I do have some specific questions...

1. Will 4GB be an acceptable amount of memory 2.5 years from now? That's generally how long I keep a laptop... and 4GB is the maximum supported.

2. Will the 5400 RPM HD be a major drawback? Will it take forever to load games because of this?

3. Does anyone think Blu-Ray playback will EVER be supported in Linux?

4. Is this as good of a deal as I think it is? All things considered, it seems like it's a steal at $1600 (yes, even when you compare it to the ~$1300 Gateway that also has the 8800 GTS)

Just looking for some advice/input so I don't end with buyer's regret.

1) For games? Probably not great, but for general use, 4GB will be more than enough for at least that long

2) It'll be somewhat slower, but I wouldn't call it a huge deal. Depends on how picky you are. I haven't seen it as a huge concern on mine (Samsung HM250JI drive)

3) Not a clue

4) It's an absolute steal, if you don't mind the size and weight. Quite powerful, better CPU than the gateway, amazing graphics, lots of RAM. I'd say it's a great deal. It is quite large and heavy though - I would look at it more like a desktop that you happen to not need a separate monitor and keyboard for than a laptop.

Well, I use my laptop in the same location primarily, but I really like just having one cable go to it. I'd be totally open to using an all-in-one PC with a wireless keyboard and mouse... but the GPUs on those are terrible.

http://www.techbargains.com/news_d [...] cfm/127116

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz)
Display 20.1" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
Personalization HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Microphone + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
240GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers +the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Pack software - muvee autoProducer Premium, Cyberlink DVD Suite Premium and Serif Web Plus
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

For $1400, you will sacrifice Blu-Ray, 2 GB RAM, and 80GB of HDD space. It is up to you to decide, but bear in mind that you can always upgrade the components later.

You may also want to consider a SFF build

In that case, I'd get it. Sounds like it should be perfect for what you want.

I briefly entertained that thought... totally love the idea of having an upgradeable GPU... but the wires would make it look like a rats nest. If you saw where I use my current laptop you'd understand... a glass-top coffee table in the middle of my living area... absolutely nowhere to hide cables. An SFF would add tons of speaker wires, monitor wires and probably stuff I'm not even thinking of at the time. It just seems like that's a heck of a lot of computer packed into one (admittedly large) laptop.