[Andy A.]

Im just going to shortly plug Hewlitt packard/Compaq notebooks.

The one I'm on now is an AMD based system with comparable specs to what is being kicked around, and cost me just a bit over $1000 before rebates. The only problem I have had was with the power adapter plug coming loose from the MB, which I was able to fix my self and I hear has since been resolved on new models. It even has a serial port, a rare thing on notebooks, which I have found beyond useful in dealing with microcontrollers. USB converters are a poor substitue for classic 1980's tech.

My battery life is about and 1 hour to 1.5 hours on this battery, which is getting a little tired. But then, the display, processor and optical drive are all very beefy and I see it as a fair trade. Same for wieght and shear size. She's big, but powerful. If you want to work on graphics and video, you can't get a large or bright enough display. Keep that in mind.

I could go on about my system, but I would suggest that you at least take a look at HP.

-Andy A.