Help picking a laptop.

[revl8er]

I am getting $1800 for a laptop, and I need some help picking one out. I am looking for one to use for school, but I also wanna make sure it's fast and can handle gaming. I was searching around and picked this one out from cyberpowerpc, but I am still looking. Here are the specs of it.

Xplorer X64-9550 Notebook

# *BASE_PRICE: [+1435]
# ADAPTER: Universal AC-DC Adapter
# BATTERY: Li-Ion 6 Cells 4400mAh Battery Pack
# BAGS: Free Deluxe Carrying Bag
# CD: 8X DVD REWRITABLE DRIVE
# CPU: Mobile AMD Turion™64 X2 Dual-Core TL-60 CPU @ 2.0GHz 2x512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Low Voltage 35Watt [+99]
# FREEBIE_CU1: FREE! AGE OF EMPIRE III
# FREEBIE_CU2: FREE! RISE OF NATIONS: RISE OF LEGENDS
# FREEBIE_CU3: FREE! Rainbow Six Vegas Game
# FREEBIE_CU4: FREE! Cyberpower Unleash The Power T-Shirt with AMD Logo on the back ($19.99 Value)
# FLASHMEDIA: Built-In 6in1 Media Reader
# FLOPPY: NONE
# HDD: 160GB 5400RPM SATA150 HARD DRIVE [+135]
# INVERTER: NONE
# IEEE_CARD: BUILT-IN 1394 IEEE FIREWIRE PORT
# KEYBOARD: BUILT-IN KEYBOARD
# MOUSE: BUILT-IN TOUCHPAD
# MODEM: BUILT-IN 56K V.92 FAX MODEM
# MOTHERBOARD: NVIDIA C51MV + MCP51 Chipset Mainboard
# MEMORY: 2GB (2x1GB) PC5300 DDR2-667 SODIMM Memory (Corsair Value Select)
# NOTEBOOK: MSI MS-16332 Notebook 15.4" Glossy WXGA 1280x800 Pixel w/ NVIDIA GeForce GO 7600 256MB Video, 1.3 Mega Pixels CMOS Camera, Fingerprint Sensor, Turion™64 X2, & 802.11g Wireless
# NOTEBOOK_COVER: MSI MS-16332 Notebook Cover (Original Gray Color)
# NB_LCD: 15.4" Glossy WXGA TFT LCD Display Max: 1280x800 Pixels
# NETWORK: BUILT-IN 10/100 NETWORK CARD
# NB_TRAVELKIT: NONE
# OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional w/ Service Pack 2 & Free Upgrade to Windows Vista™ Business [+31]
# PRINTER: None
# PRINTER_CABLE: None
# RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
# SERVICE: STANDARD 1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AND 24/7 LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
# SECURITY: Built-in Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
# SOUND: BUILT-IN AC 97 SOUND
# SPEAKERS: BUILT-IN STEREO SPEAKERS SYSTEM
# TVRC: None
# USBHD: NONE
# UPS: None
# USB: 4 x USB2.0 Port Connectors
# VIDEOCAMERA: Bulit-in 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera
# VIDEO: Built-in Mobility™ NVIDIA GeForce GO 7600 256MB PCI-Express X16 Video
# WNC: Wireless 802.11G 54Mbps MiniPCI Card
# WAP: NONE
# _PRICE: (+1700)
# _view_: detail

any help you guys could offer would be great.

 

[Doomulation]

I personally like HP Compaq's NX9420.
There are several versions of it, but it has everything you need for gaming. Dual Core Intel Core Duo, a high-end card and 1 GB of memory (though the model on the site only lists 512 MB). It also has a finger print reader (only some versions; choose carefully!). It's fully upgradable later, too, so you can upgrade processor, graphics (well, dunno about this one) and memory.

Swap out the HD for a Hitachi Travelstar and maybe add another stick of 1 GB memory and you've got a killer laptop.

 

[BlueFalcon7]

One thing that you have to keep in mind (that you probably already know) is that the faster you want your computer to be, the more energy it will use, and therefore shorter battery life, not to mention that it will get really hot on your lap.

I was looking at Dooms idea of the HP, and I thought I would give apple a check for fun, and I was actually surprised to find this for $1,500 Now, keep in mind that it doesn't have as good of graphics card, but the CPU is far superior.

 

[PsyMan]

Whatever with a Core 2 Duo CPU, an ATi x1700/GeForce 7600 card (or better), 1 gigs of DDR2 RAM (or more) and a DVD writer that is NOT MATSHITA is a good choice. Turion CPUs are a little slower than Core 2 Duo (most of the time) but they are OK too.
About the rest... Almost every laptop nowadays has almost the same equipment (apart from infrared/bluetooth/webcam and fingerprint reader) so...

 

[Doomulation]

Here's another model: HP Compaq nx9420 (2.16GHz, 1GB RAM) Reviews. Laptops Reviews by CNET.
It goes to show that there are different steppings of the model.
Anyhow, I wouldn't want to be gaming on a 13-inch screen on a computer. The HP laptop has a 17-inch and a 16XX-1XXX resolution (don't remember the exact resolution).
You also want to save a little so you can (if you want) add some more memory and (definitely) switch out the default hard drive for a Travelstar. They're much faster and thus also good for gaming. They cost about $100 or so.

Also, Core 2 Duo beats any other processor in the market in power AND energy. The HP model also features a Ultra capacity battery (12 cells) that can spring up to 10 hours of battery life or something like that. The default battery can last up to about 3 hours.