laptop suggestions needed, 2,500$ max

[Maezr]

I'm looking to get a laptop, ideally I'd like to keep it under $2,500. I want a 17" widescreen monitor.

I've been looking at dell, but it seems to be rather expensive. these specs are showing $2,792 for a price.. and that's AFTER a 300$ mail in rebate.

intel core duo t2300 1.66ghz
17 inch UltraSharp? Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife?
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB ATI MOBILITY? RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

is this a decent deal? should I be looking elsewhere? if so, where? how adequate is a 1.66 t2300? should I look at upgrading to a 1.83/2.0/2.16ghz cpu?

 

[Nocturnal]

Maybe you can opt for a lower amount of memory as well as a smaller hard drive and buy the two from other vendors such as Newegg or ZZF and install them yourself. If you're not too savvy with installing things into a laptop then disregard this comment.

 

[Kaido]

Gateway NX860XL @ $2,250

Gateway

Directions:
Home & Home Office
Shop for: Notebooks
NX860 Series: View all Models
Select the Gateway NX860XL (on the right, for $1999.99)
Uncheck all four boxes above the Customize & Buy Button, click that button
Select 2048mb ram @ $250 extra
Update subtotal, should show you $2,249.99

Features:
Intel T2500 2.0ghz Core Duo
17" Ultrabright WSXGA+ TFT Active Matrix (1680 x 1050 max. resolution)
2gb ddr2 @ 533mhz
100gb 5400rpm SATA hard drive
8x dual-layer DVDr
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 Graphics w/ 256MB DDR Video Memory
8-cell litium-ion battery

Gateway has excellent screens; I have their 15.4" glossy LCD model and I love it. This also gives you a better processor and video card for over $500 less than Dell.

Any questions? 🙂