Need a New Laptop/Notebook

[ComputerWizKid]

I had a Toshiba Satellite A45-S121 that I sold about a year ago and I really miss having a notebook computer and I finally got the fund-age to buy a replacement. I know mobile technology has really changed since the Socket 478 Celeron M days, but to how much I don't really know what to look for in a new computer

My budget is about $0 - $700

I picked out one already but I need more information on my choice and if there are better ones in my price range

Asus K50IN

I will be using the computer basically as an extension to my desktop/HTPC (So It will be home most of the time).

What I would like in a notebook

Upgradeable/Build Quality - I would like it to last a long time with easy to swap out parts and use standard off of the shelf Notebook parts.and have a decent build quality
(My Toshiba was heavy and built like a portable Tank, Survived being dropped many times and the LCD Still stayed intact)

Decent battery life
.
A large 320GB-> fast 5K-7200K RPM standard Hard Disk Drive (Easy to be swapped out in the future for a replacement)

Optical Disc Drive - DVD-RW/CD-RW mufti format drive (Using a standard notebook type drive so possibly in the future I can up-grade to a Blu-Ray)

The max amount of memory I can get (The most the system can support out of the box).
Integrated wireless (I know most if not all notebooks have this now) But when I had my Toshiba I had to use a PC-Card Wi-Fi adapter

Good integrated or a Plug-in Video Card

Good quality LCD display 15" or larger and greater then 1024X768 preferably 1280X1024 (My Toshiba had a 15" 1024X768 LCD panel)

Plenty of USB Ports I know that 3 is standard now a days But my Toshiba had 4 USB 2.0 Ports

I would also like a standard VGA/DVI/HDMI Monitor Port

Operating System: I just moved away from XP Professional SP3 to Windows 7 Ultimate (Which I really like, once I got used to it). I know that most of the computers in my range come with Windows Vista Home Premium and now there is a "Free" upgrade to Windows 7

What I am not sure about or even that I would need it

bluetooth (My Cell Phone has bluetooth capability and I am not sure exactly what I can do with that, or what devices will use bluetooth in the future or is it even worth it now)

Web-cam - I am not into the Social networking fad so I am not sure if I will really need a web-cam or can It be used for things other then Social Networking and YouTube Videos.

Integrated Wireless Type: I know most Wi-Fi networks are of the B/G type and most home networks are moving to the N type and most other places that don't want Wireless hackers use the A type . So is a A/B/G/N integrated card worth it (If the model I pick out has the option?)

Expansion Slots (I know the PC-Card or PCMCIA is dead but I don't know what replaced it)

Modem/Ethernet. I would like an 10/100 or possibly a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port and if they still come standard a 56K modem (I know dial-up is a dead tech but I would still like it as a backup or if I am out of area and that all that is available) or to be able to send Faxes

Touch pad/Keyboard To put it plainly I hate touch pads although once I get used to them they are OK (as long as it is able to double click or scroll). A standard Laptop short key travel keyboard is OK

Anything else That I am not mentioning that needs to be mentioned in a portable notebook computer Configuration?

Thanks and sorry for the Long Post
but I tried to break it up by sectioning it out

 

[alimoalem]

What are you going to be doing with this? Why do you need so much RAM?

I'd go to lenovo.com and see if something interests you. If portability is important, check out the U-series and X-series laptops. If you want something bigger with more bang/buck, check out the Budget-line G-series or Thinkpad R-series. There are usually coupons available.

Check out the Dell Small Business laptops (Latitude E5400/5500 line or E6400/6500 line, or Vostro laptops). There are coupons sometimes available. Check out the Outlet, too, for better deals.

I recently found out about a new Acer laptop coming out. If you're not looking for a power house, Acer has a 11.6" and 14" laptop with Core Solo processors for cheap (and they're small). I think they're coming out with dual-core versions pretty soon.

I don't like HP, but when you want hard drive space or RAM, they have cheap upgrades. Check out the dv3t. Bang for buck, it's a nice laptop.

 

[corkyg]

Check out this thread. Crappy keyboards seem to be common in Asus lappies.

Asus

 

[ComputerWizKid]

Well I would really like a lot of Hard Drive space because I will be using it along with my HTPC,To watch my recorded TV Shows in the other room and If I am out I will like plenty of space to copy the large MPEG-2 files of the unedited shows, as I always don't have the time to edit and compress the videos before I leave the house, but if I do stay home I will just play the file through my network. I don't know how much ram or Video Card I would need I would need to play my games (I would just play my Emulators and a couple of older PC games). I know most computers now will (and the ones in my range) Seem to come with Windows Vista Home Premium
No matter what kind of computer I get I will probably do a fresh install anyway to get rid of all the OEM Crapware and to Install my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate