Need help deciding on a laptop

[CodeNameSly]

So I'm pretty sure I know what I want, but I want to see if you guys have any insight into the model or know of any particular reasons to avoid it (either problems with the model or much better comparable models).

I'm looking for, basically, a desktop replacement. I want something that I can take on trips, but not something I can take to class or the coffee shop down the street or anything.

I also want to be able to play games at least decently. Particularly Oblivion (maybe I'm setting the bar too high, here).

I'm thinking of going with a Toshiba Satellite P100-ST1071 with the following specs:

Intel® Core?2 Duo* Processor T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx2)
17" Widescreen SXGA+ TruBrite? display (1680x1050)
NVIDIA® GeForce? Go 7600 with 256MB discrete graphics memory
120GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA)
DVD SuperMulti drive (+/-R Double Layer)

The price all told is $1,826.65.

It looks good, I've heard good things about Toshiba reliability and decent things about their service/support. The price is not bad (less than I was expecting).

That being said, I have a few questions:

I looked at some other models, including the HP dv9000t. Several sites seemed to love these, but I'm hesitant to go for it since I've heard bad things about HP reliability/service/support. Is it that much different?

Are there any other similar models that you guys can think of? I looked at Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, and Sony, and this Toshiba seemed the best price/power/reliability combination.

Is 17" just too big? I feel a little silly getting a screen that large, but it will certainly be great for games.

Finally, a few tweaks that I'm considering:

Should I opt for the $70 more 7200 RPM 100 GB HDD? How much of a difference will the faster speed make? Enough to compensate for the smaller size and bigger price?

Is Bluetooth worth getting? I figure it's pretty cheap and might be nice for cordless devices, so I might as well.

I think that's pretty much it. Thanks advance.

 

[CodeNameSly]

After browsing forums a bit I've noticed a lot of people seem to like Asus computers. The G2P looks really promising - similar configuration but with a better graphics card (X1700 with 514 MB). Price seems similar, too.

 

[simms]

Get the 7200. 100GB alone is $120 retail on egg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...0&Submit=ENE&N=0&Ntk=all&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

 

[mattBR]

just thinking that you should really go for a dell e1705, dont forget the coupon, you should get same or better specs for a lower price.

but the support is not that good, you get what you pay from dell.

 

[alimoalem]

i have heard good things about HP (i'm an HP owner but i haven't used their service yet so i can't comment)
don't get a 7200rpm hdd. unless you play a game that really benefits from the faster drive, there's no need for one. especially if you have to pay to lose space. simms is right in that if you upgrade now it'll be cheaper for you, but why pay for the extra speed you won't use?

CodeNameSly, Asus laptops are good from what i hear. so is their build quality and service. here are two Asus laptops from newegg:
15.4" Core2Duo T7200, X1700, 1GB ram, 120GB HDD - $1300
14.1" Core2Duo T7200, Go 7700, 1GB ram, 120GB - $1600

the 14.1" should get you a little bit more battery life (not a whole lot but some) over the 15.4" and the Go 7700 is only a little better than the x1700 (like 1-2 fps). it's worth $3 difference, not $300, but still, i wanted you to have a 14 and 15" option