Need help, Shopping for laptop

[asidrayne]

I have looked around some, and i have a fairly good idea of what i want.

Looking at a Dell's stuff i could save a couple hundred by getting a refurbed piece. But if i buy new, it seems i could get an extra battery and a printer thrown in as well. I am not terribly concerned about losing out on a laptop printer, but i am wondering if the extra battery makes buying a new piece worth it. I saw a sony replacement li-ion battery costed $250 at my local Best Buy.

So now i am unsure whats the best way to go.
The specs i am looking at:
Inspiron 8100:
PIII-M 1GHz, 256MB, 20GB, GF2GO 32MB, DVD(no cdrw), 15" SXGA+

I was also looking into IBM(waaay expensive, but it seems the screens acually do higher resolutions), Sony, and Compaq.

Ideally, i really wanted an Athlon, but only Dell seems to have the GF2GO. And that leads me to another concern. I do not really plan on gaming with it. I will most likely do homework and host a dedicated server or 3 at LANs. I dunno if i should be this gungho about getting the GF2GO.

What is everyone elses thought and/or experiences with laptop manufacturers?

 

[BlakkIce]

Toshiba Satellite 5000-S504 Notebook

Satellite 5000-S504 Notebook
Intel® Pentium® III Processor, 1.1GHz, 512MB RAM, 30GB Hard Drive, 15.0-inch TFT Display, 8X DVD / 8X4X24 CD-RW Drive, Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
$1.999.99

 

[mgo]

Toshiba. I have a 4300 series Satellite Pro, and I love it. I had a rehabed Digital previous. What a mistake that was. No more rehab for me.

 

[wfbberzerker]

dell is probably your best bet. theyre the best oem from what ive heard

however, if you could find someone reputable whos selling athlon4 laptops, that'd be even better.

if you dont do much gaming, then you probably dont need a gf2go. but, if you do play the occasional game, then get the dell with gf2go.