sounds like you're getting a PC. You should go with 4GB of RAM (or more) on Vista 64, if you can find one that has that.
Or, get a Mac.
You won't get ripped off horribly, but you can always find better deals online. That's the price you pay for needing something today, though.
This is all very good info, except I think Macs are way overpriced and unnecessary unless you like shiny objects.
I'd recommend taking a look at the circulars for Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, etc. - then call and make sure they have it in stock before you go.
Also .. (personal opinion here) make sure it has a SATA port, and HDMI. I think more and more devices will be using those over the years, and SATA is much faster than USB for backups.
laptops have external SATA and HDMI nowadays? wow, that's pretty cool. those can't be very common though, right?
i've seen it on a few. maybe not on the majority of models, but if you're going to make an investment now, it's definitely worth it to pay a few dollars more for those connectors. I think HDMI is cool because it carries sound too (pretty sure it does on a laptop, anyway)
chris would .. i'm pretty sure... rip me apart with his bare hands if i brought home a Mac
but thank you for the advice. I know I totaly should have thought of this like last week. But I didnt'. Lol.
haha, just tell him it's for designers and photographers. and that it runs Unix. And also Windows.
i would love a mac. Anybody see any good deals online for mac laptops? I need one for music and video editing.