Need a Notebook!

So I am thinking of using my year-end bonus from work to buy a notebook computer.

What I want:

A portable computer that I can 4 table on at a wifi hotspot.
I think with a 17" screen.
I also would like to network it with my desktop when at home.

My computer knowledge is relatively lacking... so I don't really know what I am talking about, let alone looking for.

Any suggestions?

I get a 12% discount on Dell products through my company... so I may go that route.
The only notebooks with >1600x1200 displays are EXPENSIVE though.

An IBM ThinkPad T42 is what I have now. Expensive but effing bulletproof. Read any computer mag comparisons on notebooks and IBM is by far the best, but you pay for it...

ibm > all.

I've got a laptop with 1680x1050 and it only overlaps a little bit top to bottom - not too big of a deal.

Compaq/HPs are pretty good quality vs. value. I've heard bad things about Dells.

I have an IBM T40. By far the best I have had. You can't go wrong with an IBM.

I have an HP dv4000 it is only 15.4 widescreen but I don't think I could have gotton better for the price.

17 inchers are nice..but f'in huge and heavy and shitty on battery life. Not to mention they typically run hot as hell.

I originally was going to go for the 17 because bigger is better...but this is fine.

I recommend internal bluetooth and a mx1000 mouse (bluetooth...have to buy it in combo with the keyboard though...mx5000 is the package)

of course also buy your comp with minimum RAM and upgrade it aftermarket from newegg or something..save you a couple hundred.

Dell has some good high resolution options. low resolution sucks.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...+dell+inspiron

my experience of dell is not good, there is always something that gets broken.. i would go for an acer instead. Acer have a lowprice reputation but the quality is very good. Acer Travelmate 8104WLMI got an 15.4" TFT display with a (1680 x 1050) resolution...

dells very good. if you dont get ibm id suggest dell (assuming youre looking at higher end models).

Check out HPs. I bought a notebook (not for poker) in June. When I shop for anything over $500 I research the hell out of things. HP was the best bang for the buck. Dell was close, but I have a Dell PC and despite it being a great deal - I'm not happy with the way they do things. First, many of their parts are proprietary and you can only get them from Dell at a high price. I don't know if this is still the case, but they use Rambus RAM. Rambus RAM costs 4x more than regular RAM and on top of that you have to buy it in two packs and basically throw out your old one. They don't have full versions of many of the software they provide - like the windows operating system. It's some made-for-dell version and it's annoying as hell.

Anyway, I have the HP dv4000 too. If it's for poker, the main things you will want are widescreen, lots of RAM and resolution. Don't get a celeron - EVER!!! Go for the Centrino. You'll need a wireless router too if you don't have one.

How much do you have to spend? You're looking at a minimum of $1200 and probably closer to $1600 since the screen size and resolution are factors.

Dell hasn't the best laptop reputation. That being said, I got my Dell in their refurb area plus a coupon. I love it. 1920 pixels wide (WUXGA) hi res screen is 4 tables plus. Super bright screen keeps me from squinting as much. $1350 if you give up some other options (DVD burner, 1Gig mem, etc) -- Inspiron 9300 w/WUXGA. Love it.