buying new laptop...a little help needed

[mutated corpse]

Hi, I am buying a laptop soon. My budget is around $1500 and i need the laptop for the following:
1)some gaming (i play the latest games)
2)some programming
3)play some movies
4)surfing and office applications

I was wondering if there are any brands or models i should avoid...Also, i do see myself bringing my laptop around so portability is a factor. I hope to have at least 3 hrs of battery life. Is there such a model around?

[Jaggannath]

Just so that I can beat thefultonhow to it, consider the Dell Inspiron 9300... it's big, but has 3+ hours battery life when not gaming, and will do all of those things very well.

[mutated corpse]

Hmm, is it ok to carry a 3-4 kg laptop around? I mean is it tiring? I never had a laptop before.. Does a X700 does its job well?

[thefultonhow]

Hmm, is it ok to carry a 3-4 kg laptop around? I mean is it tiring? I never had a laptop before.. Does a X700 does its job well?

It's not too bad, but if you're carrying your laptop around a whole lot, then you may want to look at something smaller. such as the Sager NP5320. That has the X700 instead of the 6800; the 6800 has better performance, but it's not available in any laptop with a screen size less than 17".

What was the other laptop you were considering that has the X700?

[Statica]

IMO saying that you want a gaming laptop along with portability is rather contradictory. A gaming laptop is going to be heavier and a mobility processor can't come close to a P4 based laptop for a gaming rig.

[thefultonhow]

IMO saying that you want a gaming laptop along with portability is rather contradictory. A gaming laptop is going to be heavier and a mobility processor can't come close to a P4 based laptop for a gaming rig.

Well, it can. The Pentium-M is actualy quite good for games, although not as much so for some other apps. On the other hand, gaming laptops usually have to have graphics cards that generaate a lot of heat and thus need to be put in a case big enough to hold a sufficient cooling apparatus. So usually you can't get a good graphics card in anything less than a 17" laptop.

[mutated corpse]

I think i will opt for a 6800, if i buy a 9300 it will actually outperform my PC in terms of gaming. I guess that is a bonus at the price of some portability. I was looking at other models that carry the X700(Acer Aspire 1690 series) but since i wont be carrying it round very often 9300 seems like the correct choice. I will keep in mind your suggestions and give some thoughts about it. Thanks guys.

[rave]

i am extremely happy with my laptop. i dont know if acer is a big brand whereverr your from. it cost RM4200 which is approximately 1105 USD.then again, im from malaysia and electronics are considerably cheaper. i got a laptop lock and case thrown in with it too.(the specs are in my signature)

gaming is OK(not outstanding). it can run UT2003 and americas army pretty resonably.battery life can be a max of 4-5 hours.depends on how you play with the settings.i use it for exactly the same thing as you are gonna use it for its 2.4 kgs, which is ok

[mutated corpse]

Maybe i should just go for a 6800 and save myself from upgrading my desktop graphics? I am pretty sure it outperforms my 9600xt. And the 17 inch is actually an upgrade from my 15 inch monitor...Also, 9300 seems to be pretty popular here(pcmech) and here(s'pore). I don think i will go wrong wif 9300 after what your had said..even if it is a bit too heavy, i think i will somehow manage