Laptop for all around Performance

[Aeridyne]

Alright, so i sold my toshiba, didn't have the heart to try and frankenstein it up with a new cpu and i wanted better graphics on it anyway. So now i am looking for something with more beef in the gpu dept. so i am pricing out some options here and 3 of the best that i could were;

1. Dell Inspiron 1520 w/
core 2 duo 2.0 ghz
160gb 7200 rpm sata drive
8600 GT
15.4 inch screen
1 gb ram (i already have 2 gb to put in it so idk what it comes with for ram)
a few other goodies to bring it up to 1199 after instant savings of 244, then after coupon its 900.00

2. Dell Inspiron 1720
Core duo
120 gb 7200 rpm sata drive
8600gt
17.0 inch screen
1 gb ram
Maybe a few other goodies, pretty much same price as above, less goodies, bigger screen

3. HP Pavillion 9500t ( i think that was the model, im getting tired...)
Core 2 duo 2.0 ghz
2x 120 gb 7200 rpm sata drive (anyone know if these are raid capable?)
8600 GT
17.0 inch screen
1 gb ram
again a few minor goodies, have to get it up to 1299 or higher to use 30% off coupon to get it down to 1034.00

I really didn't want to spend that much on a laptop, my sweet spot was more like 600, but i like having the 7200 rpm drive and an 8600gt, those were the two most important parts.
These parts were significant only because i hate having a slow hard drive and crap video on my laptop, so if there is anything else out there that has comparable graphics and a 7200 rpm drive i would be happy, brand does not matter much to me, they are mostly made in china anyway

What is everyone's thoughts on the ones above and most of all, does anyone know of any other laptops with good hard drive and graphics for cheaper?

Any input is appreciated, much thanks to anyone who can shed some light on the subject.

 

[Rottie]

Are you a hardcore gamer or looking for desktop PC replacement?

Most hardcore gamers think 17 inches notebook is good for games, multimedia, and PC replacement.

15.4 inches notebook can be anything like MP3, multimedia, internet, etc.

 

[Aeridyne]

the inches on the screen don't really matter much to me, the thing i would like more about a 17 inch would more likely be the number pad, lol.

I'm not looking for this to be a desktop replacement, but close I guess that if i were to narrow my questions down a bit, I am looking for something comparable to the ones i mentioned above with a 7200 rpm drive and a good video card basically.

 

[moonshinemadness]

I have the 1720 2.2Ghz, 2Gb Ram 2x160GB with the glossy screen, i love it, plays all the games i want it to looks great but 17" is BIG, mines a desktop repalcement so i went for that and am happy,its a really complete media pc w/ good performance wouldn't particularly suggest vista bit bloated imo but is a nice looking. Dont get excited about the dell media center either because its pretty poor and by the time you hvae found you tunes, you may as well have turned the laptop on!

That is all

 

[Throckmorton]

Instead of that Inspiron 1520, spend an extra $200 and get an XPS 1530 with LED backlight, slot load drive, etc.