Actually, after a bit of googling, it seems you’ll want to skip the cheaper video cards, and get nothing less than the x1600 or 7600.
Do you think you’d want to use a tablet to take notes during class?
Thanks for all y’alls help so far. I have some ideas now, and at least know a little better about what I’m looking at. To answer some comments, I would like to keep with a Windows OS, I’ve heard good things about Macs, but I know Windows, and all the programs I have run on Windows. I also have no intrest in Vista, I’ll probably stay with XP until there is a game I want to play that requires vista, which most likely won’t happen for at least 3 or 4 years.
I’m going to go look around at some retail stores tomorrow during my break between classes, so I can see what is out there and their pricing. I do have one major question, I’m seeing so much about diffrent screens, XGA, SXGA, SXGA+, Truelife, UXGA, XBrite, etc… What is the diffrence? Does it matter? Is it worth spending extra for a higher quality screen?
Oh, one more thing. treis , I don’t think I’d be intreasted in a tablet. I’ll be too worried about breaking it, and one of the main reasons I want a laptop is since I type WAY faster then I write. I can never keep up when I try taking notes because the teacher always talks faster then I can write. Which had led me to being really bad at note taking… So far I’ve gotten away with it, but I know it won’t last.
I don’t think there’s any significant difference, beyond the resolution. All of the *GA acronyms just refer to specific resolution. More detail (than you probably want) here. Obviously, higher is better, though you might find that the lower res options is enough for you. The “higher quality” upgrades that a lot of places offer are of questionable value, IMO. I’m not sure what good they actually offer, and usually they give you a glossy, reflective screen. All this seems to accomplish, other than making you go “ooh! shiny!”, is to reflect the entire damn room in your screen so you can’t see what you’re doing.
It was the reason I had to buy my own XP Pro laptop instead of using my wife’s Home laptop 
I have a glossy screen on my HP and it’s really quite nice. It’s certainly not a must-have but I like it better than the matte finish on my other laptops. Of course if you have co-workers or three year olds who leave smeary fingerprints on your screen all the time, then there’s a problem. 
I find it easier to watch movies on the screen. I went with the Ultra wide SXGA + True life display. Everything is very pretty, the resolution is great. I often use it to watch a movie with my GF in bed.
Even though I got the 2.13 core 2 Duo chip, I can write off the expense and want to keep this laptop for a number of years. From the sounds of things a 1.66 or 1.83 core 2 duo chip would do you fine. I went with the smaller, but faster Hard drive because I don’t think I will use 100Gb anytime soon. Plus USB drives are dirt cheap, I want the data I use day to day to retrieve quicker, hence the higher RPM.
Thanks for all of y’alls help so far. After going laptop shopping today at the local retailers, and surfing the web for the past 3 days, I think I’ve finally decieded on a model to buy, the HP Pavillion dv9000. I don’t know yet if I’m going to get the Intel or AMD one, or even the other customizable options I’m going to get. But since I know the model, and whats offered, I can now research some of the individual parts.
Ok, after much looking around, I’ve almost got my system specs down. However, this is one problem still bothering me… AMD or Intel? Here are the specs I’ve picked out so far:
HP Pavilion dv9000
* – FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center!!
* – 17.0" WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900)
* – 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7600
* – HP Imprint Finish + Microphone + Webcam
* – 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* – 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* – Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
* – 802.11a/b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
* – FREE Upgrade to HP ExpressCard Analog TV Tuner!!
* – High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* – Microsoft(R) Works/Money
* – System Recovery DVD w/Windows XP Media Center
* – HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
The only question is should I put the AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-56(1.8GHz/1MB), or the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5600(1.83GHz/2MB L2Cache) in the machine? The Intel is $50 more then the AMD. So the price doesn’t matter.
I know its a very old debate, but which is currently better? Intel or AMD?
You sure you want the 17"? That’s kind of… really big to be carrying around. At least make sure it has enough battery life. A lot of times, those “desktop replacements” will skimp on the battery, since it’s not meant to be as portable.
Other than that, looks like a good choice. That integrated TV tuner could be a nice feature…
Intel has the current performance edge, and I also think they use less power (meaning more battery life). The difference may be too small to be noticeable, however.
Warning!!!
HP was famous recently for underpowering usb ports to extend battery life making it impossible to use some usb devices without a powered hub or AC power.
I work on PC’s for a living, IME I have seen the fewest problems with Gateway machines. They are a touch more expensive, but IMO worth it.
Otherwise I do like the look and feel of HP notebooks, but I would probably never buy one for the reason above.
I have the dv9000t (intel). I have the 7200 rpm 100gb hard drive.
I love it but lazybratsche has a point - she’s a big sucker. Still portable, of course. You might want to go with a backpack rather than a shoulder bag.
With the dedicated numeric keypad there’s not a whole lot you would miss from a full-size keyboard, except the right side shift key is half it’s normal size but I’ve gotten used to that. AFAIC it really is a desktop replacement.
The card reader is a nice feature.
One oddball thing HP did was partition off 11.6 gb of the hard drive in FAT32 format for recovery. I think the only way to reclaim this is to reinstall the OS, which I really don’t want to do right now. If you get recovery DVDs straight from HP then maybe you won’t have this affliction.
I also have the tuner. It’s pretty cool but just remember to have patience while setting it up and know you’ll have lots of cables & wires hanging off your computer when it’s hooked up to your box. You’ll need a length of RG6 cable to complete the hook up.
The one thing I tend to give Intel big big dibs for is that their Centrino-branded laptop chipsets are a rock-solid CPU/wireless/power management package (at least, in the Thinkpad and Acer laptops I have encountered them in). I’d pick Intel for that reason alone.
I’ve resolved never to buy an HP Pavilion laptop again. The one I had had to be shipped back for repairs five times over the course of two years (or something like that).
Ok, I placed my order for it today. I decieded on the Intel CPU. I appriciate all of y’alls help. They said it should be ready by Jan 22nd, and I got the free shipping with 5-7 days. So I should have it by the end of the month.
I decieded not to get an extended warranty with it. I figure if its going to break on me, it will probably do it in the 1st year anyhow. However, I am going to purchace an insurance policy with Nationwide for theft or accidents, they only charge $35 a year. Much better then HP’s accident plans which don’t even cover theft.
Now I just need to wait…