Buying Laptop... What to do

I am in the market for a laptop for the first time ever. I am looking for something I can use to program while I'm on the plane or in a hotel. So a 17" that messes with people next to me and lasts 2 hours on battery probably is a no go. I write software that runs on Oracle, MySQL, and MSSQL, so I need to be able to run those servers on it along with my compiler without it being a problem. i.e. 2.0GB ram. The last thing I want to do is to demo it and have a customer comment how slow it is because I went cheap on RAM.

I bought a 999.99 HP Pavillion dv6153nr at Bestbuy, only when I got it home it had a high pitched whine when the HD idled, so I brought it back and got a raincheck. They are out of stock all across town. I need a functional (with all my tools installed and troubleshooted in case of problems) laptop for a trip on the 14th of Jan. So I don't want to diddle 'till the last minute and be sol.

I am thinking of buying a HP if it's in stock soon, it had a T5500 Core 2, 2GB RAM with 667 FSB, 15.4" screen was what I had lined up for 999.99 (but now I'm wondering about availability).

What brands tend to be good? I see Sony's are their usual expensive self for a lot less bang, Gateways seem ok on pricing, Toshiba's seem nicely priced, but the comparable Toshiba (in stock) only has 533FSB, so not sure I want to eat that for a short term need. I checked online, and the deals aren't as good (for some reason) as the ones I see in Bestbuy. I don't want to go cheap, but I also don't want to waste money.

Any ideas? Experiences on what kind of components to look for to meet my needs?

Sony laptops have traditionally always been nice, but overpriced, as you stated, as long as I can remember I've wanted a sony due to their great designs but always seen better deals. For what (little) its worth I love my HP ZE4145, it started life as a basic XP 1800+/512 ram/40 gig 4200 rpm hd unit that I've since upgraded to an xp2500+, 1 gig ram, 60 gig 7200 rpm hard drive and internal wireless card. It's real fast now, but it never really got any huge gains until i swapped out the hard drive for the 7200 rpm hitatchi, I think thats one of the biggest limiting factors in most laptops is the hard drive speeds, so make sure you pay extra attention to that. I wouldn't hesitate to get another HP laptop, I've been eyeing the DV2000Ts but I have other things that require my money (like the house im buying...)

for sure a 7200RPM Hd if you are doin that stuff

Sony's are overpriced,you are paying for the name and look, that is all

Consider maybe a sager?

Another option if you want small an Apple MacBook, can run windows and OS X , is small and light and good on battery life.

Sony isnyt worth it way to much for what you get, HP, sager is good but may to long for sahipping ? Hmm

I really like the HP dv2000T, its portable and it looks really nice, the only possible knock is that the battery life is poor with the 6 cell (less than 3 hours?) battery.

I'm pretty sure that all the Presarios and Pavilions are made by the same ODM, so I would get whichever one looks better to you or is cheaper.

Gateway is crap, Sony is overpriced, and normal favorites here (Dell and Asus) are usually online orders only.

I would personally get an HP/Compaq, they seem to offer the best bang for the buck out of laptops offered in retail stores.

I got a Gateway for now. I haven't opened the box since I may drop by the day after Christmas to see if there are any cool deals. It's a Core Duo 2 T7200 2GHz, 2GB RAM (533FSB), 17" screen, 160GB HD (5400).
Price: $1350 + Tax

Thing is the laptops here are all getting sold out fast. Theres a HP, a Gateway, and a Toshiba all with a 15.4" screen, 2GB Ram, Core 2 T5200, 120GB HD all at $999.99 at bestbuy here. I originally got the HP but the HD was a clunk (steady high pitched whine) so I returned it. They were out of those, so I waited a day, finally decided on the Toshiba, went there for lunch today, and they said they had 6, but they had sold out (computers only update every 30 min so they sold 6 in 30 min). Same for the smaller Gateway.

As I'm standing there, the last good deal is the 17" Gateway I got, suddenly theres a crowd of people around it, obviously in the same situation as I am, no good deals left, and the guy said there were two left, so I went with it for now to at least hold something. I can return it though, but not sure if I want to do so.

I program on Windows, so I can't get a Mac . Also, I need to demo my software running on Oracle, MSSQL, and MySQL, so good CPU and RAM may help. Also, I don't REALLY see myself programming on an airplane, more like in the airport coffee shop or a Starbucks near the hotel or in the hotel itself. You really need quiet to code well. At the least, I may program on a plane, but the vast hours will be spent programming where I have an A/C outlet anyways.

I'm awfully tempted to stick with what I have (I have a trip coming up very soon to ordering online I can't guarantee I get it in time), but damn I didn't want to spend the extre $350.

Gateway: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ategoryId=pcmcat103700050027&id=1157068283471