I want to buy a laptop.

[Howlando]

Hi gang,

At the moment I am considering purchasing a new laptop that would suit both my nomadic traveling lifestyle as well as being able to run NWN and the toolset well (I do not really play other games, but I suppose all things being equal I'd like to be able to do so if I wanted).

Durability, battery length, size, simplicity, not being too noisy or hot are all important factors.

Rather than perform research myself I decided I would unleash my army of research nerd-minions (that would be you) to tell me what to get. I'd like to spend less rather than more, I suppose my budget would be around $2000 or so (flexible) though.

Oh, and it needs to be able to be shipped to Hungary.

As motivation consider that when I have such a toy in my possession I will be able to return to toolsetting, fixing bugs, and making LOOT for people.

[Yalta]

I am thinking of getting a laptop fairly soon and i am looking at this one. Good reviews and also, more importantly good user reviews.
 
Compaq Presario CQ71 Laptop
 
This is where i am looking on a UK website, though I am sure this sort of thing is avaliable worldwide.
 
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/186615
 
Also that website is great for user reviews, even if you don't get it from there.

[Nickless]

It varies, but if you look at the special deals Dell offers for laptops, you might find a good one. You loose the customisability, but it appears you can save a large amount of money compared to their standard offering.

Edit: Expanding on Yalta's link, this site is great for checking out the performance of specific laptop components. Additionally, your $2000 budget far exceeds your usage requirements as you've described them. I'd reduce it to $300-$1000 at most.

[Dash]

I have always found Toshibas to be the best made laptops personally.  They consistently outperform other models in their class and come with many sweet features, not to mention good customer service and insurance packages.

I'm currently on a Toshiba Satelite A305 and it was only $800 and serves me quite well, and is powerful enough to run all but the most demanding of the recent cutting edge games (It has a dedicated video card which is a must but rare for notebook computer's in that price range). It is also super quiet!

You could probably upgrade with a budget of $2000 and get an even more powerful version should you so desire!

[The Beggar]

I've got a 13" Macbook aluminum case (got it prior to them making mandatory pros) with upgraded RAM, and have windows partitioned on the drive. Runs silent, solid graphics, good battery life, and amazing design (rather pretty computer IMO). Bit pricier than Dell or other options, but a great computer. Been more than happy with it.

[lovethesuit]

What did you get Howland? UPDATE!

[Hilltop]

I am so jealous of Der Fuhrer.