bornon5

This will be my first foray into Laptop World. I know laptops are slower than similarly-priced desktops, but I don't know how much. My current (aging) computer, which I built four years ago, is:

Athlon 2200+ 1.8 GHz
1 GB RAM
Radeon 9800 Pro (128 MB)
80 GB HDD

Big question: can I buy a laptop nowadays that will surpass all of these specs, for around $700/800?

I do 3D animation and Photoshop, and I want to be able to test games that I'm working on, and the ability to play 1080p HD wouldn't hurt (I have a separate LCD monitor). I know laptops typically have primitive graphics cards, but is this always the case? I also want at least a 17" monitor on the laptop. Am I asking too much for $800?

Also, don't know if it makes a difference in price, but I don't need it to come with any OS.

Thanks! You people are always so helpful.