if your looking for a 14.1 inch performance notebook, look at the sony cr290. thats what i have and i like it.
DO NOT LOOK AT A SONY. I have a Vaio as well, and would like to inform you that their hard drives are 4200 rpm, very slow and far below industry standards.
Although I am not a fan of HO, I would go with HP dv2500t on this one, best notebook in the price range, every feature imaginable, excellent battery life as well. heres a link. http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3721&review=HP+dv2500t
Plus, It has 383 mb of dedicated video memory! It really is a very good laptop for the money. absolutely excellent, and there are coupon codes online to get an additional 20% off.