That laptop you put a hyperlink to is really good for the price. I would customize the processor to intel core 2 duoT5600 and the memory to at least 1 gb (if ur gonna express upgrade to windows vista). You might as well get truelife screen and 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability optical drive. All this puts you at 867$ which is a sick deal.
Also, you should look at the compaq v6000z. Here is what u get for 883$
Processor: AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-50(1.6GHz/512KB)
OS:Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Screen: 15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 6150 w/Productivity Ports
Memory: 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
HDD: 100GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive:Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
networking: 802.11a/b/g WLAN
battery:12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
