::shakes head in discouragement::
OK, I realize that this is a PHOTOGRAPHY site/forum. But when GAMING's mentioned as a priority, there's just no possible way to actually justify a Mac. Then add in the cost of replacing at least 50% of the software one uses. Phfft. I'm a sound designer and a photographer, making almost equal amounts of money with both, and I'm quite happy with my Toshiba laptop running WinXP Pro for everything.
I never have gotten why people swear up and down that a Mac is better for this and a PC is better for that (except gaming, mind you). For years I had to deal with people telling me that, "You can't DO audio on a PC! You've GOT to have a Mac!" Well, that's true to some extent... I can't run ProTools or any other over-priced, over-bloated, hardware exclusive audio package on any other computer. But I ask, why would I want to?
Granted, the OS X suite is pretty tight, and the Unix kernel is hands down the best move Apple could have ever made. I have many a co-worker that has run his or her Powerbook for months -- MONTHS -- without either a hiccup or a reboot. But truth to tell, I screw with my registry on a near-weekly basis, and I haven't seen a "Blue Screen of Death" in the year I've been running this machine.
In my opinion, and I'm sure someone's likely to get bent out of shape about this, Macs are for those folks that either don't know how or don't enjoy screwing with the inner workings of a machine, but just want to get the work done. Whereas a PC box is built just for those people that do (or have a teenager in the house that can save their asses if they get into trouble...).
And since this is a family-friendly site, I really shouldn't get into the whole "finding cracked software for Macs?!" issue... ::grin::
One tidbit of advice that I should pass along, though, in an effort to make this post worthwhile... Before you drop any money on a new laptop, check wherever you have to -- manufacturers' websites, forums, newsgroups, etc, etc -- to make sure you can locate an accurate ICC profile for any screen that comes with that system. If you have any desire to make accurate prints of your photographs from this new machine (and you don't own a Spyder!) you'll need the profile to color manage your system. And trust me, these are NOTORIOUSLY difficult to hunt down for laptops. Dell, Gateway, and Compaq will not have them. Don't even bother looking. HP, IBM, and Toshiba MAY have them for the upper-level models, though HP is highly doubtful. And Alienwares are so far out of your price range, I'm not even going there. ::grin::
My $0.04
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