Hi pandamel .

Before I go off and reccomend a specific model, I would like to ask what your budget will be for this machine? Also, whichi OS do you like best? XP? Icky-Sticky Vista? Linux?

From personal experience, I like Toshiba's notebooks, and some of their's offer two Hard disks. HP's are also good choices on notebooks. However, Tablet-PCs are intended for the "Ultramobile" crowd, and offer very limited performance. Since this is a GD laptop(GD=Graphic design), apart from having lots and lots of RAM and Hard drive space, you probably need a top-of-the line video card, or something close. (Nvidea Geforce 7950, 8600(512MB version), 8700). If you want the portablilty of a tablet, but want high-performance, a MacBook Pro is the best compromise, and they get good battery life, too.

Also Important is that you get a 7200-rpm hard disk. 5400-rpm or 4200-rpm's are slow, and not suitable for high-end laptops, such as GD ones. If 5400-rpm is the only option, you may want to get RAID-0, for higher speeds, though there is an increased chance of having all data lost on the HDDs.(And you have to get 2 identical hard disks for RAID)

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Core 2 Quad Q6700 @ 3.44GHz | Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling | 2 x eVGA SSC GeForce 8800GTS G92 |512MB (SLi) | 2 x 150GB 10,000-rpm Western Dig. HDD RAID-0 array | MSI P6N Platinum 680i | 1.0KW PC Power & Cooling PSU | Lite-On DVD +/- RW

If you are going into graphic design, then you may have to get over your lack of fondness for Macs. A LOT of businesses that focus on graphic design and desktop publishing still use Macs. It is the one area where Macs have traditionally "won out" over Windoze PeeCees. It is less of an issue in today's world as most graphic design and publishing programs are basically the same on both the Windoze and Mac platforms, but as an industry, graphics design and desktop publishing has been a stronghold of Macs.

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[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]

And I will note that MacBook Pros seem to be very well made. I like my MacBook Pro a LOT. I would not trade it for ANY Windoze laptop.

And I will further note that if you REALLY have an aversion to the Mac OS, you can realistically run Windoze only using Boot Camp on a MacBook Pro (you might have to leave a little partition with Mac OS installed on it...I don't know if you can ONLY have Windoze installed on it). I generally don't advise this...in general, if you want Windoze, I recommend getting a Windoze laptop and only get a MacBook Pro (or MacBook or any other Mac) if you plan on using the Mac OS but have some things that will not run on Mac OS and need Windoze...but you can run Windoze 100% of the time on a Mac if you so desire.

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[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]

Technically, you can get a MacBook Pro for under $2000 (which you said was your price range) if you decided you wanted to go that route. The "base model" is $1999, but you can usually get it from Amazon with a rebate of about $150. In fact, you can get it from Amazon right now for $1803.40 (includes a $150 mail in rebate)...and it is eligible for free shipping.

And I believe I remember saying you are a college student. If so, then you can likely get the educational discount as well.

But, if you already have all of your software in Windoze format, then you are probably correct that you would blow your overall budget of $2000 if you have to get a MacBook Pro AND software for it. And that nominally includes even if you were to just need to get Windoze to run in Boot Camp (the $1800 for the computer plus the cost of Windoze would put you right around $2000 total). So, you are probably better off sticking with a Windoze laptop option.

And that is fine. I don't have an aversion to Windoze and will never try to "force" someone to a Mac. I might suggest it, but if they are set on Windoze, then that is what they should do. And there are certainly times where I will not even suggest someone go for a Mac (if you are a hardcore gamer, then a Mac definitely does not make sense).

In the end, however, I will say it again...considering the industry you are heading into, be prepared to have to use a Mac at some point in your career.

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[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]

Personally, I would disagree...but that is just because I prefer Macs. You can certainly get a good Windoze computer for $2000, but it will likely come down to personal preference on whether it is "better" per se. Contrary to many people's statements, Macs now price out rather well when you actually manage to compare them up against true competition (i.e. another laptop that has pretty much the same configuration hardware and software wise). Where people are correct in say Windoze computers are less expensive is that you have a LOT more ability to choose what features/hardware you want and thus can select laptops with fewer built in features/hardware than Macs and thus save money by not having to buy things that you may not want/use(i.e. while I love my MacBook Pro, I don't really have much use for the built-in iSight camera...it is fun toy, but it might have been nice to save some money by not having to have it and not pay for it).

In the end, if a Windoze PeeCee is what you want, then by all means, ignore me and get a Windoze PeeCee (I have two running Windoze PeeCees and have Windoze XP running on my MacBook Pro...so I am not adverse to Windoze...just like to tease Windoze zealots with the whole "-oze" bit). Dells are usually considered good (although I will most likely never buy a Dell again do to poor customer service on an issue with my current Dell desktop) as are Lenovo's and HP's. The Toshiba brand has kind of taken a "hit" in recent years, but used to be king of the hill for laptops. I have really heard too much one way or the other on Gateways. My overall suggestion would be to first narrow down what features/hardware options you want (processor, size of hard drive, OS, WiFi or not and which flavor, optical drive, amount of RAM, screen size...you might want a 17" for graphic design, etc). Then you can find which models meet your needs from each brand and start looking at reviews and comments from users. And maybe even go try them out in a store. You can also obviously do what you are doing...ask around...but you will get varying opinions. Some people really like Dells...other hate Dell. And you will find that true of probably all the manufacturers.

Good luck.

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[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]

I have to agree with Smax013. If compared to PCs with equivalent hardware, Mac prices are competitive. Factor in equivalent software, and they are oftentimes cheaper than their PC equivalents. Factor in maintenance cost per year, expected useful life, resale value at time of replacement, and other factors that contribute to total cost of ownership, and Macs are usually significantly cheaper. There was once time when it cost more to buy a Mac instead of a PC. Those times are largely over.

Another thing to consider for graphic design is the screen quality, which is very high on a MacBook Pro. Not all laptop screens are created equal. If you will be working at a desk with an external monitor most of the time, this isn't as important. On the other hand, if you will be working primarily with the laptop screen, it will serve you well to have the best quality screen available to you. Also remember, no matter what kind of laptop you purchase, screen resolution is just as important, if not more so, than screen size.

I disagree. One gigabyte of memory should be viewed as the absolute bare minimum for any new machine, and only if its use is limited. RAM offers the most bang for the buck of any system component. For most people, 2 GiB is sufficient, but graphic design artists are very likely to use multiple RAM hungry applications, and benefit from installing the maximum amount of RAM the computer will support, no matter what platform is used.

To pandamel: RAM is usually a user replaceble/upgradeable component, and is also usually easy to install. It is often less expensive to upgrade your RAM yourself, rather than ordering the computer with the maximum RAM.