Laptop of Power!

Originally Posted by Gunner K2

Because I plan on pursuing some kind of computer science field in college, I'll need a mobile PC and it has to be powerful because I plan on doing 3D design, among other things. Plus, the laptop will be used for gaming (of course) and other multimedia. Since laptops can't be cheaply and easily upgraded, it will need some staying power. I've never looked at laptops before so I'm pretty ignorant here. I want it to have a cost of not more than $3,000 unless there is a strong justification for spending a little more. I also want a big and high quality screen and the ability to connect to sound systems (which I think is standard anyway) and possibly PC monitors (which I don't think is standard).

One big problem is that I have a lot of stuff on my PC and I want to know the easiest and most efficient way to transfer that info, preferably WITHOUT using a network since I don't have one. But I'd also like to know how to do it with a network if that's the best way (and then I'll need to know how to make the network).

Ideas? Thanks in advance for your help!

You mentioned you wanted a mobile PC and one that's powerful. It's unlikely you can get both at once because a big screen isn't going to make it very mobile. Core Duo might get you close, but I'm not sure what 3D design would be highly dependent on. Right now Intel is the choice for a laptop chip, in my opinion. AMD so far have established themselves in the desktop market. As for transfers, if you have a router, it's just a matter of hooking it up and messing around with some file sharing issues. You can always have an external hard drive and move between those.

Jam it back in, in the dark.