Shopping for a cheap, quality laptop

[Burky]

I'd say 3ghz would be very similar for performance when solo-tasking to 1.6ghz, maybe the Core Duo would be slightly behind.
But for multi-tasking, the Core Duo would spank the Pentium.

[SpoDaddy]

http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...AWLMi_Notebook

Acer Aspire 5601

Intel Core Duo Processor T2050, 1.66GHz, with Centrino Technology, 512MB RAM, 100GB Hard Drive, 15.4-inch WXGA TFT Display, 8X DVD+/-RW Drive, Windows XP Media Center 2005

$599, free shipping (or just pick it up at a CompUSA brick and mortar). Would you get that over the Dell E1505? I don't know much about the quality of Acer products.

Edit: The DVD drive is slot loading and it's got a DVI-D port, which is a plus. According to some stuff I'm reading, Acer laptops have heating problems. Anyone know if this is true?

[stormy]

My main concern is that the laptop/hard drive survive my daily commutes to school/work, the bumps and shakes that go with being in a backpack for long walks, etc.

You will not have a problem. When the laptops are shut off or put in sleep mode the HD spins down and the heads are moved away from the platter surface. They're made to travel like that.

I kept telling this to IP too when he got his but if you plan on carrying it around a lot, praticularly with other stuff like books, then get something small. I'd take the smallest laptop over the fastest any day. Stay away from the 15" Dell Behemoths, they will make you miserable when they tear the seams on your backpack's shoulderstraps. Most 15"ers are too big other than Macbook and some Sonys imo.

[SpoDaddy]

I just picked up the Acer, $599 and I got a 2-year full warranty with CompUSA for $139. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the warranty though; doesn't Acer already provide a 1 year warranty?