Dell's new Inspiron 6000D comes in a sleek, silver finish with a 15.4" LCD. With a Pentium M 760 processor and 1GB of DDR2 RAM, the 6000D is a powerhouse of performance.

You have the option to go up to WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050 pixel) resolution with the LCD. The included stereo speakers are above average, and you have the option to get an Intel PRO Wireless (802.11 b/g) card. The 7200 RPM hard drive is a nice addition to boost the performance.

The battery comes with 6 or 9 cells, with an interesting feature: a built-in indicator that shows how much charge is remaining even when it's not connected to the notebook. Bundled software includes Dell Jukebox, Dell Media Experience, Acrobat Reader, and WordPerfect, and optionally MS Office 2003, McAfee Antivirus and other office and productivity apps.

Go for the ATI Mobility Radeon X300 for great gaming experiences. Prices start at US $999 for the base system, and can be ordered from Dell's website.