Advice on a Travel Laptop

[tridium]

I'm going to be travelling abroad for the next couple months and want a laptop that's able to handle all the needs of a photographer / gamer (to a lesser extent obviously...).

I'm looking to spend about $1,500ish before tax, need a graphics card, and a somewhat beefy CPU for photo editing. I'll need it to be small and light so that I can just pop it into my bag on the go. 13.3" is the smallest I'll go, because it will still have to be my primary computer for the next four months.

I've shopped around and found a couple of possibilities:

Dell XPS 1330 - about $1425: 2.0GHz C2D CPU, 1GB RAM (I'll be upgrading this myself), graphics card upgrade, BlueTooth, and the 9-cell battery. That price was the cheapest I was able to talk them down to, though I'll probably try again...

Lenovo T61 - $1,399.00: Through VisaPerks.ca. 2.0GHz C2D CPU, 1GB RAM, Nvidia Quadro graphics card (same as the 1330's upgrade), 6-cell battery. About the same price but looks less stylish. Screen is slightly bigger. Very good build quality.

Then looking at FutureShop and BestBuy, they always seem to have laptops that are reduced a ridiculous amount:

Sony VAIO R220 - $1400: 2.0GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 200GB HDD, 14.1" screen.

I've called Dell trying to compare the Apple MacBooks and how they're cheaper for the same parts, but Dell keeps giving me the runaround with how their laptop has won awards for their LCD backlit (this was Dell USA) screen and their laptop monitor hinge design.

[Smoked]

go for the XPS if your a gamer

Levenos usually last a longgggg time

Sony for vaio logo.

[ynotme]

I'll need it to be small and light so that I can just pop it into my bag on the go. 13.3" is the smallest I'll go

If 13" is okay, how about apple MacBook?
it will be the lightest you can get..

[Ojam]

If 13" is okay, how about apple MacBook?
it will be the lightest you can get..

I love my MacBook, but it is definitely not the lightest laptop out there. Plus he said he wanted to play games on it, if he just wanted to do photos, I'd say go for it, but he has other needs.

[tridium]

I was surprised that spec for spec, the Macbook was cheaper than the similarly configured Dells. I suppose the myth of Apples being more expensive is just for their desktop line-up.

But as mentioned, I game, so Apple's just aren't my thing. I'm also perfectly fine with Vista and have no wish to learn another OS. And just to be nit-picky, Macbooks start at 5.0lbs whereas the XPS 1990 with a 9-cell battery is only 4.5lbs.

[Bunkhouse]

I'd go for the T61, just pop an extra 1GB stick in there.

Plus it's 3 year international warrenty is a must for travelling abroad.

[Gee]

I would go with the X61, it is lighter, but the screen is only 12.1"

So I guess the T61 will have to do.

If you want to game. Get a Nintendo DS.