new laptop advice

Currently in the market for a new laptop. I would consider myself an average user - photos, watch online videos, MS Office user, etc. I never owned a non-Intel inside but there's a good deal on a laptop with an AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile processor. Is this a good processor? I believe it is dual-core. Would I be able to compare it to any of the Intel Pentium, Core, Core 2, Centrino, Centrino 2??? Which one? Do you think it is a good buy???

 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11333120&whse=BC&topnav=

This is the laptop I'm considering....

 

Here's what I picked up recently for a friend, its a really nice laptop for the money (Intel processor). Purchased at the Sterling location. It's a better deal than the Inspiron line (better processor, more RAM, bigger HD for only ~$50 more).

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9150483&type=product&id=1218036667529

 

here's a good place to get some other deals on laptops/etc:

http://www.techbargains.com/laptopcomputernotebookreview.cfm

 

Get a Mac. I don't own one, but I figured I would get the inevitable advice out of the way early.

On a serious note, are you getting a laptop because you travel with it?

 

My 2 cents....

Try to avoid vista as its not so popular and with lot of issues....

Try to buy a laptop with Windows XP Professional.....These days Dell started to offer Win XP Pro when you configure a laptop...

You can upgrade to Windows 7 next year when its released.....

If you don't need a laptop right away, may be you can wait until July 1st to earn a free Windows 7 upgrade when its released next year...

http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9125060

 

Thanks everyone for the tips...
-Need the laptop for at home use mostly. Won't travel much. I just want to have the flexibility to use it in different rooms at home.... I have kids and don't like being too far away...
-Vista problems? So who's to say Windows 7 won't have any? Is this really an issue I should be concerned with?
-My question about AMD vs Intel chips has not been answered yet... any thoughts? Either better? Which Intel one can an AMD Turion 64 X2 be compared to?
Thanks again!

 

Here are some charts on mobile CPU benchmarks:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/mobile-cpu-charts/benchmarks,19.html

I've been an AMD guy for a long time, since the 386dx/40 ... but Intel has come on strong in the last few years, but AMD still has the best bang/$ I think. I'm holding out for their new CPUs in February.

Get as much battery capacity as possible, too!

 

I am also an AMD guy and currently using AMD Turion 64 X2 (Asus) on my laptop and AMD Athlon X2 4800 (2.5 ghz but overclocked at 2.7ghz) on my desktop. Surely beats the price of same Intel specs.

X2 is dual core same as Intel Core Duo.