While sharing the sibling poster's preference for desktops, I have been extremely happy with my brand new Sony/Vaio VGN-NS328J. 3 GB of RAM, 250 GB SATA HD, Pentium Dual-Core T4200 (~2 GHz, 64-bit).
The 3D chip is a little lacking in oomph for a machine of these specs, but perfectly adequate for Compiz and other casual encounters with 3D in the course of development; it just doesn't run high-resolution BZflag very well. :)
No Linux compatibility issues. Works phenomenally well, and the build is relatively sturdy while remaining light. The keyboard also features big keys, good for people with big hands.
It was about $700 at full-blown retail.
EDIT: Battery life won't surpass 2 hours by much, though. Maybe you'll get a little more if you really dig into CPUFreq and backlight-dimming power management.
The 3D chip is a little lacking in oomph for a machine of these specs, but perfectly adequate for Compiz and other casual encounters with 3D in the course of development; it just doesn't run high-resolution BZflag very well. :)
No Linux compatibility issues. Works phenomenally well, and the build is relatively sturdy while remaining light. The keyboard also features big keys, good for people with big hands.
It was about $700 at full-blown retail.
EDIT: Battery life won't surpass 2 hours by much, though. Maybe you'll get a little more if you really dig into CPUFreq and backlight-dimming power management.