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If you want your laptop to last a long time into the future and you want it to be as fast as your desktop computer [I am assuming that it's less than 3 years old] then I would say go for a laptop with an Intel Core Duo or Intel Core 2 Duo CPU [processor]. If you want value for money, then I suggest that you choose an Acer laptop. I brought one a month or so ago, and I am extremely pleased with the value for money I got. You don't always need to go to the biggest brands [although Acer is gaining market share] - often, you are paying for a label. While Acer's laptop designs are not the sleekest-designed in the world, they are certainly very functional. The keyboard is comfortable and my Core Duo CPU, alough 1.6ghz, even on the slowest battery-saving setting, it is as fast as my Pentium 4 2.8ghz CPU in my desktop. About the Turion vs Core Duo: The AMD Turion CPUs are not as advanced as the Core Duo ones, and you won't get as much battery life out of them. So I suggest a Core Duo. And I would suggest that you avoid Dell - while many people are satisfied with the quality and value, many others are not, and their support which has been outsourced to the Far East is reported to be terrible.
My advice to you is to go for an Acer, with a Core Duo CPU. Also have a look at what the online retailers have to offer, often they are cheaper and won't have the annoying salesmen who in most stores are trained to sell you a computer that has power that you don't really need. Also avoid any laptop which has any mention of "Celeron", "Semprom" or "Pentium M" - Celeron and Semprom CPUs are the budget desktop model CPUs which have simply been altered a little to run slower and on less power in a laptop, and Pentium M is now outdated.