So I've not actually purchased a laptop before, so question, is this :

http://dealnews.com/deals/Dell-Vostro-1700-Intel-Core-2-Duo-1-6-GHz-17-Widescreen-Laptop-for-849-shipped/180675.html

a good buy? I was of course going to move the specs up a little to the $1500 dollar mark or so...but, another question; why is this notebook so much cheaper than an inspirion? I get the feeling I'm missing something and don't want to go and spend a bunch of money, and then figure out I made a mistake. Thanks guys!

So - so. It is built to meet the new competition... part of Dell's attempt to get back to the top of the pile. I expect the video graphics or the inverter will fail early... but of course, nobody knows since it is new.