I can't recommend Windows 7 over Vista enough.
That said, I'm going to mention the following from Dell, because having bought their stuff for 7 years at my workplace, I've had nothing but positive
experiences with them.
Bare minimum:
Inspiron 15, with ATI Mobility Radeon 4330.
This is a bare decent card. Will probably run WoW okay, but will probably lag out heavily in Raids. Should perform CoH okay.
Better:
Studio 15, with ATI Mobility Radeon 4570
Much better card. Very nice for gaming, but there's better. Has some nifty options on this one.
OR
XPS M1330, with nVidia Geforce Go 8400M
We got one of these (well, the Vostro equivalent) and I can tell you it's quite a decent machine. Good balance of performance and size. You'll give up
some FPS to the above, but if you want to have a couple pounds, its the way to go.
Even Better:
XPS M1730
Wow. Ludicrous laptops, but only $2k-ish.
Beyond:
Go to Alienware, my friend.
Things to remember:
1) Intel Graphics Adaptors suck, as do any on-board integrated video card (IGA).
2) Go for 4GB, even if you're running a 32-bit OS
3) I recommend extra power adaptors. Leave one at your desk, and one in the carry case.
4) Bigger Battery=Good, but remember that in a lot of cases the bigger battery will increase the size of the laptop and weight.
5) 15", while being decent as a general purpose laptop, suck on planes.
6) Laptop screens have ludicrously high dot pitch. At my work we have 15" screens that are 1920x1200. That's like 150dpi. GAH.
7) Get everything you're going to want on it now - microphones, webcams, etc. Buying aftermarket add-ons sucks.
Edit: I do not recommend the "Studio XPS" machines, as IMO they're overdue for a refresh.
Edit 2: How very odd, apparently it won't recognize the "{/list}" command. (yes, I used square brackets)
That said, I'm going to mention the following from Dell, because having bought their stuff for 7 years at my workplace, I've had nothing but positive
experiences with them.
Bare minimum:
Inspiron 15, with ATI Mobility Radeon 4330.
This is a bare decent card. Will probably run WoW okay, but will probably lag out heavily in Raids. Should perform CoH okay.
Better:
Studio 15, with ATI Mobility Radeon 4570
Much better card. Very nice for gaming, but there's better. Has some nifty options on this one.
OR
XPS M1330, with nVidia Geforce Go 8400M
We got one of these (well, the Vostro equivalent) and I can tell you it's quite a decent machine. Good balance of performance and size. You'll give up
some FPS to the above, but if you want to have a couple pounds, its the way to go.
Even Better:
XPS M1730
Wow. Ludicrous laptops, but only $2k-ish.
Beyond:
Go to Alienware, my friend.
Things to remember:
1) Intel Graphics Adaptors suck, as do any on-board integrated video card (IGA).
2) Go for 4GB, even if you're running a 32-bit OS
3) I recommend extra power adaptors. Leave one at your desk, and one in the carry case.
4) Bigger Battery=Good, but remember that in a lot of cases the bigger battery will increase the size of the laptop and weight.
5) 15", while being decent as a general purpose laptop, suck on planes.
6) Laptop screens have ludicrously high dot pitch. At my work we have 15" screens that are 1920x1200. That's like 150dpi. GAH.
7) Get everything you're going to want on it now - microphones, webcams, etc. Buying aftermarket add-ons sucks.
Edit: I do not recommend the "Studio XPS" machines, as IMO they're overdue for a refresh.
Edit 2: How very odd, apparently it won't recognize the "{/list}" command. (yes, I used square brackets)