I'm getting a lot of gigs where I have to shoot video, edit and present it on the same night. Time is crucial, and my current dual-core laptop won't cut it at 50 minutes to render a five-minute HD video (no special effects, just transitions), not to mention its tiny 12-inch screen (I originally bought it for writing).

My alternative right now is to lug my desktop to the gig, but I don't feel comfortable subjecting it to the perils of transport so I'd like to buy a powerful laptop with a 17 screen that I can use comfortably for my needs. It only needs to run Vegas, which is perfect for field editing. At the same time, I don't want to spend as much as I did for my desktop workhorse.

I like Toshiba, but I'm open to other brands.

J.

Sager Laptops (http://www.sagernotebook.com/). And oddly enough, the new Macbook Pros, if you dual boot into Windows.

I've used two Acers in the past. I still have my Acer 8920 with 18" full HD screen but it is a Core 2 Duo and might not be so good for full HD videos. The newer versions will rock, I'm sure.