Laptop shopping

It’s become painfully obviously lately that I need a new laptop.  The ol’ black macbook (with a Core Duo, not even Core 2) isn’t cutting it anymore.  I’d also like something with a 15″+ screen.  So, check out the Macbook Pro, right?  Not so much.  They’re expensive!

I’ve done some looking around lately and my two most viable options are the Sony Vaio FW and the Dell Studio XPS 16.  The Dell has better components (DDR3 RAM, RGBLED display) but costs a few hundred more than the Vaio.  Despite all of that the lowest end Macbook Pro costs several hundred more than either of them.  The biggest problem is that I like the looks of the Pro more than any laptop on the market, but that really isn’t worth the extra $500 considering I’d be sacrificing a faster CPU and bigger default HDD.

So honestly I’m kind of stuck.  I’ve found that I mostly use my MacBook for work stuff and therefore I’m running Windows on it 90% of the time, so going with a PC laptop seems the best route.  Still, none of them seem perfect.  From what I’ve heard the Vaio has really loud mouse buttons and a less-than-desireable trackpad.  The Dell is…well, a Dell.  It’s got a leather accent on it which treads the thin line between cheesy and classy.  It’s also covered in glossy black finish which would indicate to me that it’s a magnet for fingerprints, even moreso than my black matte macbook.

What’s a geek to do!  Any suggestions?