laptop to replace desktop??

[Elephant16]

Im going to get a laptop in feb. or so and was just wanting to know what all is out there. i will have around 15-2000 to spend (1500 is preferd) anyway im in school (4 hour classes) and i need something i can type my notes and such but also during breaks be able to play games such as bf1942 and desert combat. Any sugestions? Also would i need to buy more than 1 battery? how are the graphics with laptops are they up there with desktops yet?

I was looking at the hp's and the higher end one comes you can upgrade to a geforce go fx5600 also it has a 17 monitor that sounds nice and all but i assume it will kill battery life right? When im using it at home i can plug it into the wall but like stated about my class is around 4 hours so i need something that will be pretty efficient battery wise.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/computer_store/computer_category_view.jsp?landing=notebooks&category=hp_pavilion&cat_level=3&browse_link=true&BV_SessionID=@@@@0159457037.1067657872@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadcjkjifdeicfngcfkmdfondfgm.0

[qweryujo]

The only notebook I am aware of that has a fairly good battery life (more than 4-5 hrs) is the IBM T40. I'm not sure about its gaming capabilities, but that would suck the battery too. A larger screen will suck down batteries more quickly, but that is usually balanced with a bigger battery. Most laptops today can run about 4 hrs when just doing basic tasks (not gaming). Just look into reviews before you buy. Also, if you are going to be lugging it around alot, try to get the weight around 5 lbs or so, my laptop is 8lbs, and with the power adapter it is 10lbs. It is not a nice thing to carry around often.

[SkyDog]

For long battery life, you'll want to look into a notebook that uses the Pentium M processor -- the one used in "Centrino" setups. (Not the Pentium 4-M, which is a completely different CPU.)

If the class is 4 hours and you'll need the notebook to be on the entire time, you might want to look into a model that can have two batteries installed at the same time. Most Pentium M notebooks should be able to get 4+ hours of light to moderate use from a single fully-charged battery, but batteries can start to lose capacity after a number of charge/discharge cycles.

The Dell Inspiron 600M might be a decent option. It starts at $1,249 with barebone options, so it should be able to fit in your price range with some decent upgrades. And a second battery for the modular bay costs $129.

[Elephant16]

well the longest i would ever be able to game in that class would be like an hour. Regular class lasts 4 hours mon -thurs and the laptop would be used mostly for typing notes and such. (how loud are laptop keys? when i type on my regular keyboard its pretty loud)

also sometimes on friday usualy test day we get around an hour between each test to study (probaly the times i would use it for gaming) Im taking a IS class (information systems) i just started my first week was last week. So i havnt really got deep into the networking section yet. But most games have a lan option i assume i could connect my laptop to someone else via a cat 5 cable or something and play multyplayer lan games right? also to swap files. The school wont let me connect it to their network due to security reasons and they dont have wireless.