HELP, which should i buy??

Hi everyone.. I am new to the forum as you can see, it's my first post.
I am glad i found the forum before making the decision on a new notebook as i am not really the wizzard of oz when it comes to technical specs.
I started looking around for a new notebook 2 weeks ago till today i still can't decide.

- I saw the Apple 15" and 17" ... seem like very nice machines and specs. Although the video card is only ATI x 1600 256mb and the hard disk capacity is only 160 gigs or upgradable. For 2900$ + it has to take some consideration before making the move.

- Number 2 is the Sony with 17" and an amazing wusgva display.. looks like a very good machine but again the video card is only 256mb and it's much heavier than the equivilant apple.

- Third, i saw (and liked) the HP Pavilion 17" display with an Nvidia video card with 512 mb , 240 hd, 2048rams, bluetooth and and and..... only thing i don't like on it is the display which is only WXGA and the lower resolution of 1440 x....

- Fourth is the dell.. but heck... when i configured the notebook online to be equivilant to th apple / HP / Sony specifications the price jumped even higher than the Apple.

I really can't make a decision anymore.. another thing which is confusing me is which Video card i should be looking for on a notebook (a decent one) Nvidia 7600 or ATIX1600 ? Apple is using the ATI X 1600.

I really appreciate your help making a decision... what do you guys think ? how is the wxga 17" of HP... which notebook i should go for.. i don't want to go spend a fortune on something that ends up in the trash within a year.

I am not a graphic designer but i use the computer for a lot of media files, sometimes gaming and surely professional purposes...

Thanks everyone and Merry Xmas.

Anyone ????

Ok.. I give you 81 min this time
As i mentioned in my first post.. I configured a system on Dell's website and i got to over 2700$
For that price i would buy the Apple without thinking twice..

Well, i don't have a home PC so the Notebook will be a replacement to it at the same time (explains why i want 17" display, even though i have a 20" LCD at home, maybe i can then use 2 displays)
I mainly use the notebook for surfing the net, word, office, gaming and a lot of media files.. (music as well as videos)

What is the better video card the ATI x1600 or the Nvidia 7600 (7500 etc..) and how bad is the WXGA display ? I wouldn't actually have thought twice about the HP9000 media notebook if it had a better resolution than the 1440 x 900 wxga display.. wusga or wsxga

Intel core 2 duo 2.0g processor (minimum)
2048 g 667ddr rams
17" or 15,4" wsxga or wusga display
160 gig + hard disk
Blue tooth
Wireless
Video Card a decent dedicated card, i don't know (It seems that the best that comes standard are the ATI x1600 and the Nvidia 7600 or 7500) are they any good which you recommend ?

I just finished building two different systems on Dell.ch (as i am in switzerland)
first system was the XPS17 with 2.16 processor and it costs 3150 CHF = 2500$ US (without word software)
second was the 9400 gold with 2.0 processor and ended up costing 3250 CHF = 2570$ US

but isn't it still a better one than the 256 ? especially the Ati Radeon X1600 256mb ?

I am in Switzerland Rickster.. You don't have the option to configure the system for HP notebooks around here... the one they are selling here comes standard with Intel Core 2 Duo 2,0 processor , 240 HDD, WXGA 17" glossy display, Nvidia Geforce go 7600 etc.... If i had the option like you guys have in the US to upgrade the display to wsxga 1680x1050 with ultra bright view and the processor to 2.16 or 2.33 ghz, it wouldn't have been much of a brainer for me to go with the HP.
Today i had a look again on both online and something seems incredibly attracting me to the MBP even though the price difference... lets see which i end up with..

what 125$? it comes standard on the hp pavilion 17" 9097 notebook.. it is all included in price.. the MBP comes with an ATI Radeon X 1600 with 256 mb and has the faster processor with 2,33 ghz but does it really worth over 1000$ price difference between it and the HP which comes with 2,0 ghz intel core 2 duo processor ?
I really can't say 100% that i am going for the HP but it sure is the more attractive with what i can get for the less cash than the 2900$ Apple... i never thought buying a notebook would be such a pain..
I remember when i bought my current P4 2,4 Fujitsu Siemens was just like, i went, i saw, compared , i bought and i went home.. this time it seems much more complicated.
I was speaking today with my neighbor who happens to be a professional graphic designer who only works with apple.. he upraised very much their reliability and criticised soooo much what they offer in term of specs to their prices.. He also told me how many BIG companies switched from Apple to windows due to those factors.. those companies are really big newspapers around here.. at least 4 of them did until now..